As an educational coach and leader, I have learned the importance of asking questions as I speak with those I serve. I have ditched a “telling” philosophy, and even shy away from unsolicited “suggestions”. Lately, I discovered that this shift has positively affected my interactions with students as well as adult learners.

Feedback that Unintentionally Disempowers

In the past, I would often provide feedback to teachers by saying things such as, “I noticed your English learners are less likely to speak with a partner than are their peers. I have seen talking chips work well in other classrooms”. While the phrase “I noticed” appears non-judgmental, it nonetheless follows with my answer to a perceived problem. Similarly, while the suggestion in the aforementioned example does take away the focus on me as expert and shifts it to a teacher’s colleague, it does not promote a spirit of inquiry. It does little to encourage the teacher to self-reflect, to identify opportunities for growth and ideate as to methods of improvement.

I work with a few teachers who seek feedback, who are eager to hear my suggestions and listen to me speak of my observations. You may have known a few students with a similar mindset. However, even with these adult and student learners, small changes in our verbiage can serve to empower learners toward metacognition, to build their capacity to pilot and test change ideas when we are not present.

Inquisitive Learners are Problem Solvers

If I were to rephrase the aforementioned example of a conversation with the teacher, it may begin like this: “I love that you are providing opportunities for students to speak with one another. What have you noticed about your English learners during activities like this?” Consider the differences. Firstly, I began with a compliment. We are in a people business. All learners deserve some praise for a positive action. Success breeds success. The next sentence is not presented as my observation, it is a question that promotes metacognition. This can occur in conversations with students as well. In conferring with a student about a research paper they are writing I may remark, “I love the way you were attentive to citations in your paper. [pause] What do you notice about your transitions between paragraphs?” As a learning facilitator, I am guiding learners toward self-reflection. While I may have a focus, my questions perhaps designed to lead the learner in a specific direction, the questioning approach fosters inquiry.

In questioning versus telling/suggesting, learners may be able to identify an appropriate strategy on their own, or they may follow up by asking for guidance as to the best way to move forward. Skeptics may remark, “Is it not more efficient to simply tell learners what you are looking for in the beginning? Why spend the time ask questions of your learners if they may ask for the answer anyway?” This may be true, we may “save” time in the short term by telling rather than asking, in a direct instruction vs. inquiry based, constructivist model. However, in modeling curiosity we encourage our learners to be inquisitive, we validate their input in the learning process, and we empower them to continue the inquiry process.