Creative Teaching Ideas
The Art of Questioning

Of all the creative teaching ideas presented here, the Art of Questioning comes naturally to chldren. They ask questions all the time. "Who did it?" "What is it?" "When was it?" "Where are we?" "How come?" Their favorite query comes through the wonderfully infinite question, "Why, why, why, why, why?" But notice, most of the time they don't even wait for the answer before going on to their next question. What's going on here?

Keeping creative teaching ideas in mind - when asking questions, people and especially children, may not be asking for information so much as they are asking for you to pay attention to the world through their eyes, to get down on all fours and be curious with them. The Art of Questioning fans this flame of inquisitiveness that burns in the heart and mind of everyone.

The Art of Questioning begins in the curiosity of those who explore with you.

Start with their curiosity, then extend the opportunity for learning as far as it will stretch. Try to lead the answers out of people, guide them along from one logical question to the next, and throw them tidbits of partial answers on the way, until they arrive at the answer they seek for themselves.

This doesn't mean to never give answers to questions. Just remember that answers can bring about a swift end to curiosity. Sometimes, you do want to give answers and pass on information and clear instructions. However, try to wait to give answers until you see real, sincere readiness to receive them. This art is like planting seeds. No one throws seeds on unfertile, rock-hard ground. You prepare the ground for the seed before you plant it.

One of my first jobs was an an assistant at an organic farm. My boss returned one day from a national conference of organic farmers, and he told me that he was amazed that hardly anyone talked about the fruits and vegetables they grew. Instead, all of the focus was on soil, how to produce good soil.

The Art of Questioning builds fertile ground for more questions. Of course, like the farmers, we want the fruit, we want people to get the information, but we focus on the soil of their curiosity. That is, we want folks to become self-sufficiently inquisitive, trusting in themselves to seek out and find answers. As the Chinese proverb says, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

With regards to creative teaching ideas, one trick to successful questioning is to ponder every question with our own real interest, as if for the first time. Authentic curiosity is the fertile soil for the Art of Questioning. We, as mentors, must get back to "beginner's mind."

If you walk on a sandy beach and someone in your group sees a footprint and asks, "What kind of track is that?" - and you know coyote made that track - there are a few ways you can respond.

You could tell them coyote came this way last night. Your response will likely induce a simple nod, a mute "oh," and a move onward. This blown opportunity does not cultivate curiosity.

Or, you could get into the beginner's mind, the mind of humility and fresh discovery that thinks to itself, "How can I know for sure this was made by a coyote? And look what a beautiful pattern it makes in the sand. I wonder what it was doing to make the track deeper on the left than the right side?" From this place of authentic curiosity, you can become partners in a join venture of discovering the complex subtleties of the track. You might drop to a knee and bend down to look closer. "Wow, look at that...I wonder too...Who do you think could have made it?"

Throughout his childhood, Jon Young was taught this way by Tom Brown Jr. Tom could approach a coyote track for the thousandth time and sincerely study it as if for the first time. The beginner's mind engaged them both for longer and longer stretches, as over the years such genuine open-minded fascination became the norm. The more they learned, the greater their humility in realizing what they didn't know. Through Tom's modeling, Jon learned how to track, but more importantly, how to learn.

To learn more about the Art of Questioning (and other creative teaching ideas) check out:
Coyote's Guide to Connecting with Nature




Return from Creative Teaching Ideas to Outdoor Education Curriculum