Actually, this should be titled ‘learning by questioning’ because anything can be learned by questioning. One reason why small children learn so much is that they question so much.
The trick obviously is to just ask questions, not look for answers. If we start looking for answers, our mind becomes a seeker and instead of questioning, we start becoming a storehouse of knowing. If we only ask questions, we remain a wonderer, our mind constantly open and just absorbing. Possibly we assume that a young child when asking questions wants to know the answers. But that need not be true – she is merely verbalizing her curious state of mind, the many channels which are open in her.
So take any topic and ask loads & loads of questions. We recommend that for any topic you can ask about 250 questions. Do not stop at the first 5-10 questions that come to your mind. Those are just scratching the surface. When you go beyond the normal questions then you start exploring the topic in many different ways.
As a facilitator, it is imperative that we expand our view of the child/situation. That we look at learning anything in many different ways. Which is why when we write down, say 250 questions, on any aspect of facilitation, we do not get an answer, rather answers are no more needed. The questioning itself gives us so many perspectives, so much more understanding and insights.
Here are some guidelines:
- There are no stupid questions, so all freaky, crazy, off-beat, stupid questions are welcome.
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Do not, I know I am repeating, but it is so important that we do not try and answer the questions – just ask questions
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Use all the why, what, how, when, which, what if, etc tools to start thinking questions.
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Zoom in and zoom out to ask questions at different levels (see diagram)
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Work on questions in a group – since all of us look into things in different ways – multiple minds automatically bring sublime variety.