5 Ways
to
Make Better Questioners
Questioning helps us
learn, explore the unknown,
and adapt to change.
That makes it a most
precious “app” today,
in a world where
everything is changing
and
so much is unknown.
And yet, we don’t seem
to value questioning.
In our workplaces
and in our classrooms
it is the answers
we reward—and questions
are barely tolerated.
To change that is easier
said than done.
But here are some
suggestions on how to
encourage more questioning
in the classroom and
in life beyond
the classroom,
where we’re really
going to need it.
Questioning can be scary,
an admission to the world
that you don’t know
the answer.
Create an environment
where questioning becomes
a strength, where it is
welcome and desired.
One activity to kick it off:
Have groups
“questionstorm” an issue—
no answers allowed!
Questioners are the ones
breaking new ground in
music, movies, and the arts.
They’re the explorers, the
mavericks, the rebels.
They’re the explorers, the
mavericks, the rebels.
How cool is that?
Share their stories.
Show where questioning
took them.
Let kids tap into their
imaginations and innate
question-asking
skills.
Make inquiry an engaging
part of any challenge.
“Can you turn that
statement into a
question?”
“Can you open your closed
questions and close your
open ones?”
“Can you use ‘the 5 whys’
to get to the root of a
problem (like why do kids
stop asking questions)?”
Make grappling with a
question & sharing it with
others a rewarding process.
Praise and celebrate
the questions that are
asked—even the
off-beat, crazy ones.
Turn questioning into
a habit.
Observe the familiar
in fresh ways.
Be willing to be
considered “naïve.”
Question assumptions.
Make a great question
an ongoing project,
a report, or an original
creation of some kind.
Discuss how questioning
is used and what
was learned.
If you’re a teacher,
ask yourself
How might I
encourage more questioning
in the classroom?
How might I
instill the habit of inquiry
in my students?
Knowing the answers may
help them in school
Because…
but knowing how to question
but knowing how to question
will help them in life.	
  
Read more on the power
of questioning in our lives.
AMoreBeautifulQuestion.com
Read more on the power
of questioning in our lives.
AMoreBeautifulQuestion.com
RightQuestion.org
Read more on the power
of questioning in our lives.
AMoreBeautifulQuestion.com
RightQuestion.org
Edutopia bit.ly/BetterQuestioners

5 Ways to Make Better Questioners