What questions do we ask? How do we ask?

When one becomes a teacher, one of the first priorities is, how will I teach. Will you be the classic and normal? That would entail the teacher reads, the students listen. The teacher shows a powerpoint, the students, listen or write. These "classic" styles are also the most boring to students as well as the ones that do not inspire.

To me, inspiration is THE most important aspect on becoming a real teacher. Teaching is not about making sure the students pass something to keep that school in a certain percentage for "no child left behind". Teaching is giving a desire to the kids to want to learn; to want to know that learning is the key to becoming a well rounded individual. Lastly, the key is teaching kids to become thinkers not just learners. Learners do, thinkers, ask why should I do first, then with appropriate information, move to the proper hypothesis onto the conclusion. Winston Churchill once said, "The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter."

I believe that quote is more because kids are taught to do as I say, not what do you think. A classic theme that I always fall back on is being a sheep or someone that just does for the sake of doing. Why not do because you know that is the best way? My own family motto is "animus omnia" which is latin for, "will is everything." That motto is a key component to being successful at anything one tackles, but where does will come from? Will, I believe, starts from a sense of confidence. Confidence comes from being correct on many things a plethora of times. Being correct comes from parents and teachers that constantly entice the desire to learn knowledge. Entice, that is the key! Just blurting out information and wanting the kid to repeat is a disaster on an intellectual scale waiting to happen. That is why teaching, whether from the parents or the "teachers" is so critical in creating an individual, not a drone. So, what is the most crucial aspect on creating a child that craves information? Questions!!!!

Questions, what a beautiful concept. Something that needs an answer, but what if many of the questions asked were not known by the reciprocate? Ahhh, a need to do research or better yet, self motivation. To push oneself to do the right thing, to explore beyond what is already known, to reach beyond one's stretch. Yes, a novel concept it seems in this day and time of education. However, children are born with the desire to learn, so then why not nurture that a child's entire life? We, as educators, have the ability to move a child toward a desired behavior, but it takes a real teacher to get the desired, long term, result.

The right way to ask questions by Ben Johnson is remarkably accurate. I say remarkably because of all the blogs and comments I have read about teaching, this blog is by far the most simple, yet brilliant. The form of the question is our start to kids being lethargic or compelled. Questions that spark a mind to move forward, not stagnate is the catalyst to knowledge. Project based learning is brilliant in the fact that theoretically, it creates a desire to look, explore and seek out the information. Creating questions that are open ended and are not "black and white" or yes and no is paramount in teaching a desire to go beyond basic knowledge and move toward a renaissance education. Renaissance in today's time merely states a move from the past into a transition towards the future or a total experience. We are teaching total education! We are not trade schools! Let us teach towards enlightenment for today and let's get the children for tomorrow out of the dark and into the light.