Nothing can be learnt without a question being asked. My children range from 3 to 7. Every parent with children in this age group will remember their barrage of questions about every conceivable subject. Why, why, why..? Their brains are like sponges, soaking up every bit of information to make sense of their world. Children learn more in the first 7 years of their lives than in the remainder.

Something happens around 7 or 8 years of age and their questioning becomes less frequent. Is it because parents and teachers start asking all the questions and children are expected to come up with the answers? At Hackham East School we are working to turn this around. We are encouraging children to question. Teachers are only allowing children to put hands up to ask questions rather than to give answers. When a teacher asks a question, every child is expected to have an answer or an opinion. Every “I don’t know” is a learning opportunity.

The great women’s tennis player, Billie Jean King stated that every lost point was a research opportunity. “How could I have done that better?” More is learnt from mistakes than successes because one is prompted to ask questions about what to do to avoid making the same mistake again. Asking for help when something is not understood should be encouraged and not be seen as a sign of weakness. Billie Jean would not have been embarrassed to get feedback from her coach.

Parents and caregivers can assist at home by encouraging questioning. Ask your children what questions they asked during the day.

• When a child asks a question, try answering with a question rather than an answer such as
  • What do you think? or What is your explanation?
  • Do you agree or disagree and why?
  • How would you decide about ……..?
• Encourage questions beginning with Why, How, What if …

Why do children stop questioning? That is a very good question. Let us try to foster our children’s natural curiosity for learning by encouraging them to ask questions.