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Hani Abudawood
Introduction
Children
are
naturally
curious
and
passionately
pursue
knowledge.
They
come
to
school
with
many
wonders
and
questions,
which
lead
to
investigation
and
thinking.
Since
thinking
is
not
driven
by
answers,
but
by
questions
as
Socrates
said,
All
thinking
begins
with
wonderment
(Hunkins,
1995),
creating
schools
and
classrooms
culture
that
supports
and
develops
questioning
and
inquiry
are
needed.
Despite
that
fact
that
some
students
get
frustrated
when
they
are
questioned,
it
is
proven
that
this
strategy
is
relevant
and
effective
since
it
develops
skills
of
21st
century,
encourages
students
intrinsic
motivation,
and
cultivates
lifelong
learning.
Therefore,
teaching
by
asking
instead
of
by
telling
is
an
innovative
way
as
a
teaching
pedagogy.
Examples
of
effective
strategies
that
support
this
idea
are
the
Socratic
method,
inquiry-based
learning,
and
Highly
Effective
Question
strategy
(HEQ).
In
this
paper,
I
will
focus
on
the
first
example,
Socratic
method
since
it
is
the
oldest
and
still
valid
and
effective.
Questioning
in
the
Quran
Quran,
as
any
other
holy
book,
is
a
gift
for
guidance.
Although
it
stressed
the
belief,
the
theological
positions,
the
words
of
Gods,
and
the
rules,(Eldin,
n.d.)
it
is
also
full
of
arguments
and
dialogs
through
questioning.
Some
of
these
questions
were
answered
by
Allah
or
by
Prophets,
while
others
were
posed
to
encourage
the
readers
to
think,
study,
and
explore
the
truth
by
themselves.
In
addition,
Eldin,
in
his
article
The
Quran
Teaches
Us
How
to
Think,
Not
What
to
Think,
explains
how
the
Quran
approaches
readers
with
reasonable
questions
that
stimulate
their
thinking.
For
example,
Allah
says
in
the
Quran:
Then
do
they
not
look
at
the
camels
-
how
they
are
created?
And
at
the
sky
-
how
it
is
raised?
And
at
the
mountains
-
how
they
are
erected?
And
at
the
earth
-
how
it
is
spread
out?
(Al-Ghashiyah:
17-20).
Questioning
as
an
Innovative
Teaching
Pedagogy
Questioning Strategy One of the oldest and most valid and effective strategies of questioning is the
Socratic method. Throughout studies, it is been proven that applying the Socratic method in classrooms improved reading, language arts, and math skills by an average of 2.5 years over the course of a single year. While other studies showed that students skills improved by 6.8 years over the same one-year period (Wenger, 2010). Moreover, Nancy, a teacher at River- side School, shares the effects of using such a strategy in her classroom by saying My whole teaching style has become more interactive. Instead of showing how to find solutions, a question is asked and pupils are given time to explore answers together, and then she adds pupils are comfortable with giving a wrong answer. They know that these can be as useful as correct ones. They are happy for other pupils to help explore their wrong answers further (Black, Harrison, Lee, Marshall, & William, 2004). So who is Socrates and what was his teaching pedagogy? Socrates is one of the early Greek philosophers and teacher. Plato, his student who was a dramatis, a poet, storyteller, and a philosopher, said that Socrates did not teach, but rather guide to find the truth (Boeree, 2009). Therefore, the Socratic method is a way to seek truths by your own lights. It is a system, a spirit, a type of philosophical inquiry, an intellectual technique, all rolled into one (Phillips, 2001). In fact, Gregory Vlastos, a Socrates scholar, describes Socratess method of inquiry as among the greatest achievement of humanity (Phillips, 2001). In addition, Socratic approach seeks to ask questions neither to get thought-stopping answers nor to generate further questions, but rather to develop intellectual abilities, to stimulate new ideas and opinions, and most important to provoke critical and more careful thinking that will lead to a progressively greater truth and accuracy. As a result, students will reach to answers that common sense, which they will value and adapt in their life.
Why Questioning and not Telling? In traditional teaching, power, control, and authority are held by the teacher, who plays the role of lecturer or instructor. In other words, the teacher tells the students what to learn and what to think rather than how to learn and how to think. She/he is telling information and knowledge that can be easily forgotten, which will never drop ignorance. Osho (2011) said, Ignorance cannot be dropped by accumulating more knowledge, and he continued, Knowledge is the barrier to knowing. When knowledge is dropped, knowing flowers. Therefore, knowledge is different than knowing. In fact, with questioning, arguments, and dialogues, thinking and knowing are still in process, and they do not die or dry until they become knowledge, and that happens when the teacher gives the answer. On the other hand, questioning, as an innovative teaching technique, encourages students to share the authority with the teacher, and that is through claiming, giving evidence, investigating, sharing ideas and opinions, meeting needs, and stimulating interests. Because of questioning, which creates this intellectually stimulating classroom environment, students will have tremendous utility that will foster life-long learning. For example, students will be more engaged and intrinsically motivated into learning, where they explore new ideas and concepts, and that will bring enlightenment, enjoyment, and excitement. In addition, effective and inquiry questions stretch students mind, provoke curiosity, arouse high level of thinking, improve problem solving skills, and instill a sense of wonder that can keeps the life-long learning alive. Moreover, with such an environment, students will achieve both intellectual and personal goals that will maintain curiosity, which students were born with, keep attention, and improve long-term retention of knowledge (Merritts and Walter, 2010). In addition to all these highest degree of mental alertness, questioning strategy, as Vlastos said, also calls for moral qualities of a high order: sincerity, humanity, and courage (Phillips, 2001). Finally, questioning is a good self- assessment tool that evaluate students knowledge by making sense of what they know and what they do not know.
Questioning Techniques One of the main techniques in using questioning as a highly effective method in the classroom is that the teacher has to pretend that he/she is ignorant about the subject. In other words, personal opinions, beliefs, or views should not be offered because that would ruined the students thinking process and disengage them in the dialogue (Letts, 1994). Another technique is that questions that are asked should not be vague or ambiguous, but rather effective, meaningful, and significant to the students. They have to be in a form of inquiry, essential, and open-ended questions that challenge them enough to think and not to frustrate. These questions can be phrased in many ways in order to probe assumptions, reasons and evidence, and implications and consequences. In addition, these types of questions can be asked to clarify, to encourage creativity and brainstorming, and to focus attention on a specific problem (Paul, Martin, and Adamson, (1989). Moreover, the teacher should value the students and that by respecting their different perspectives, understanding their point of views, and showing genuine interest in their thinking. Finally, the teacher should be a good listener that will help students feel safe and trusted to speak their thoughts, which will trigger them ask more questions, which will stimulate high level of intellectual abilities (Letts, 1994). In fact, in one of the chapters in the Quran, where Allah guides, advices, and instructs the Prophet Mohammad (Peace be upon him), He said, And as for him who asks, do not chide (him) (Adduha: 93-10). This instruction was given to the Prophet (peace be upon him), the teacher of all teachers, so that we can learn and be advised. Conclusion In conclusion, questioning is an old technique that still proof its validity and effectiveness in current classrooms. In order for educators to create innovative Learning that develops skills of 21st century, they need to apply this strategy in many of their classes. There should be models for their students in how to think critically and develop questioning skills. The main aim for applying this method is questioning to learn so that they learn to question. In other words, this strategy helps students learn themselves
learn how to question, wonder, explore, and investigate. This gives the students the opportunity to act like scientists by deriving questions, designing and carrying out investigations, and communicating results. Also, it helps them to be life long learner, achieve their academic and personal goals, and be scholar, scientists, and/or artists, just like Socrates. Lets not kill the spirit of curiosity, of inquiry, Lets use questioning strategies in classrooms.
References:
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P.
Harrison,
C.
Lee,
C.
Marshall,
B.
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William,
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