If people are not asking true inquiry questions about their own professional practice in a natural way, I must assume that they are also not ready or willing to engage their students in the kind of learning that comes from true inquiry, both individual and collaborative. Perhaps we fear that, in posing professional questions, our professional credibility is at stake; that publicly asking questions, especially in front of our peers, might make us appear ignorant or expose us as incompetent. The truth of course is, that we all have gaps in our knowledge that we need to fill. We all have questions to ask and we should not be afraid to ask them.
Teachers as learners
We therefore need to build an understanding among education professionals that the very key to our success and that of the learners in our care is to be, first and foremost, learners ourselves. It’s an old theme but one to which lip-service is paid, but evidently not as alive as it should be. I hope, of course, that by the end of our week or so together, I will observe that the fire has begun to ignite and the participants leave, comfortable with the fact that they are full of questions and that this is what will make them better leaders of the learning of others.
Common gaps
One thing to realise is that none of us are alone and as I reflect on my last four years of working in this way, some themes emerge that I see as common gaps in teacher knowledge or interest – and these are some of the areas that I am looking forward to teaching and in the process convincing people that they are all important in their day-to-day work:
- Neuroscience
- Student engagement: motivation vs. inspiration
- Learning Design
- Evaluation vs. Assessment
- Parents as Partners
Here’s to 2025 and beyond – and more questions!