The Power of Questions and Stories for Teaching Politics

Session Submission Type: TLC Workshop

Session Description

"This TLC workshop will develop ways of using questions and stories in civic and political education, to facilitate learning and as a skill for students to use.
The balance between these topics will be decided by participants at the start, with the option to have an interactive session of 45 minutes on asking effective questions, followed by 45 minutes on using stories.
1. Questions are our most powerful tool for learning and social change.
When you make demands, people are defensive and come up with reasons to reject them. This strengthens their position in their own minds and with their supporters.
When you present facts, people who disagree with you come up with alternative facts or questions for you, putting the ball back in your court.
But when you respectfully ask a question, it prompts people to find a reasonable answer and think more deeply. A good question can niggle away, creating doubt from inside their head. Keep asking and find fresh ways to put your question until you get an answer that moves your cause forward until you get the action needed.
Most knowledge taught in education is the answer to earlier questions, and most public policy is a response to a question or challenge to policy makers in the past. Asking good questions is therefore the key to learning and the development of new knowledge, as well as innovation in politics and society.
Asking questions in class and, more importantly, teaching students to ask good questions, is therefore a key skill.
In politics, a well-timed questions can -
set the agenda by bringing an issue to the attention of decision-makers, opinion formers, potential supporters or the public
get information about the issue, people working on it, current policy or the position of different stakeholders involved in the issue
accelerate change by putting decision-makers on the spot, spurring them to act, or suggesting solutions
hold decision-makers accountable for dealing with an issue effectively.
It is surprising how far you can get simply by asking questions. Keep asking questions at each stage of a campaign until people in power move to the next stage. This way they do the work to bring about the change you want. Then you can concentrate on making sure it is carried out successfully, by asking more questions.
For more information and a worksheet go to: https://bit.ly/Ask_Qns
2. Tapping into the power of story
Teaching as storytelling is a powerful way for students to engage with and retain important topics. In this section we will practise several different models of story that can be used in teaching and politics to make a subject memorable and influential."

Sub Unit

• TLC at APSA

Chair

• Titus Alexander Democracy Matters

Presenter

• Titus Alexander Democracy Matters