11 Tips for Getting Started with Questioning Frameworks

Interested in getting started with using questioning frameworks – such as the 10 Questioning Practices in  the Thinking Museum® Approach  – to support and guide inquiry-based discussions with audiences, art and artefacts, but not sure where to start? Here are my 11 top tips for getting started.

1. Follow the steps 

Use the frameworks, protocols or Questioning Practices exactly as they are written initially without trying to change them. Wait to see what you learn from them before you make any changes or adaptations. Once you are happy and comfortable with how the routine works, you can adapt the questions, and steps to suit the way you facilitate, the group you’re with or the artwork you’re discussing.

2. Allow time for looking at the art

Don’t go straight in with a question until the group have had a chance to properly look at the object or image. Allow at least 20 seconds of looking time before you ask the first question. Let your eyes wander!

3. Allow thinking time 

Ask the question and then wait. Give everyone the chance to respond to your question.  If necessary, count to 5 in your head before even thinking about saying anything. Be patient and comfortable with the silence. Think of it as thinking time!

4. The questioning framework  is the ‘vehicle’ for exploring the content

Enjoy the process – the framework is not the content itself, it is the way you explore the content. Each object or image has multiple interpretations waiting to be discovered by the participants – the framework gently assists participants with a structure to get there.

5. Make it participant-centred 

Your role is to help facilitate or orchestrate the discussion. You  are helping participants to discover information for themselves. This is not about providing content and facts. Don’t forget that you are the ‘guide-on-the-side’ rather than the ‘sage-on-the-stage’. If you find yourself oversharing or monologuing (and we’ve all been there!), ask yourself the question ‘Could the group discover this for themselves if I asked the right questions? 

6. Use precise language  

As the facilitator, you can encourage precise language use by naming participants actions ‘I see you made a connection’ ‘We have a variety of theories here’. Regular and repeated use of questioning frameworks helps you to use more precise language to help people to externalise their thoughts more clearly. Over time and with repeated use, you will find yourself (and your participants) adopting the language ‘I have a theory’ ‘I’m wondering…’

7. Remember there are no ‘right’ answers

Questioning frameworks are based on questions or prompts to guide and support discussions, look for connections and expand knowledge. They encourage multiple interpretations of the source material whether it’s an artwork, artefact or newspaper article. 

8. Expect the best

Participants will surprise you with the connections, ideas and thoughts that they make throughout the discussion. Remember this when you are planning a session and you have doubts about the artwork or framework you’ve chosen (that little voice saying ‘I’m not sure this will work’) – you will be continually surprised by what participants are thinking. You will notice new things that you haven’t seen or thought of yourself before!

9. Learning is a collaborative process 

When you incorporate questioning frameworksinto your practice, you are taking full advantage of the benefits of group work where ideas are explored through group discussion and dialogue. Everyone profits from the ‘distributed intelligence’ of the group as individuals are able to use and build upon other’s experience and interpretations. This way of working, where a group reasons together out loud, puts forward new ideas, responds to and builds on the ideas of others and generates further questions is known as a community of collaboration in the Thinking Museum® Approach

10. There may not be an end-point

You may not arrive at a final, definitive interpretation. That’s OK. Embrace the process of the framework and the rich discussion that follows. The process of exploring together is more important than the destination.

11. AND FINALLY…Trust the framework

Trust the framework and give it time, even if you’re unsure of the direction the discussion will go in. And if parts don’t go as expected, then note down your reflections for next time. Changing to a new approach takes time and practice, but it is ultimately far more rewarding for you as an educator and for the participants too.