{"id":9841,"date":"2024-02-22T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-22T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/?p=9841"},"modified":"2024-02-22T13:26:18","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T13:26:18","slug":"how-good-are-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2024\/02\/22\/how-good-are-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"What Use are QUESTIONS to a Learning Technologist?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Dan Axson<\/a>, Learning Technologies Manager, University of Sussex<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In my previous posts I put forward the first two of (what I believe are) three key attributes of any Learning Technologist (LT): kindness to yourself and others<\/a> and (using the analogy of active noise cancellation<\/a>) the ability to make sense of trends in technology and their impact on teaching, learning and assessment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In what I guess is now a series, I ask what\u2019s next and what comes after attitude and knowledge? For me, the answer is tools, and one tool in particular \u2013 The Question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is asking questions the most essential tool an LT has available?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The ability to ask the right ones at the right times to the right people is a skill, therefore like (nearly) any skill it can be acquired, practised and used in any scenario facing an LT. To explore the utility of questions, I’ll use three themes of LT work; technology, pedagogy, and strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technology: What happens when we don’t know the answer?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A common feeling amongst LTs (and likely similar roles) when we first start is one which I’m sure you’ll all recognise: frustration at not knowing all the answers. I’ve been there, I know our team of LTs have been there and I have little doubt future LTs in EE (Educational Enhancement) will have the same feeling. There’s only so much onboarding and official training one can do; sometimes you just need to get stuck in and give it a go. Embrace the chaos<\/a>, remember?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

…if you think you’ve asked enough, ask another…<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The problem is, how do we help someone when we don’t know the answer?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The solution: Ask questions. Lots of them. And if you think you’ve asked enough, ask another. Ask many questions – of your colleagues, of yourself, of the internet, of the people coming to you with the query… In scenarios where we need to support someone on an unfamiliar process, we can still probe the issue and gather intel to help us ask the right questions of our experienced colleagues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n