This is the part of the process where we want to use questions to really help us build understanding. It's not just the asking, it's also about really listening.
In Phase 3 we were generating some big questions. Now we want to starting focusing our questions on the role our local government has on these questions.
To answer our questions we can use both interviews with individuals and/or groups as well as researching existing answers in various forms of media.
This phase has three main components:
formulating good questions
finding the right people and sources to answer your questions
listening/reading/viewing deeply
During our WONDERING phase we brainstormed a list of wonderings for our neighborhood that roughly fell into five categories.
access to amenities (restaurants, parks, public restrooms, etc.)
safe/efficient travel and commuting
accessibility for all
building/ maintaining/ celebrating our unique neighborhood
beautification /maintenance
Let's start by examining the importance of good questions. There are questions we use when talking to people. These questions are both about getting information, but perhaps more importantly, also getting the feeling behind the answers. This video is a great guide to building those sort of questions.
What are some attributes of good questions?
What must we consider beyond the asking of questions?
There are also questions that guide research and help us seek out articles, books, podcast, and documentaries.
What do you think makes a good research question?
What do you wan to know? Who is the best person to answer your questions?
Make a dream list of those you would like to talk to.
How might you contact the person/people you'd like to talk to?
Make a list of where you might find written, recorded, or filmed information to answer your questions?
When we are do something to learn it is different than when we do some thing for entertainment.
How is listening to someone to learn different from a casual conversation? How about listening to a podcast?
How is reading to learn different than reading for pleasure?
How is watching something to learn different than watching for pleasure?
What are some strategies we might use listening/reading/viewing to learn that we might not use when doing these for pleasure?