How To Ask Questions That Prompt Critical Thinking
Summary
TLDRThe video script addresses the critical thinking deficit in our society, where people often make judgments without thorough research. It introduces strategies to foster critical thinking through questioning, highlighting Brandon Stanton's 'spiraling down' technique from Humans of New York. This method encourages deeper conversations by gradually focusing on more specific details. Additionally, the script advises replacing 'why' with 'how' or 'what' to promote open-ended thinking and storytelling, rather than justification. The goal is to enhance critical thinking and counter the current deficit.
Takeaways
- đ We are living in an 'international critical thinking deficit' where people often make decisions without thorough research or deep thought.
- đŁïž The video aims to explore how to ask questions that promote critical thinking, which is essential for better decision-making and understanding.
- đž Brandon Stanton, the founder of Humans Of New York, uses a 'spiraling down' technique in conversations to delve deeper into people's stories and thoughts.
- đ The 'spiraling down' technique involves starting with general questions and progressively asking more specific ones to reach the core of a narrative.
- đ Stanton's approach to storytelling through photography and conversation is a practical tool for engaging in meaningful dialogues.
- đ€ The concept of 'specificity is the soul of narrative' is highlighted, emphasizing that the more specific a question, the richer the narrative and understanding.
- đ The Socratic method of inquiry through questions is mentioned as a way to encourage critical thinking and open-minded exploration of ideas.
- đ« The video suggests avoiding 'why' questions in favor of 'how' or 'what' to prevent people from rationalizing and to keep their minds open to new ideas.
- đĄ The '5 whys' technique is introduced as a method for promoting design thinking, but the video recommends using 'how' and 'what' for critical thinking to avoid defensive reactions.
- đ The video concludes with an invitation to use the spiraling technique and 'how' or 'what' questions to counter the critical thinking deficit and foster deeper understanding.
Q & A
What is the main issue discussed in the script?
-The main issue discussed is the critical thinking deficit in society, where people often make judgments and decisions without thoroughly researching information.
What is the purpose of the video mentioned in the script?
-The purpose of the video is to explore how to ask questions that promote critical thinking and to share strategies for doing so.
Who is Brandon Stanton and what is his connection to the topic?
-Brandon Stanton is the founder of Humans Of New York, a project that collects and shares stories of people through photography and quotes. His technique of 'spiraling down' in conversation is highlighted as a method to promote critical thinking.
What does the term 'spiraling down' refer to in the context of the script?
-In the context of the script, 'spiraling down' refers to a conversation technique where one starts with general questions and gradually becomes more specific, similar to the shape of a spiral, to delve deeper into a subject.
How does the 'spiraling down' technique help in promoting critical thinking?
-The 'spiraling down' technique helps promote critical thinking by allowing for a natural progression from general to specific questions, which encourages deeper exploration of topics and personal reflection.
What is the significance of specificity in storytelling and critical thinking as mentioned in the script?
-Specificity is crucial in storytelling and critical thinking because it allows for a more detailed and meaningful exploration of ideas, leading to richer narratives and more profound understanding.
What is the '5 whys' technique and how is it related to critical thinking?
-The '5 whys' technique is a method of asking 'why' five times to reach the root cause of a problem or issue. It is related to critical thinking as it encourages deeper analysis and understanding.
Why does the script suggest avoiding 'why' questions in favor of 'how' or 'what'?
-The script suggests avoiding 'why' questions because they can lead to rationalization and justification, which may not promote open critical thinking. 'How' and 'what' questions are more open-ended and encourage exploration without the need for immediate justification.
What is the 'broaden and build theory' mentioned in the script?
-The 'broaden and build theory' is a concept from positive psychology that suggests positive emotions can broaden our thinking and build our cognitive resources, allowing us to be more open to new ideas and experiences.
How can the techniques discussed in the script help offset the critical thinking deficit?
-By applying the 'spiraling down' technique and asking open-ended 'how' or 'what' questions, individuals can engage in more thoughtful and in-depth conversations, which can help stimulate and develop critical thinking skills.
Who is Chad Littlefield and what is his role in the script?
-Chad Littlefield is the speaker in the script, sharing insights and strategies on how to promote critical thinking through questioning techniques.
Outlines
đ€ Fostering Critical Thinking Through Conversation
The paragraph discusses the prevalence of a critical thinking deficit in society, where people often make decisions without thorough research or deep thought. The speaker introduces a strategy from Brandon Stanton, founder of Humans Of New York, which involves 'spiraling down' in conversation to delve deeper into topics and provoke critical thinking. This technique is likened to Socratic inquiry, where questions lead to more specific and insightful discussions, allowing for a richer narrative and understanding. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of specificity in storytelling and critical thinking, suggesting that following a curiosity path can lead to a more profound exploration of ideas.
đ The Power of 'How' and 'What' Questions
In this paragraph, the speaker argues against using 'why' questions to promote critical thinking, as they can lead to rationalization and justification rather than open exploration. Instead, the speaker suggests replacing 'why' with 'how' and 'what' to encourage more expansive and less defensive responses. This approach is linked to Barbara Fredrickson's broaden and build theory from positive psychology, which posits that open questions can help brains remain open to new ideas. The speaker encourages the use of Brandon Stanton's spiraling technique in conjunction with 'how' and 'what' questions to foster critical thinking and counteract the critical thinking deficit.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄCritical Thinking
đĄSpiral Down Technique
đĄHumans of New York
đĄSocratic Inquiry
đĄSpecificity
đĄCuriosity Path
đĄ5 Whys
đĄRationalization
đĄBroaden and Build Theory
đĄJustification
Highlights
We are living in an international critical thinking deficit, where people quickly form conclusions without thorough research.
The video aims to unpack how to ask questions that promote critical thinking.
Brandon Stanton's strategy from Humans Of New York is introduced as a brilliant method for promoting critical thinking.
Stanton's technique involves 'spiraling down' in conversation to reach deep, meaningful stories.
The importance of specificity in storytelling and critical thinking is emphasized.
The concept of following one curiosity path to promote critical thinking is discussed.
The idea that specificity is the soul of narrative is introduced as a key to deep storytelling.
The '5 whys' technique is mentioned, but the speaker suggests an alternative approach.
The speaker advises to 'drop the why' and instead start questions with 'how' or 'what' to promote critical thinking.
Why questions can make people defensive, whereas how or what questions open up the mind for critical thinking.
Barbara Fredrickson's broaden and build theory in positive psychology is referenced to explain the importance of an open mind for critical thinking.
The invitation to combine Stanton's spiraling technique with how or what questions is presented as a method to offset the critical thinking deficit.
The video concludes with an invitation to practice these techniques for promoting critical thinking.
The speaker, Chad Littlefield, signs off with a positive note, encouraging viewers to have an awesome day.
Transcripts
I believe and I've seen some bumper stickers that would back up the idea and the fact Â
that we are living in an international critical thinking deficit, right? Live Â
in this world where people come to conclusions so quickly don't really research information all Â
that much. They take something at face value and they run with it and make decisions or Â
maybe even worse judgments or start yelling at people because of it. And so, in this video, Â
we're going to unpack how do you ask questions that promote critical thinking. Â
And I'm going to be sharing one really brilliant strategy that I learned from Brandon Stanton, Â
the founder of Humans Of New York, if you're familiar with that. And the second strategy, Â
I'm going to share one of my absolute favorite, I think one of the coolest practical tools in Me Â
and Will's book called Ask Powerful Questions Create Conversations that matter. The only Â
kind of fluff I like is marshmallowy and sits on a sandwich. Let's get into it. Â
So, hearing Brandon Stanton uh speak one time. And so, if you're not familiar with the Humans of New Â
York, by the way, he basically set out originally, set out to do portrait photography of 10,000 Â
people in new york city to create this library of stories. And so, he very simply used to... I Â
haven't followed him in the last like handful of months. But he used to post a picture with just Â
a quote from that story. Now, the quote would be usually phenomenal. It would just breathe so much Â
like depth and humanity into that 2-dimensional image that he shared. The technique of how he Â
got there, right? Because you don't just walk up to somebody on the street and say, "Can I take Â
your picture and can you share this really intense beautiful quote with me so I can put it in my post Â
today?"Right? You've got to actually get to there in conversation. And you've got to ask questions Â
that promote really critical thought about things that potentially people have never shared out loud Â
before that they've never thought deeply about. And his technique that he shared, he used the Â
image of a spiral. So, he talked about spiraling down in conversation. So, going from, "Hey, Â
how are you doing?" to eventually a story about their grandmother on a chair when they were 5, Â
that really transformed their life, right? So, how do you go from here to Â
here? And he used the idea of a spiral you kind of just get deeper and deeper and deeper. But Â
you might go around, right? So, it's you're not... Oh, you're not just like drilling straight down Â
because that feels very invasive. And so, to keep the conversation natural, you're kind of Â
spiraling down. And I love that idea in terms of promoting critical thinking. You know, if you're Â
familiar with the idea of socratic inquiry. Like teaching through questions. When you're Â
spiraling down in conversation, you start to get more specific too. So, you start really general Â
and you get more specific and more specific and more specific. And one of my favorite quotes or Â
ideas on the planet who I have no idea who said it. I can't find it on Google. If you can, share Â
it in the comments and I'll like buy you a car or something. Not going to happen. But I would really Â
love to know. But it's this idea that specificity is the soul of narrative. I love that concept. The Â
more specific we get, the more to the heart of story we get. And the more that we're talking Â
and like generalities appear, the less useful that is. The same is true for critical thinking. Â
When you're thinking about... If you want to critically think about something contentious Â
like the death penalty, for example. You could be thinking about this at a very surface level. Â
But then the more specific you get into specific cases, right? And instances, that's Â
where story and narrative starts to really come to life and you start to be like, "Wow, I don't Â
I don't know what I think anymore", right? And that critical thinking starts to show up. And so, Â
my language for Brandon's spiraling technique is to follow one curiosity path, one thread and keep Â
bouncing to that thread. Wherever it takes you. So, if you spun a globe and picked a random spot, Â
the island of newfoundland and you then zoomed in a little bit further to a park in the island of Â
Newfoundland, and then you zoomed in a little bit further and you found there was a dog park inside Â
that park. Then you zoomed in a little bit further and you found a dog and it's owner. And you found Â
out their name and you found out the type of dog and you found out how they came together and... Â
Those are stories. But when I'm telling you about the island of Newfoundland, I'm all of a Â
sudden a Wikipedia article, right? So, that's more specific you get... So, you follow that curiosity Â
path by just kind of Zooming in further. Now, the thing the cool thing with curiosity is it Â
doesn't work like a drill like zooming into the island of Newfoundland, you might actually find Â
that as you're going to the island of Newfoundland, you learn about Newfoundland Â
dogs. And then you're like, "Oh, wait. They were created over here." And now you've got another Â
curiosity path. So following that path down. The next tool I'm going to share with you is going to Â
help you do that in a really practical way with one very simple word. And that word Â
is "Why". You might have heard of the uh this technique or this idea of the 5 whys before. Â
It's a cool concept to promote design thinking, right? You ask, why are you doing something. And Â
then you ask why are you doing that and then why are you doing that? You ask that five layers down Â
until you get to the core or the heart. Now, that's cool if you're talking about ideas. But Â
if you're trying to promote critical thinking in people, the way that I would use this one Â
word is by deleting it out of your vocabulary. It's by saying drop the why. Because when I ask Â
questions that begin with why they force people to rationalize and justify which... I can't Â
put this back together. But that could promote critical thinking. But it's going to be way better Â
if you want to promote critical thinking to start your questions with either how or what. Â
Those questions allow people to really expand and answer in a way that doesn't require justification Â
and rationalization. Because in order for critical thinking to actually happen, our brains Â
have to be open. Barbara Fredrickson talks about the broaden and build theory and positive Â
psychology --that when good things happen, our brains actually open up to new ideas. Whereas Â
when we're worried about how we're going to pay rent and we don't know what's going to happen Â
next month and we're worried for our safety, we close our brains in so much. And so why questions Â
can do this. They can make people put up this barrier to try to protect some level Â
of safety because it's kind of prying for that justification. When you ask questions that begin Â
with how or what, typically, those tend to be more open questions, they invite story. They invite Â
explanations, they're longer answers, they're not closed questions that close down responses. So, Â
my invitation to you is combine Brandon Stanton's spiraling technique of following a curiosity path Â
by asking questions that begin with how or what over and over and over and over again until Â
critical thinking happens. And perhaps, you can offset the critical thinking deficit that exists Â
right now on planet earth. I'm Chad Littlefield. Have an awesome day.
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