got my raspberry Pi and what next?

The 'tea in china' connection goes back to what you said.The logic of suggesting that confused students and children can learn simply by asking questions makes teaching and clear explanation irrelevant. Yes people can learn. But they learn better and faster when material is organized and teachers anticipate questions. Saying 'just try things and ask stuff' (as you seemed to say) is not a good enough foundation for education.

I think mcb1 said it very well, and I am sorry to say that I don't think that teaching and anticipating the questions it the best way to go

This can lead to the simple ability to just re-regurgitate what was taught  and does not foster innovation, trouble shooting, research, self learning, experimenting, all these arel an art of some sort, if we don't teach our young to experiment, to try something different, to think outside the box we would still be using stones and flint for tools, maybe not even that. we would certainly be stagnating in growth because there would be nothing new

Learning by asking questions is a means to an end, providing the teachers have the right approach to answering the question, and this does not always mean giving the answer, it may be guiding the student to the discovery of the answer

Pushing the boundaries of what we think we know and questioning what we are taught is a way to expand our knowledge and learn new things

People understand more if they discover it themselves or at least are guided to the answers rather than simply being given them

Yes teach them what we know, share our knowledge but don't forget to encourage independent thinking and discovery and don't let them be afraid to try things different

Youth these days do not know how to research and figure things out, I have seen this first hand when I challenged some of my students to find an instruction to perform a simple operation on a micro-processor, the answer was in the book they all had, no one even opened it to try, they all waited to be given the answer

Sorry but I have to agree with Mark.

Oh and sorry to paint all youth with the same brush, there are many with self motivation and a passion for what they are learning and when you meet them it is obvious and you know most of it is self taught, teachers need to inspire their students to go beyond on their own and hope they (The Teachers) can keep up with them, as a teacher there is nothing more satisfying than having a student that becomes the teacher

Rent over

Peter

Robert Peter Oakes

I think you've nailed some of my thoughts

sorry to paint all youth with the same brush

Sadly many of the ones who have the capability don't wish to appear 'abnormal' among their peers.

They will either run with the flow or be 'loners' and pushed aside.

It takes us quite a few years to develop thick enough hides that we can tolerate the comments, etc and by then either the desire to be creative is gone, or its simmering waiting for the right environment to flourish.

If only our educators, parents and society were to respect this type of questioning/thinking we might see changes that will help.

Until we achieve this I think we will plod along stumbling onto new inventions.

I've always encouraged questions and usually guided them back to finding it out themselves or thinking about it.

It's surprising how many thoughtful questions can come out when it is encouraged.

Mark

Robert Peter Oakes

I think you've nailed some of my thoughts

sorry to paint all youth with the same brush

Sadly many of the ones who have the capability don't wish to appear 'abnormal' among their peers.

They will either run with the flow or be 'loners' and pushed aside.

It takes us quite a few years to develop thick enough hides that we can tolerate the comments, etc and by then either the desire to be creative is gone, or its simmering waiting for the right environment to flourish.

If only our educators, parents and society were to respect this type of questioning/thinking we might see changes that will help.

Until we achieve this I think we will plod along stumbling onto new inventions.

I've always encouraged questions and usually guided them back to finding it out themselves or thinking about it.

It's surprising how many thoughtful questions can come out when it is encouraged.

Mark

In meetings when you pause for questions, it's always those that have been alert and have paid close attention that seem to ask the questions.

I've known leaders who ask questions all the time. Then they go away and they ask them from others, until they've got a very clear understanding, then they formulate their strategy..

Another very obvious thing missing from pure instructional teaching is collaboration. You only get good collaboration when there is also some element of dialogue, such as Q&A

or discussions. There are some people I can think of who when you engage with them, you are virtually guaranteed to come up with awesome solutions or ideas every single time.

Their knowledge/skill set/ideas complement your own, and together you can achieve more.

For sure some of those people are on this forum!

Sounds obvious I know.. but sometimes easy to forget the power of this.

I've known leaders who ask questions all the time. Then they go away and they ask them from others

... until they find someone whose answer matches the one they want ....

I've seen that too many times, to know it isn't always because they want to know more.

I've often seen some pupils/students sit back because they are too frightened to ask what they think is a silly question, when they usually have a good question or idea.

Often they take encouraging or some additional time to rearrange how they received the information, into the way they understand it.

many need a diagram or pictorial view, while others can make that in their head with the information.

IMO you are right that pure institutional teaching will not get the best result.

Mark