Curiosity > Certainty
Wisdom from the Field #33
In his book A More Beautiful Question, Warren Berger advocates for students to be taught how to ask better questions in school.
“Don’t just teach your children to read. Teach them to question what they read. Teach them to question everything.”
Berger offers a helpful frame anyone can use to develop questions that lead to action.
Why…?
What if …?
How…?
This process can be powerful for improving the educational experience for everyone.
So why isn’t questioning taught more in schools?
One problem Berger documents is how deep inquiry into topics people find meaningful can threaten the status quo. “[Q]uestions challenge authority and disrupt established structures, processes, and systems, forcing people to have to at least think about doing something differently.” Change is hard; power is not easily distributed.
To teach others to question is a future commitment to sharing authority.
A Bias Toward Curiosity
I’ve been writing recently about the facts and the misconceptions about the science of reading; the responses have been strong.
And as expected, these posts have receive a few less-than-positive reactions. For example, a few educators online asked for “evidence” for one of the misconceptions. I have resisted responding as I question their intentions. They seem to want to be right.
But if I were to engage, for instance if a faculty member brought up a similar request in our school, I might respond with questions such as:
“What type of evidence are you looking for?”
“Is there a specific question you have about what I shared?”
“What is your current understanding of this topic?”
My goal is to keep the conversation going toward shared understanding and supporting teachers as leaders, which means having a bias toward curiosity over any desire for certainty and closure.
Wisdom from the Field is also a feature in my new book, Leading Like a C.O.A.C.H.
