The art and science of asking questions is the source of all knowledge. — Thomas Berger
What if the real power of teaching doesn’t lie in having the right answers, but in asking the right questions?
A professional development session for teachers on “Creating a Culture of Inquiry – Questioning Techniques That Matter,” led by Kumud Kedia, took place earlier this week. Rather than offering a checklist of strategies, the workshop provided a mirror — an opportunity for teachers to reflect on how they engage learners through their questions and, more importantly, how those questions can be made more meaningful.
The session introduced simple yet effective strategies, such as Think-Pair-Share, highlighting how structured reflection can spark deeper classroom conversations. It also revisited the use of open and closed questions, with a focus on how to frame them with purpose. Using Bloom’s Taxonomy, teachers collaborated to refine questions across cognitive levels, grounded in real classroom contexts.
One particularly thought-provoking segment was on the funnelling technique — a method of questioning that moves thinking from broad to specific, guiding learners from curiosity to clarity. Teachers explored practical ways to slow down, wait for real answers, and give students space to fumble, explore, and grow. More than a set of strategies, the session served as a live example of inquiry in action, showing how well-crafted questions can meaningfully shape the learning process.
The key takeaway from the session was not a set of techniques, but a mindset—one that values the learner’s process and views questioning not merely as a teaching tool, but as a way to invite and nurture thinking in the classroom.
