Questions about Questions

 I am writing this post following the 23rd September 9pm Skype discussion group with all modules.

I will admit I was a little nervous before this call as this was the first open discussion group I have attended, but it was so lovely to have everyone introduce themselves and see where people are up to in different modules. Everyone was so friendly and supportive and even though I have only been on the course a very short while, it already feels like I am in a community of learners and thinkers.


The two main areas of discussion in this group were questions and reflection.


Taking the topic of questions, interesting points I gathered were;

  • find questions that inspire/unleash other questions - avoid 'closed questions' with solid answers
  • create a mind map of what you want to know from a question
  • questioning is a journey, not the link between A and B - this takes time!
  • be objective with questions - are your questions one-sided?
  • question around your subject area - broaden your knowledge; go beyond your starting point, beyond the immediate question, beyond what you know 

In particular to my own module one, some insightful starting points came up that I think will be useful when looking at myself as a learner, thinker and practitioner:
  • question yourself and your assumptions
  • open your mind to different views on your practice
  • question everything you do / how you approach it
  • question what you have always done - should you shift/adapt it?
  • use the blogs to share ideas but also to question and ask other people about things - continue conversation through posing questions 


All the above points make me ask more questions than give me answers - but surely that is the whole idea! I want to spend some time delving into some of the thought processes here and exploring my own mind and how it affects me in my practice.



Turning to reflection, some points I picked up were:
  • reflect on how you see yourself and your practice - is this different to what you expected or planned for yourself?
  • reflect on ways you have been taught - would you take those methods forward or change things? Why?
  • look at where you started and where you are now
  • reflect on your habits/patterns
  • KEEP A REFLECTIVE JOURNAL - a document of your inner voice, curiosities, steps in your personal process - this will help later on when you look back on your journey and progression



As I said, all of this just raises more questions, but I'm going to take it that questions are my friends and I should just embrace them.

If anyone has any thoughts (or questions!) I'd love to hear them!

And a big thank you to everyone in the discussion group for all the advice, opinions and information you gave! Appreciated as always x 


Comments

  1. Alice Pettini27 September 2020 at 12:47

    Hi Roanne! I was also in your discussion group and can definitely relate to how you were feeling. I was also very nervous and felt as if nothing I said came out the way I wanted it to. I also picked up on the importance of question and reflection. I have been questioning my practice recently as I am taking a step away from the industry due to the current pandemic. But I think that questioning our practices will lead to reflection. Maybe this suggests we are already heading in the right direction? I look forward to reading more of your blogs and seeing how your journey continues! x

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    Replies
    1. Roanne Cox28 September 2020 at 08:38

      Hi Alice! I think this could be a really interesting time as you look at your practice whilst stepping away from the industry - specifically how what you have done and how it has shaped you continues to influence you and your practice now. I definitely feel a little detached from the industry at the moment but I am noticing things that have come about as part of my involvement with it and make up who I am even though I'm currently not connected/embedded as strongly (which I hope will change eventually!). I'll also be checking in with your blog to see how things are going on your path of discovery! x

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