In museum education, asking the right questions can make all the difference.
If you’ve ever facilitated a group discussion in a museum or gallery, you will know how challenging it can be to engage participants, encourage deep thinking, and keep conversations flowing naturally.
This is where Questioning Practices come in. But what exactly are they, and how can they transform your museum programmes?
In this post, I’ll explain what Questioning Practices are, why they’re essential for creating engaging museum experiences, and how you can use them to foster inquiry and active participation during guided programmes.
For more on how Questioning Practices can improve your museum programmes, listen to the companion episode on The Art Engager podcast, where host Claire Bown explores these ideas further.
What are Questioning Practices?
A Questioning Practice (QP) is a structured set of questions or prompts designed to guide inquiry, stimulate critical thinking, and facilitate learning in museum and gallery environments.These practices are crafted to support meaningful engagement in museums and galleries, where participants explore art, objects, or ideas.
Unlike standard questioning techniques, frameworks or protocols, Questioning Practices are flexible, adaptable, and personalised to the specific needs of each group or session. They allow educators to bring their own unique style to every interaction.
Why are Questioning Practices important?
Designing and facilitating inquiry-based discussions in the museum can be complex. Questioning lies at the heart of meaningful interaction, but it’s not always easy to get right.
Formulating open-ended questions, thinking on your feet, and navigating discussions can feel daunting.
You need to not only determine which questions to ask but also consider the order in which to present them. Questions can sometimes work against you, particularly if they are recall or retrieval questions instead of genuinely open ones.
Questioning Practices can help navigate these challenges. They provide structured sets of questions that can be adapted to various contexts, allowing facilitators to create a warm and welcoming space for participants.
Questioning Practices can guide conversations in the museum while still leaving room for spontaneity, reflection, and engagement. This flexibility is key to fostering genuine curiosity and connection.
Here are some key features of Questioning Practices:
- Encourage active participation: QPs invite participants to think critically and share their ideas. Instead of merely recalling information, they engage deeply with the artwork or object in front of them.
- Support flexible discussions: Questioning Practices provide structure without rigidity. They offer a framework for discussion, but can be adapted in real-time, based on the needs and responses of your audience.
- Fosters personal discovery: These practices foreground personal engagement. Each participant brings their own perspective into the museum, and QPs activate individual insights and connections with the material.
- Improves facilitation skills: Regular use of Questioning Practices enhances your questioning technique, making it easier to lead thoughtful discussions, ask better questions, and create richer experiences for participants.
Why choose the word “Practice”?
The term “practice” is a deliberate choice here. A practice refers to a set of activities that individuals engage in regularly to develop skills, enhance understanding, and promote personal and professional growth. While protocols are formal structures designed to ensure uniformity and routines focus on establishing sequences of actions for consistency and efficiency, a practice is more intentional and active.
Using the word “practice” emphasises that questioning is not merely a mechanical process but an intentional and active approach to engagement. Practices are not rigid; they evolve and adapt with changing circumstances and insights. This adaptability is crucial in the museum environment, where every interaction can lead to new discoveries.
- Intentionality: The word “practice” implies that these methods are purposeful and thoughtfully considered, allowing educators to adapt their questioning based on the specific context and audience.
- Flexibility: Practices are not rigid; they evolve over time. This flexibility allows facilitators to respond to the unique dynamics of each group, fostering a more genuine dialogue and deeper connections.
- Continuous Improvement: Framing questioning as a practice highlights the ongoing journey of development and refinement that educators undertake. It encourages a mindset of growth and exploration rather than a fixed routine.
Understanding Questioning Practices
Questioning Practices (QPs) are designed with flexibility and adaptability in mind, allowing facilitators to create experiences where participants can move freely within a semi-structured framework. When using these practices, it’s important to remember that they are not used on autopilot; they evolve and adapt with changing circumstances, insights, and experiences.
These practices encourage both facilitators and participants to engage at a deeper level. They go beyond simply following a predefined set of steps or questions; QPs are not superficial activities, tools, or ‘shiny new toys‘.
Rather, they form an integral part of the Thinking Museum® Approach, which encompasses 8 Practices in total. Together, these practices create meaningful and engaging experiences in museums, with each individual practice complementing the others.
10 Questioning Practices
In my book, I share 10 fantastic Questioning Practices that can be utilised in museum and gallery programmes for audiences of all ages—from children to teens, adults, and beyond. These practices have been shaped by my experiences as a museum educator, facilitator, coach, and trainer, developed through interactions with diverse groups and their engagement with various artworks and objects in different museum environments.
The Questioning Practices have been refined in real-time, both in-person and online, providing a repertoire for use in guided experiences.
We begin with The Universal, an all-purpose, versatile Questioning Practice that applies to all types of art and objects and works for any guided experience. Familiarising yourself with The Universal lays the foundation for productive museum inquiry.
Following The Universal, the remaining nine QPs are organised into three categories: Observation and Description, Interpretation, and Conclusion. These practices can be employed to focus on specific cognitive moves or mixed and matched to create bespoke discussions aligned with your goals and desired outcomes.
With 10 Questioning Practices to choose from, it’s essential to consider the goal of your discussion and your audience before selecting the QP that best serves that purpose.
Conclusion
On a personal note, these Questioning Practices have truly transformed my approach to museum education. While strategies and protocols can sometimes feel monotonous, Questioning Practices infuse guided experiences with a little bit of magic.
To recap what we’ve covered, we’ve explored what Questioning Practices are, why they are important, and how they differ from routines or protocols. We’ve discussed how QPs are intentional, flexible, and designed to liberate rather than constrain. We’ve touched on how they can enhance your guided experience in museums by fostering genuine curiosity, reflection, and connection.
Remember, Questioning Practices are not just mechanical tools, but active approaches that allow you to bring your own unique style to every interaction in the museum. By incorporating QPs into your work, you can create more engaging and enriching museum experiences, facilitate deeper discussions about art and objects, and ultimately enhance visitors’ learning and enjoyment.
I hope you’re excited to explore all 10 Questioning Practices in my book and see how they can transform your guided experiences too.
The Art Engager: Reimagining Guided Experiences in Museums
Whether you’re new to the field or a seasoned museum educator looking to refine your approach, The Art Engager is your go-to guidebook for creating the ultimate visitor experience.
Full of well-researched insights and easy-to-apply strategies, this book is an invaluable resource for educators working in a wide variety of museums and heritage settings.