[00:00] Speaker 1: (mellow music) Welcome to All Learning Reimagined, the podcast that defines convention and redefines the purpose and practice of education. Here we venture beyond institutional boundaries. Whether you're a parent, educator, or curious mind devoted to lifelong growth, this is your space to challenge assumptions and co-create a more humane and intuitive approach to education. Let's reimagine what education can be.

[00:41] Speaker 2: (laughs)

[00:48] Speaker 3: (giggles) (laughs)

[00:48] Speaker 4: Good day, and welcome to All Learning Reimagined. I'm your host, Teresa, bringing you a little ray of sunshine, uh, as together, we're reimagining the future of education one inspired story at a time. I just love hearing those children giggle. Uh, it just absolutely makes my day. Gets me every single time. Uh, so welcome back. This week we have, um, a wonderful topic for you, and it's actually gonna go over more than one week because it's such a huge topic and it's really pertinent to today with, um, (laughs) all of the chaos that seems to be going o- out in the world and, um, and our lack of discernment as a general, uh, society, as a general com- community. Uh, the, the topic of today is something that I feel is really, really important. Definitely an important skill to instill in children, but in all of us and I actually learned more about myselves while I was researching for this topic. So, let's get started. You're probably wondering what it is.

[01:53] Speaker 4: It's basically the power of questions. So, you know, and how we can use questions to awaken, um, you know, inquiry and curiosity and to deepen learning. Now, I've been in the education game and teaching for, (clears throat) well over 30 years. Let's just put it at that. I'm, I'm, you know, not a spring chicken, but, ah, I don't know if I actually ever used questions effectively the way that I do today. I, I feel like particularly the last five years, significant changes happening in the world and my own personal change and seeking and seeking truth in what's going on, I've really learned to discern and start asking better questions. Let me put it like that. Because I've really discovered that questions are one of the oldest technologies of learning, in my opinion. You don't need all the bells and whistles, just need really good quality questions and it can completely open up, uh, a person's heart or their mind. Um, it's almost like a question could be a portal.

[03:12] Speaker 4: The words could possibly be a portal to open up and unlock information and this thirst to seek. Um, and also, I've, I have discovered personally, I'm speaking from direct experience here, questions have actually shifted perception because when you ask the right question, you can, you can jolt a person out of that very dangerous, um, state of being, which is, "I already know that." "I already know that," eh, that's one of the most dangerous, um, statements anyone could ever say, because the one thing that I know is there's so much I do not know. And the moment you actually, uh, say such a cognitive closed statement of, "I already know that," it really shuts down curiosity and it signals to the brain there's no need to learn, no need to think, and stop searching.

[04:06] Speaker 4: And, uh, uh, on reflection, there's so many things that we do in our, particularly over the last 100 years, in our education system where we're teaching facts and knowledge and we're presenting knowledge, and so children and adults just say, "Well, I already know that," and they stop seeking because they think that they have the answer in front of them and they haven't pulled on that loose thread that was niggling in the back of their mind. They've pretty much just closed it, even energetically. And so, I'm, I really wanted to, to dig into this qu- into this, uh, into this topic, and I will definitely take more than one week over it because it's so important in today's society for us to start coming back to questions, because we are all shifting perception. We're all coming around and going, "What is going on? What is that about? This isn't working. It doesn't feel right in my body." Um, and we have to start questioning.

[05:07] Speaker 4: Whether you are or not, I'm as- I, I'm suspecting if you're listening to this show that you're well down the track on this, but, uh, I just love the fact that questions can really ignite that part of the human mind, and also the heart, which is really designed for wonder and for exploration and for self-direction, which is what this podcast is all about, how to foster that. Because we've really lost the art of that in many of the Western cultures', um, education systems. And I'm speaking extremely broadly because there's amazing things going on out there. There's just, uh, I speak to people all over the world that are doing, oh, magnificent things. I'm talking just for the generic general. I'm being very general here. So, I mean, when we teach children how to question, 'cause usually in schools you shut questioning down. "Don't question this.... just do as you're told, this is what it is, this is what the answer is, color in the box, basically, that thinking.

[06:07] Speaker 4: So, if we're, if we're teaching them how to question rather than what to think, then we really return them to the natural state, um, which is, you know, being curious and observant and obviously trins- intrinsically motivated, which is what our indigenous cultures have always known all along. And our world is moving, I don't know about you, but faster than ever. My goodness gracious me, I cannot believe we're in February. 2023, it's February already. Blink, and we're, we're just here. Um, I feel like today, though, the ability to ask powerful questions has really become more important than having the right answers. And sometimes, the answers that I have, this is in my experience, are the best answer I have right now, but I'm completely open to changing my perspective when more information comes. So, I'm not locked into things.

[07:04] Speaker 4: It's really difficult to know and anchor in for certainty, uh, because sometimes something can come along and it throws all, everything off-axis, so then you need to start asking more questions. Answers really do change with time. Well, they certainly do for me. Uh, how is that for you? There's a, there's a, you know? A well-crafted question really does expand the life path, that's for sure. So, questions matter in learning. And one of the points I wanted to make was the fact that, um, you know, curiosity is one of the engines of the human brain. I mean, neuroscience shows that curiosity activates the dopamine pathways, we're aware of that, and we know that that also makes it, um, I guess, stickier, more joyful, and, and more memorable. It can actually connect more dots in the brain and actually deepen the learning. You have deeper recall, you can have stronger engagement.

[08:01] Speaker 4: When the child is wondering and searching, um, and tests an idea, it's almost like we're biologically primed to do this. And yet, over the last 100 years in particular, this side of us has really been shut down. And, you know, some will argue deliberately shut down, and it's, this is by design, and others will just say, "Oh, this is just the way that it is." Whatever your personal perspective is, I'm not going to, um, I'm not going to go there, but I am really encouraging everyone to stop and just observe yourself in the next week, in the next day. What sorts of questions do you ask? Are they deep, open-ended questions, or are they just very closed questions? Do you even ask questions? What sorts of questions are people asking you?

[08:49] Speaker 4: And possibly, if you just take five or 10 minutes in your day when you sit and you contemplate, whether it's watching the sun go down and having a nice cold, cold glass of drink, um, or, you know, walking in nature when the sun's coming up, at any time when you can carve out five minutes and just sit and ponder on the power of the questions that are happening in your life. You know, what portals and, of this, of learning and, and shifting perceptions are happening in your life right now? What's relevant for you? Questions also, and once again, everything on this show is my personal opinion, uh, I feel that questions build sovereignty, um, you know, that independence, that autonomy. And because when young people in particular learn to ask questions, and they're not just accepting the information unquestioningly, unquestioningly, um, they really o- (laughs) claim their autonomy.

[09:51] Speaker 4: Now, I know that all of you will have known a toddler or two in your time that would have said the why question. "But why? But why do we do this? Ah, but why?" Little kids have this question and this wonder and this curiosity. It's just natural. It's their natural state, until we program it out of them once they go to school. Um, and it's time for us to come back and start asking why are we doing this. Is it because it's the way it was already done, always done? Is this the way we were taught? Is this the way we just, we've just gone along with the crowd? Is this be- the best way that we could or should be doing things right now? So, really start to peel back and think about some of these questions, because when children are doing this, they're really learning to discern. Now, discern is actually a word (laughs) I personally don't like using. I feel like it's a word these days that's just overused, but it has occurred to me that some people don't even really know what it means.

[10:50] Speaker 4: And discerning, when you do unpack it, um, you know, dis- means apart or between, sometimes dis- means not, so when you're pulling apart the, the root part of the word, but discerning really means to distinguish, to separate, um, differences, and perceive something clearly. Now, as you know, the last two weeks I have my show, um, topic was about senses and using all of our senses, not just the five senses that we've been, um, that have been really pushed in front of our face. So, when you are starting to discern, which means to perceive clearly, and you're using all of your body, um, you're using your emotions, you're using the sensations in your body, you're actually feeling everything with all of your senses, then this certainly changes the game when it comes to using questions. Questions are not just words, it's a, it's a field. You can feel the energy, you can feel the resonance, you can see the body language.

[11:55] Speaker 4: Um, and when you notice and observe yourself and how you feel with answers, and does it land with you, does it resonate with you, how does it feel in your gut, like, all of these conversations and practices take time, but it's part of the process.... are getting to know yourself and how things feel with you when it feels true versus truth. Because truth is where it doesn't matter who's looking at it, it's still there and it's, it is the truth. True is the person's perception, the man, the woman, the offspring, the child's perception when they're looking at something. And it could be true for them because of their perspective or their direct experience, doesn't necessarily mean it is truth.

[12:43] Speaker 4: They are two completely separate things and it's, it's quite confusing, I know, but it's very important to, to teach children that even though they're seeking answers, they might be finding an answer that's true for them, but not possibly true for somebody else that might be in a different country, in a different circumstance. You know, looking at it from a different timeline and a different perspective is a really important part of, of the discovery. So when we're questioning and children are reclaiming their own authority and their own autonomy, they're learning to discern, perceiving clearly, they're learning to explore, and they're really navigating our complex world. (laughs) It's just, it's so complex. Um, and hopefully getting more confidence rather than just passively consuming whatever it is that's presented to them. Now, I am delighted to, uh, uh, delighted to say that I know that there are so many children today that are questioning everything.

[13:50] Speaker 4: Um, you know, they, they question this system and, "Why are we doing that?" And, "I don't think I'm doing this." And, and I really feel like many of them have come here with this mission to be able to start questioning, and their discernment is on point. I love this. Um, I, I'm also seeing many other children, however, who are just being lost into the technological world. It's almost like it's mesmerized them and that sense of questioning is just not there. So, (sighs) I don't know where this is all headed. All I know is that questions feel like it's a really important tool that t- it's time to dust off and, and to play with today. Get the children to lead it as well, because inquiry helps develop, um, higher order thinking. You know, good questions trigger analysis, uh, you know, decent analysis, evaluation, creativity, pattern recognition.

[14:47] Speaker 4: Being able to read the play and seeing the patterns and seeing the big picture is a fantastic skill to have, and questions can certainly help plug in those pieces of the big picture as they're p- as they're putting it all together to make meaning, um, and construct their own meaning, not the meaning that's been handed to them. You know, it's almost like perspective taking. So, you know, rather than teaching children to memorize information these days, I mean, obviously some basic skills need to be, um, a- automatic, I get that. But other than that, we really need to teach them how to construct their own meaning and this really will give them the skills for their whole lifelong l- lifelong learning and, and build their own capacity where they don't need another person to teach them. They are there teaching themselves because they're genuinely curious and they're genuinely interested, um, in, in exploring in this space. Uh, I just love it.

[15:51] Speaker 4: And another side to this is questions can foster empathy and it can foster connection, two things which are very close to my heart, uh, because I can see the importance and I feel the importance of these. You know, questions, things like, you know, what might someone else be thinking? This is what I think, but I wonder what someone else thinks about that. You know, and why might they believe that? Why are they coming from that perspective? Um, and what influences their perspective? A really interesting topic to have a discussion with today is the flat Earth theory, because the flat Earth theory is not new. Uh, when we think about our old explorers who were sailors, uh, sailing across the ocean and some of the Vikings who were thinking... You know, think of the movie Erik the Viking, where they thought they were gonna sail off the end of a flat Earth.

[16:40] Speaker 4: Um, and lots of people scoff at it and go, "Oh, you know, that's ridiculous." Well, there's a lot of people today that are, uh, that are walking around and talking and, and actually genuinely believe there's a flat Earth. I don't know. I haven't seen the Earth, so I can't tell you wh- which way it is or not, but it's a fantastic discussion to have where children can make up their own mind and consider, why did explorers back then think that there was a flat Earth? Because they could only see the horizon and they couldn't see the curvature of the Earth? If there is in fact one, 'cause I don't know. Um, and why are there people today feeling the same thing? Uh, so these sorts of questions can have really rich discussions and get children to start seeking. And I know that the brain, once you start putting these questions out there, the brain starts to automatically find and shift and seek answers for you with whatever it is that you're seeking.

[17:36] Speaker 4: It sort of unlocks, like I mentioned, it's like a portal. It unlocks something in your brain, and your brain is actually seeking validation for information. So that's why those words, "I already know that," are so dangerous, because it shuts that down, shuts that part of your brain down. Um, and it really blocks the growth and prevents us being able to update any outdated beliefs or, you know, and it limits that empathy and it, in my opinion, it reduces creativity. So it really disconnects the learner from wonder, that whole, "I already know that." So, you know, questions are so valuable in this space.I feel that, um, (sighs) imagination is just so amazing. My childhood, I know I've spoken about before in my very first show, but my childhood was just so rich in imagination, uh, and purpose. I wasn't stuck in front of a television. I think I only had three channels back then, um, back in the day.

[18:36] Speaker 4: And we only watched ten, uh, you know, like, two television shows, which were half an hour, and then the television got turned off. Y- that was it. You were outside, you were playing. You were never bored because you had to create your own, um, uh, your own entertainment basically. You were either reading or playing or imagining, creating and making and building, uh, communicating. Um, it was a completely different world, but for children today, if you're asking open questions like, "What if?" "What if?" This is a fantastic activity to do. "What if duh-duh-duh-duh-duh?" And then you can just keep going with the what ifs. Or, "How might we ... dot, dot, dot?" It could be anything. Or, "Who benefits from this?" Or, "What could be possible?" Doesn't mean it is possible, but what could be possible.

[19:29] Speaker 4: Children today have got such amazing imaginations because of some of the movies and things that they've seen, um, that they can really explore and open up, um, and that's one good benefit of the, of the internet today. It has opened up so much more information for us to even consider things that could be possible. Um, so, you know, when we're asking questions to activate the imagination and purpose, then children can begin to see themselves more as, um, agents of change, I guess, rather than just recipients of, of information being given to them. You know, it gives them that, um, that sense where they can actually go and explore. Now, types of questions that can activate. We all know, I mean, if you're an educator or a parent, you know that there's different types of questions. There's closed questions, which really only have, um, a clear answer.

[20:27] Speaker 4: Usually a yes-no type question's a closed question as they check for understanding, you know, they retrieve a fact like, you know, what's one plus one? Well, that's a closed question. Um, and they build foundational knowledge. So there's a, there is a time and place for closed questions. So, you know, um, what year was this invented? Or who discovered such and such? (laughs) Although today, I'm questioning some of those questions as well of the information that we thought we knew. So that's really interesting. But closed questions are really quick, they're efficient, they're helpful, but they don't really transform on their own. So then that leads us to open-ended questions, which invite thinking and imagination and research and discussion, and really multiple perspectives. So that deep inquiry, um, that critical thinking, and then of course that emotional and ethical reasoning.

[21:18] Speaker 4: So next week's show, we're going to talk about, um, the art of research, and we're going to have a look at an inquiry approach and how you can go about this if it's something that you're not used to doing or it's something that you're interested in exploring. And of course, when I put my articles together, I'll have lots of resources that you can just pick up and use straightaway. Um, so, uh, open-en- ended questions are fantastic, but then w- the questions that are really shifting things for me are the reflective questions. So, you know, um, getting children and myself to look inward on how I feel. Like, what surprised me or what challenged me? Um, and how, how did I grow through this or transform through this or what, what has shifted for me? So reflective questions are really powerful, and uh, in my opinion are not used enough when it comes to education. Perspective-shifting questions, you know like, how would this look through the eyes of a scientist?

[22:17] Speaker 4: Or how would this look through the eyes of an elder or a child or, um, someone that came from the future? What would they s- how would they see this and perceive this when they're looking back 100 years back and looking at what we're doing now? I wonder how they would perceive this. So those sorts of questions really shift the perspective, um, and open up and unlock, once again, more curiosity. And then of course, there's generative questions. Um, these ones sort of lead to new questions and to true inquiry. You know, what else do we need to understand this before we can go and make a, um, a decision, before we can choose? Um, so the types of questions really activate, and they're very, very powerful. Now, I know, uh, (laughs) I'm running out of time, uh, for our show today. I always seem to do this each week, but I am going to build on this next week, uh, and we're going to come back.

[23:13] Speaker 4: I sort of just wanted to do a part one, but for today, I'd really love to encourage you to reflect and consider the questions that are happening in your life. The questions that you ask, the questions that people are asking you, um, and consider if any- anything needs to shift there, is, if there's anything that you can possibly want to explore or be curious about. And also, take the time to observe if you have that dangerous mindset of, "I already know that. I already know the answer to that." Well, why do you already know the answer to that? Is it because you watched it on the news? Is it because you read it in a book? A textbook? Who wrote that textbook? How do they know? Maybe they were wrong. Um, w- who taught you that information? So really try and consider if we need to reawaken the learner in ourselves. I know I had to face that.I was like, "Oh my gosh, I'm part of the problem," because I had shut down my belief systems in some things.

[24:21] Speaker 4: And now that I have, um, unlocked that, and I've done that by, um, using invitation questions, you know, like, I'm, I'm curious. I'm, "What's the new perspective? Um, what can I explore with fresh eyes? And what's something I might not know?" So asking myself these questions really unlocked a whole wave of information and I can honestly say that I am not the s- person that I was five years ago. I am so different now. My perspectives have completely flipped and I pretty much question everything these days. I really stop and center myself and feel into myself and go, "Does this resonate for me?" Um, it's a really freeing skill and it's something that I'm quite passionate about teaching children, to keep this, because they're already born with it. They already have it. Um, you know, honoring their existing knowledge that they already have within themselves. Uh, and I can give some hints and things about that next week as well when we explore this. (laughs) Uh, I love this topic.

[25:25] Speaker 4: You probably can tell, I'm smiling like a, uh, like a lunatic here. Um, okay. So f- if you've never listened to my show before, welcome. I probably should've said that a little bit sooner. Um, and I just wanted to let you know that each week, when I have a topic, I always create an article or activities and suggestions, last week it was a story, um, to complement the topic. And this, of course, gets posted on, um, my landing page on beautiful, wonderful BBS Radio, uh, and it's all free. Everything's free. Um, you can go to that landing page. You can take the information and take it, adapt it, use it, spread it, share it. Do what you want with it. The whole point of this podcast is to reimagine, um, a- a- m- reimagine learning and go back or forward or create our own way and to really stop and shift things that, um, have become stagnant or that we've possibly not thought about before. So, uh, the web page is bbsradio.com/alllearningreimagined. So, bbsradio.com/alllearningreimagined.

[26:43] Speaker 4: And you will find lots of articles there. Uh, (laughs) well, I write one every week, so, um, there's just so many there, you might have to, to scroll down to the bottom. And you'll find the archive shows there as well. And a big shout-out to, um, to Don, uh, and, and Doug and the amazing crew at BBS. They are just fabulous. Uh, it's an amazing place to be. So, uh, I'd like to say thank you so much for listening this week. We will continue this topic next week, um, and I will share lots more information and activities as well. So thank you, everybody, for joining me on All Learning Reimagined. So until next week, explore, experience, express, go out, and live learning.

[27:30] Speaker 1: (Instrumental music) Thank you for joining us on All Learning Reimagined, where passion illuminates the path forward. Remember this: the future of learning doesn't arrive from above; it begins within. You are the spark, the shift, the living answer to education's silent call for transformation. So stay curious. Stay awake. Let inspiration be your compass, because how we learn today is not just personal, it is profoundly generative. It shapes the very architecture of tomorrow's world. We are not separate from the system; we are its evolution. Until next time, trust the wisdom of your own unfolding and let your life be the lessons that light the way for others.

[28:40] Speaker 1: (instrumental music) (laughing)