As infants, each one of us were explorers. Crawling around, making discoveries, and learning by experiencing; “Ooh that’s a wall,” “Ouch, I shouldn't touch that red glowing thing.” Armed with just our curiosity, overflowing at every turn to understand the world around us, and through our innovative methods of research, we touched, we picked up, and we put into our mouths practically everything that crossed our paths. Eventually, we discovered speech, and picked up question words. Our methods of research now advanced. By asking questions, we learned a tremendous amount about everything around us. By asking questions we transformed from exploring and observing to understanding and learning. 

In fact the “experts and researchers” will tell you that a child learns more in his or her formative years, than in any other period of life. However, at some point in our lives we all begin to take things for granted and stop asking the questions that led us to such important, life altering discoveries. 

Why is that? 

I had the opportunity to attend an education conference last year for private Midwestern schools, at which a leading expert on innovation, Hal Gregersen, presented his work in researching the successes of the leading companies in the world. He interviewed, and studied the methodology of 50 CEO’s of companies such as Coca-Cola, Amazon.com, IBM, Apple, Nike, and others. His findings concurred that although each company went about developing and executing their ideas and concepts differently, those ideas or solutions all came about in the same way. Through asking questions. 

Perhaps in our roles as educators, the tool of question based learning and discovery should be given back to our students, and instead of us always asking the questions and seeking the answers, we should allow and encourage our students to feel safe in asking questions.

The advantages are simple. Firstly, if students are engaged in what question to answer they will also be truly invested in discovering the answer. Both teachers and students who have employed this method, say it has been empowering. In a pilot project at a public school, students who had long been struggling in school said they now felt “more smart.” Additionally, students may be more interested in discovering answers to their peers’ questions over their teachers’. They will take more ownership of the work they are assigned. And I believe they will learn more. 

In fact, as a Rebbe, I had an idea for an assessment. Instead of the traditional test where the students are the ones being questioned and charged with the responsibility of coming up with the answer, how about charging them with the task of creating a test as if they were the ones teaching the subject. Of course, I did not follow through on my idea; it was too unconventional and my employer would have probably frowned upon it. 

Chazal are replete with the advantages of question based learning. We are all keenly aware of the charge that we have on the Seder night. Teaching our children by answering their questions. And we are all familiar with the mishna in Avos (2:6) that states that a bashful one cannot learn. We must encourage our talmidim to ask, again and again. 

After all, the moment we stop asking questions is the moment we stop learning.