Habits

Of Mind

Questioning and Posing Problems

Good learning starts with questions, not answers.

— Guy Glaxton, Bristol University

A good question generates a silence filled with thought that leads to talk.

— Morgan and Saxton (2015)

One of the distinguishing characteristics of humans is our inclination and ability to find problems to solve. Effective problem solvers know how to ask questions to fill in the gaps between what they know and what they don't know. Effective questioners are inclined to ask a range of questions:

• What evidence do you have?
• How do you know that's true?
• How reliable is this data source?

They also pose questions about alternative points of view:

• From whose viewpoint are we seeing, reading, or hearing?
• From what angle, what perspective, are we viewing this situation?

Effective questioners pose questions that make causal connections and relationships:

• How are these (people, events, or situations) related to each other?
• What produced this connection?

Sometimes they pose hypothetical problems characterized by "if" questions:

• What do you think would happen if … ?
• If that is true, then what might happen if … ?

Inquirers recognise discrepancies and phenomena in their environment, and they probe into their causes:

• Why do cats purr?
• How high can birds fly?
• Why does the hair on my head grow so fast, while the hair on my arms and legs grows so slowly?
• What would happen if we put the saltwater fish in a freshwater aquarium?
• What are some alternative solutions to international conflicts, other than wars?