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Learning as Discovery What are your expectations as you think about returning to school? Do you hope to tap into the knowledge of experts? Are you itching to dig into topics on your own? Perhaps you have already done some research in an area of interest and want to learn more. Or perhaps you are curious about a completely new subject. Many people think of education in terms of instruction. In going back to school, they prepare themselves to absorb as much as possible of the wisdom offered by expert instructors. You can acquire knowledge with this approach. But only a fraction of that knowledge may be directly applicable to your own experience. You will get the most out of your studies if you go into them asking questions that matter to you, rather than accepting answers to the questions posed by others. The best education is a process of discovery. Rather than BEING educated, you are actively BECOMING educated. You address personally significant concerns that you can experiment with, challenge, and re-shape. Becoming educated enables true learning – learning that results in personal change – as well as knowledge acquisition. An inquiry-based approach also makes learning easier. Your driving question keeps your destination in view even as you encounter the inevitable roadblocks and detours. This primary question contains many related secondary questions as waypoints to map your journey. Inquiry keeps you focused on what matters to you. It saves time by helping you select the most appropriate resources for your study. It keeps you on track – you know where you're headed and you see where you are at any given moment. And inquiry enables you to measure your success as you answer, discard, or change your initial questions along the way. When you begin to consider your guiding questions, you will probably find that learning to ask good questions is not as easy as you think. You must learn to pose questions in answerable formats – not satisfied merely by yes or no. It may also be difficult to accept that you are not ready for some of the answers. Such questions are not productive, so you should put them aside for now. Even more important, you must be WILLING to ask questions. Our experience fills us with possible questions – if we allow ourselves to think they are worthy. We are just as likely to avoid asking questions for fear of appearing stupid. It's worth the time and effort to formulate good questions as you set out on your learning journey. You'll soon find that you have developed a habit of inquiry which will guide personal development throughout your life. You'll never again be afraid to admit that you don't know the answer. But you could be concerned that you might miss an opportunity to ask the question. 6/05 TOP |
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