No Parroting Allowed!
Learning Emergence by Asking Questions


"Learning to Enjoy Making Choices"

When asked, "how do you best learn?" most people usually respond with either a technique, like "in a classroom," or by naming their favorite sense, like "I learn best visually." Unfortunately, this implies that most people define "learning" as the ability to parrot the correct answer.

What is wrong with this? "Parroting the correct answer" creates parrots, not students; dullards, not Einsteins. So how can we create more Einsteins? By asking questions which are intended to provoke the student's own questions. More important, this turns out to be the best way in which to reawaken in students their lost love of learning.

This week, our topic is "Learning to Love Having Choices." Would you like to awaken a love of learning in you about this topic? You can, simply by reading the teacher's questions and then, by asking yourself, "what questions did these words just provoke in me?"

"Learning to Enjoy Making Choices"

The Teacher's Questions (asked by Netta)

Hi John. I've been learning to love having more freedom with my thoughts, actions, conversations, etc. Most recently, I've been working with a parent at work trying to help her develop a picture that includes her son when she makes decisions about anything in his life. She has had great difficulty including her son in decisions when she advocates for him. In other words, most she rarely presents let alone discusses with him his choices in life. (note: He has been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome).

I, myself, have been learning this very thing from watching my one year old son. He has begun to insist and even demand his right to be involved in making choices about his life. My questions are:

• How does a person's perceived role (e.g., parent, child) affect his or her ability to picture the choices?
• Is making choices affected by "time?"
• If so, what if the person has a wound in and around "time." How will this affect their ability to see and make choices?
• In this wound about time situation, how many pictures of "choice" are occurring? Any?
  
  
• For myself, I'm enjoying discovering just how specific I get when making a decision. I notice my surroundings, literal time (as if I must decide with a certain period), the person's reaction (the parent, my son), even sounds and smells if I'm comfortable. How does being conscious of the details surrounding "choices" affect the degree to which you love making a decision?
• Can I love making choices more by noticing my surroundings?

Sample Student Response Questions (asked by John)