WORKSHOP

The Art of the Question

1 hours

Short overview:

The workshop will introduce the participants to inquiry based learning. Participants will learn how to build young people’s critical thinking and problem solving skills by learning the art of asking questions. One activity will be introduced within this workshop; What would Happen If…? It uses the 5 Ws is a powerful method of interviewing and investigating often used by journalists, broadcasters and business people to get to the truth of a story or a problem.
They are:

  • Why?
  • What?
  • Who?
  • Where?
  • When?

Objectives of the workshop:

  • To develop an understanding of inquiry based learning
  • To learn about the art of asking constructive questions
  • To learn to become a critical thinker and problem solver
  • To learn techniques that encourage young people to think laterally and critically about the world they inhabit.
SESSION 1
Methods: Trainer’s introduction
Materials: Handout Projektor Slides
10 mins.
Material usage/Remarks:

Introduction to inquiry based learning and how it can be used to develop critical thinking and prob- lem solving skills (see the theory from this chapter).

Description:

Short overview:

The workshop will introduce the participants to inquiry based learning. Participants will learn how to build young people’s critical thinking and problem solving skills by learning the art of asking questions. One activity will be introduced within this workshop; What would Happen If...? It uses the 5 Ws is a powerful method of interviewing and investigating often used by journalists, broadcasters and business people to get to the truth of a story or a problem. They are:

Why? What? Who? Where? When?

Objectives of the workshop:

  • —  To develop an understanding of inquiry based learning
  • —  To learn about the art of asking constructive questions
  • —  To learn to become a critical thinker and problem solver
  • —  To learn techniques that encourage young people to think laterally and critically about the world they inhabit.
SESSION 2
Methods: Trainer’s introduction
5 mins.
Description:

Explain the purpose of the exercise - it is designed to help you think laterally and discover new ways of looking at the world. Encourage young people to answer these questions using creative and con- structive thinking.

Divide participants into groups of 3-4 people. Ask the groups to discuss the 3 questions below and write their answers on coloured post-its using one flip chart sheet per answer. There is no right or wrong answer. Ask them to think of the pros and cons of each answer to the questions (used in step 4)

SESSION 3
Methods: Group work
Materials: Colored papers Flipchart paper Markers
15 mins.
Description:

What would happen if...

  • ...  there was no social media in the world?
  • ...  you had to choose to stay on Earth (as it is) or leave to live on planet Equality (where all humans,animals and the environment are equal and respected) however, there is no Internet, phones,devices, TVs there?
  • ...  you woke up one morning to find your life was being streamed live, all day, every day?
SESSION 4
Methods: Group Presentations
10 mins.
Description:

Regroup. Each group presents the answers they came up with to each question highlighting the pros and cons.

SESSION 5
Methods: Moving debate
10 mins.
Description:

Finish up the session by facilitating a moving debate. Read the following statements:

“No social media in the world is a good thing.”

Who agrees/disagrees. Participants move left for agree, right for disagree. Ask why?

“Stay on Earth or move to another planet. Who would stay, who would go?”

Participants move left for stay and right for go. Ask why?

“I love my life being streamed all day, every day.”

Who agrees/disagrees. Participants move left for agree, right for disagree. Ask why?

SESSION 6
Methods: Debrief
10 mins.
Description:

Wrap up the session. Encourage the group to think about how could they use this within their groups?

For fun, try to think of your own “What Would Happen?” questions and practice the 5 Ws!

Connect the activity to the inquiry based learning and how it helps to develop critical thinking skills.

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