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Jo Dee (Jodee)
| | Posted on Friday, July 12, 2002 - 05:33 pm: |     |
I don't have much problem coming up with questions, both for my information (when I want to learn) and for my children (or other children when I have them in a class), but I am very shy and don't like to talk to people I don't know. As a matter of fact, I HATE going to parties, because I don't like being around a lot of people. I'm uncomfortable because I don't like to be the center of attention, so I don't talk at all. It is a bit different when it's with children or with people I know very well. |
Terri in TX (Territx)
| | Posted on Friday, July 12, 2002 - 10:04 am: | |
When I was reading Cheryl Z's comments about this section I thought of my husband. He is very good at making situations into learning experiences and asking leading questions! The thing that struck me is that he is very good with people in situations where he does not know any one. He can make a friend wherever he goes - strike up a conversation with anyone. I, on the other hand, am very withdrawn around people I don't know. I can never think of anything to say, really, other than the mindless weather topics. I wonder if these two abilities are connected and just come naturally to some people. On the other hand, maybe my husband was taught to think and I wasn't!!!  I would be interested in hearing whether the rest of you can identify this same correlation in yourselves and family members.
Blessings,
Terri |
Jo Dee (Jodee)
| | Posted on Friday, July 12, 2002 - 09:33 am: | |
From time to time my big problem is that my children also want that short and simple answer. After all, that's all their Sunday School teacher wants. They don't want the questions - that takes up too much of their teaching time. |
Cheryl Z (Cherylz)
| | Posted on Friday, July 12, 2002 - 09:31 am: | |
Discussion Questions:
1. How have you used Guided Questioning in your home school? Tell us about it.
I've not done well with this at all.
2. Does this type of conversation seem artificial/foreign to you or natural? Why?
It is foreign to me, which accounts for my answer to question 1! After reading JoDee's response to this I see why. I was one of those "brainy" ones who memorized and spit out answers and got good grades. I'm still learning to think for myself and question things. When we are on group field trips I marvel at my friends who have lots of questions for the guide. Where do they come up with them?!
3. Would using this type of conversation be uncomfortable to you at first?
Yes.
4. Do you ever find yourself doing some of the "don'ts" on the list? What types of situations trigger this response in you?
I do tend to lecture, I forget to write down questions before we forget them. Currently my biggest helper is the 4yo who questions everything because he doesn't know anything yet. Unfortunately he asks most of them when we aren't in a position to find the answer. I need to keep a notebook attached to me, I think.
5. What would you do with a child who answers your clever guided questioning with "I dunno" or "Who cares?. Would you drop the subject or make the child do the research anyway?
When I think it's important, I would make them find out.
6. For those of you who have taken your children out of the school system, have you found it hard to re-train your students to think for themselves rather than passively waiting for you to give them the answers they "need to know"? How did you finally do it? Are you still doing it?
YES! My oldest is the worst. He, unfortunately is a lot like me in this area. He just wants a simple, pat answer and be done with it. He is the least likely to be willing to look for the answer if it isn't given to him. We're still working on that. He has to be VERY internally motivated to care enough to find the answer.
Cheryl Z. in IL
wife to Keith
mommy to Ryan (13), Brandon (11), Natasha (8), Noah (4), and baby Bethany |
Terri in TX (Territx)
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 10, 2002 - 05:01 pm: | |
Hi. We have been so busy! But I FINALLY found the time to read this. It's great info.
1. How have you used Guided Questioning in your home school? Tell us about it.
I haven't used it a whole lot yet. The best example I can think of is when we see bugs I have begun asking "I wonder what that is" questions. And then we'll get out the bug guide and look it up. We did discover that what we were seeing all the time and calling a grasshopper was really a katydid.
2. Does this type of conversation seem artificial/foreign to you or natural? Why?
This is definately foreign to me. I think the reason why is because I grew up in the public schools where someone - or some book - always had the appropropriate answer and it was always handed to me. I was not trained to "discover" answers for myself and no one asked me guided questions. There's a mentality that parents are supposed to have all of the answers - they're the authority right? So they have the last word. I think my mom got that from her parents and passed it on to me. It's hard to break out of that mold...but I'm very slowly getting there.
3. Would using this type of conversation be uncomfortable to you at first?
Absolutely. More than uncomfortable...it's hard to remember to do it!!!
4. Do you ever find yourself doing some of the "don'ts" on the list? What types of situations trigger this response in you?
I think I've probably covered all the don'ts because of what I wrote in number 2 above. It's also just plain easier and less time consuming to have all the answers. Now that we're pursuing this more relaxed way of schooling we will have more time and I won't feel pressured to have all the answers - or expect my children to know them right away.
5. What would you do with a child who answers your clever guided questioning with "I dunno" or "Who cares?. Would you drop the subject or make the child do the research anyway?
I think those two statements clearly indicate a lack of interest. In our situation, at this point in time, I would have to drop the subject.
6. For those of you who have taken your children out of the school system, have you found it hard to re-train your students to think for themselves rather than passively waiting for you to give them the answers they "need to know"? How did you finally do it? Are you still doing it?
This will be our first year using this method. My daughter is 15 and has been homeschooled the public school way for about 5 years now. One problem we've always had is her accepting me correcting her answers in school. It has caused major friction between us. I am excited about using the Moore Foundation Horse Unit Study this year. I am praying that it will help both of us to be retrained!!! She doesn't really want me to have all the answers...and having answers from some curriculum doesn't leave much room for thought or discussion. I think that has been our problem. Many times she would put focus on what interested her the most and it didn't correlate with what the curriculum was emphasizing - and since I wasn't studying the material I didn't feel comfortable unless she knew the answers the curriculum was asking. I am ready to allow her much more freedom in pursuing her education and learning what is important to her. My prayer is that by next year she will be ready to go on to those "need to know" subjects.
I really appreciate your dedication to doing these discussions, Susan. It helps remind me of points I may have missed or forgotten about in the manual. Answering the questions you ask also helps me to take ownership of what the manual is teaching. Helps me to THINK! 
Blessings,
Terri |
Jo Dee (Jodee)
| | Posted on Monday, July 08, 2002 - 07:29 pm: | |
1. How have you used Guided Questioning in your home school? Tell us about it.
I use it quite often. I make a point of it during and after reading (the Bible or any book.) It's easy for me to remember to do it after reading, not so easy in other areas. I like to ask things like: Why do you think they did that? What do you think they felt like after that happened? Who do you think felt hurt? Why? What if that happened to you, what would you think?
My children like to ask a lot of why and how questions. Some things I know there is no real answer. For example, "Why do rabbits like to eat carrots?" Other than the obvious, their digestive systems, tastes, etc. are made for them, I just have to tell them, "Because that's the way God made them."
Just today during Bible reading, my son asked, "Why did the Israelites not want to follow God anymore?" I asked him why he thought that. He said, because it was more fun to not do what God wanted. That followed with a discussion of why it was fun (and it is, remember the Bible even says it is - remember Moses, he followed God rather than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season) and then on to the consequences and the reasons why we would be better off not following. My children were able to handle the majority of the discussion. I just kept throwing something in to keep it going.
2. Does this type of conversation seem artificial/foreign to you or natural? Why?
It seems more natural to me, because I asked many questions and dug for the answers. I enjoyed discussion, especially with my High School science and math teachers. They enjoyed having a student who actually wanted to discuss and learn these things (not saying I enjoyed all of the things in each of my science classes - I did pick and choose what I wanted from them) instead of those just trying to memorize a bunch of stuff to pass the test (mainly the "brainy" kids, as we called them - they got good grades, but I don't believe they really understood it.)
4. Do you ever find yourself doing some of the "don'ts" on the list? What types of situations trigger this response in you?
Yes, but only because I think some of them are ok from time to time. For example, I do ask some questions where I do expect a certain answer. There's nothing wrong with that for a black and white answer.
Also, when they say something that doesn't make sense, I will ask them if the think what they said makes sense. Sometimes they see their own error. I've had my daughter once say something then suddenly say, "Hey! Wait! That doesn't seem right." She just learned that she needs to think before she speaks.
5. What would you do with a child who answers your clever guided questioning with "I dunno" or "Who cares?. Would you drop the subject or make the child do the research anyway?
That all depends on the question and why it was asked.
I've talked to many church friends who send their children to school (public and private) in regard to "making" a child do something. They have to "make" their child do certain things to pass their grade. I don't. They wonder why my children don't know anything about such and such, or don't know the date of such and such. I tell them that if they want to learn it, they can. If it's something they need to learn, they will learn it (and I will require it) by the time they graduate. I don't have to follow a certain order, and I don't have to make my child learn something just because everyone else does. If they have no interest and it has nothing to do with what they "need" to know, "Who cares?"
6. For those of you who have taken your children out of the school system, have you found it hard to re-train your students to think for themselves rather than passively waiting for you to give them the answers they "need to know"? How did you finally do it? Are you still doing it?
While I've always had my children at home, I do want to make a comment about something I've observed and discussed with our Youth Director and his wife. First, they are all for parental involvement, and parents are always welcome to any activity. They also understand that not all parents will agree with all activities, and understand when we do not want our daughter going to certain activities. Anyway, my daughter was very upset with a Bible Study they had. I asked her how it was. She said she didn't know why she took her Bible since the "study" was only 5 minutes or so. It wasn't a study, just someone giving a devotional. The rest of the time was pizza eating. The called this a Bible Study! I knew they would be having a pizza dinner, but I did think there would be more Bible Study than that! When I discussed this with the leaders, they stated that was all the attention they could get from the kids. I then checked into Sunday School time. Same thing (not to the same extent, but more "fellowship" than they should have compared to "study") and the "homework" she brings home from that is laughable. No thinking, just spitting out answers. Well, I'm glad we handle Bible Study at home. I guess it's ok to spit out answers from time to time, but sometimes she gets so frustrated without the challenge.
While we have many children in the youth group whose parents do not attend church at all (and you can expect problems from time to time, and I have no problem with that, after all, that is why the church exists, to win others for Christ, and accepting them where they are is the first step), still there must be a balance somewhere. If we focus in on entertainment there will not be a growth towarded anything but the entertainment. It's unfortunate that we think teens must be entertained. (off my soapbox now) |
Susan (Susan)
| | Posted on Monday, July 08, 2002 - 08:03 am: | |
This is a long one, so sit back and relax, perhaps print this out so that you aren't staring at the computer screen for so long, and drink a mug of tea...
Guided Questioning (point #5)
This section tells us how to ask questions of our learners to help train our children to think for themselves. Teaching children to parrot facts and stale ideas does not teach them to think. Asking factual questions about material they may not know frustrates them. We, as teachers, must help our young ones make connections between "what is observed" and "what is known" using what the Moores call "Guided Questioning".
The Moores say that by asking the right questions, those that usually start with "why" or "how", and then helping the student find the answers, we are teaching them to be active learners who can ask those questions for themselves later on.
Paragraph Two tells us that this will have the fringe benefit of teaching the child humility. By our constantly verbalizing our own appreciation of God's wisdom and power, and our inability to answer our own questions right away, a sense of awe of God is built up in the student as he/she realizes that they don't know everything, or much of anything, really.
But also their self-respect and confidence grows as the students realize that they possess the ability to find the answers and solve the problems.
When the question is one that we don't have the answer for, we can follow these steps to get the answer:
Pray about it. God has the answers.
Research, using various media
Find Resource People who are willing to help.
Experiment with theories of our own and discuss results.
THINK! If we don't the kids won't. If we do, we all will get better at it.
DON'T ask questions for which we have ready answers, or are already programmed with the answer. We will deprive our students the opportunity to learn how to learn.
(This statement made me think of that old proverb about "give a man a fish and you feed him one dinner, teach a man to fish, and you feed him for life
" only how about we change it to "Give the student the answers and he will pass the exam, teach a student to find the answers, and you teach him to learn his whole life"
.)
We should train our children to grapple with the "why and how" of everything they see, hear, think, feel, and take for granted. If we can't think of questions, then we should READ. Read all the books we have, then borrow or buy more. Turn off the t.v. and read. ***Emphasis in manual: WATCH CONSTANTLY FOR WAYS TO MAKE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN KNOWN FACTS, OR BETWEEN THE KNOWN AND THE UNKNOWN***. Reward the children for thinking of questions on their own with a hug.
Sample Questions: I am only going to list a few from the manual, there is 1/3 of a page in the manual!!!
Why does soapy water clean things better than plain water?
Why couldn't we use water in the car instead of gasoline?
How does the little man in the excavator manage to move dirt?
Can you think of a better/faster/easier way of doing this activity?
The "DON'T for us teachers:
1. Never become irritated or belittle a child if his answer is not what you wanted it to be.
2. Never say, "this doesn't make sense" instead say, "we don't understand this yet"
3. Don't demand immediate answers.
4. Don't say, "you're wrong" instead say, "we have more to learn bout this"
5. Stop before the student loses interest.
6. Don't keep score.
7. Don't lecture. Trigger interest then let the child do the investigating.
8. Don't let questions get lost. Write them down for later.
9. Don't over question. Watch out for "question burnout"
Learn to see each question as an opportunity to learn.
Then three examples of guided questioning situations are given in the manual.
Story #1 is about a 10 yo boy whose mother stops beside a construction site and allows her son to watch for a moment, asks a "I wonder how" question, and then asks the workers to allow her son to see how the machinery works. When he returns, she asks a lot of questions about how it worked, but stopped when she noticed her son tiring.
Story #2 Was called "The Dumb Rule" and was about a mother driving by a private school when her child notices the school uniforms and says how dumb it is that they have to wear them. The mother starts asking her children why the rule might have been made, and by the end they decide that it isn't so dumb after all.
Story #3 was about a little boy talking about a bubble forming on the soy sauce bottle, and they discuss ways of making the bubble bigger, change shapes, etc. The boy held the bottle in his hand to warm it, and the bubble popped, and the boy asked, "If the bottle cooled down would the bubble get sucked back into the bottle?" And we are told that this is the ultimate goal, to get the student to go beyond the teachers questioning and form his own questions. That at this point he is taking charge of his own learning, and the teacher has become the supportive observer.
Discussion Questions:
1. How have you used Guided Questioning in your home school? Tell us about it.
2. Does this type of conversation seem artificial/foreign to you or natural? Why?
3. Would using this type of conversation be uncomfortable to you at first?
4. Do you ever find yourself doing some of the "don'ts" on the list? What types of situations trigger this response in you?
5. What would you do with a child who answers your clever guided questioning with "I dunno" or "Who cares?. Would you drop the subject or make the child do the research anyway?
6. For those of you who have taken your children out of the school system, have you found it hard to re-train your students to think for themselves rather than passively waiting for you to give them the answers they "need to know"? How did you finally do it? Are you still doing it? |
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