Amani

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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