Wandering the World…

I wonder if anything has more impact on our future than the questions we ask?

First, if we take it on more of a micro-level, imagine going into any random meeting. You will see things differently and have a different experience if you are asking “How can I get out of this meeting as quickly as possible?” vs. “What meaningful things can I learn and/or contribute during this time?” vs “How can I make sure I don’t embarrass myself in this meeting like I did last time?”
The questions we ask reveal some about the assumptions we take into the situation, and also have an impact on the consequent experience we have.

As another simple example, when meeting a person imagine asking: “What does he/she think of me?” vs. “What is his/her life like?” vs. “How can I make this person’s life a little better?” vs “Why am I even talking to this person?”
Depending on which question(s) you are asking (consciously or subconsciously) you will most likely have a different perspective, experience, and outcome.

As I was conducting a review the last 10 years of research on papers presented at the bi-annual CATaC conference (Cultural Attitudes towards Technology and Communication), I was again impressed by the questions we ask in a research context. They are all laden with assumptions (usually unstated) and have an impact on how the research is conducted – including what end up being the findings and recommended future research.

For this paper we looked at:
• Who is asking the questions? (where are they from, what discipline do they represent, who do they work with)
• What questions are they asking?
• How do they go about finding answers to their questions? (what literature do they cite, what methods do they use, what population do they sample, etc.)
• What answers do they find?
• What suggestions do they have for future research?

Additionally, I kept asking myself, what assumptions might they be making in the questions they address?

Even working with great colleagues like Javier and Brooke, it was a ton of work (reading at least some sections of all 199 papers) – but perhaps one of the best things I have done professionally or personally. I now have a better idea for what has already been done in this field, what gaps there are, and what lines of inquiry have been more fruitful than others. On another level, I am more conscious of the assumptions behind the questions I ask and the potential impact they might have. I wonder, out of all the possible options, are these really the most valuable questions?

Your thoughts/reactions?
• In your personal and/or professional life, have you ever had an experience where you noticed that when you changed the questions you were asking it altered the way you saw the situation?
• Do you ever stop to examine the assumptions you are making which led to the questions you are asking?
• Of all the questions you could ask, why did you pick the ones you are asking? Do you think they are the most important or valuable ones you could be asking or is it for some other reason?

As a side line of thought:
• Do you think we ask ourselves enough questions? Why as we age do we seem to lose some of the curiosity of children and ask less questions?
• If not all questions are created equal, how can I lead myself to asking better and better questions?

I followed the example of Rich Hoeg in using Google Co-Op to create a Search Engine that indexes current and archived business management and strategy podcasts from top academic business schools (MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Dartmouth, Wharton, and Insead - with campuses in France and Singapore). I also used RSS Include to embed custom RSS Feed readers for the most recent podcasts from a couple of the above mentioned schools.

If you are reading this post from an RSS Feed, you will have to link directly to my blog to see the search engine and automatic feeds.

• Search Engine:

• Podcasts:

Stanford:

Harvard:

MIT:

Insead:

I’m excited that a book I am co-authoring with Cliff Mayes, Ramona Cutri, and Fidel Montero has been accepted for publication with Rowman and Littlefield Publishing Group -Understanding the Whole Student: Holistic Multicultural Education.

Forgive me for a little bit of indulging, but I was pleasantly surprised (to say the least) at these very complimentary reviews:

“This may be the most important book on teaching and learning to have emerged in years. The authors have masterfully crafted an in-depth analysis of holistic education, while humanizing the multicultural experience as a pedagogical imperative. The text is well organized, clearly written, and meticulously researched. Faculty and students in teacher preparation programs, in graduate education programs, and those parents, administrators, and teachers working with children in today’s classrooms will find this book timely, insightful, highly engaging, and critically essential. I applaud the authors for this most significant contribution to the field of education.” Thomas Nelson, Professor of Education, University of the Pacific, Editor, Teacher Education Quarterly

“In Holistic Multicultural Education, Mayes and his associates emphasize how we are all culturally embedded beings. Taking a holistic perspective of cultural embeddedness (asserting that multicultural education isn’t all about power relations), the book provocatively lays the groundwork for asking some questions that multicultural education may too often ignore: How does culture interact with the sensori-motor, psycho-social, cognitive, and ethico-spiritual dimensions of human nature? And what does it mean for education to be both holistic and multicultural? In a world where cultures are violently colliding, these are fundamental questions.” Robert Boostrom, Professor and Chair, Teacher Education, University of Southern Indiana, Editor, Journal of Curriculum Studies

Although those are great reviews and I am happy about the book - please don’t expect me to know much I still have a lot more questions than answers! If you want someone with answers - contact Cliff

In reviewing some materials, I came across these questions (from a CultureGram resource) that I thought were great.

Five Questions Vital to Intercultural Communication
1. What message, or experience, do you – or he/she/they – want to communicate or receive?
2. How important or relevant is the message or experience – to you and the “other” person(s)?
3. What conditions, customs, concerns, attitudes, and/or values (yours and theirs) hinder or help communication of the message or experience?
4. What specific interpersonal or media communication methods, or patterns, succeed most and succeed least? Why?
5. How do you and they determine message effectiveness and the possible need for further communication experience?

One of the top centers of research and activity regarding the interaction between culture and educational technology is Joensuu, Finland. The name of the program is the International Multidisciplinary PhD studies in Educational Technology (IMPDET). They have hosted some conferences (TEDC: Technology for Education in Developing Countries; & the International Conference on Educational Technology in Cultural Context) and a series of PhD summer schools that are have been very valuable places for international partnerships to form.

I attended and presented at the PhD summer school at the University of Malta in June 2005 (http://www.educ.um.edu.mt/etcc/), and subsequently attended and presented at the conferences in Taiwan in July 2005 and in Tanzania in July 2006.

One of the results of the CATaC conference was that I volunteered to help Dr. Leah Macfadyen to refine a wiki she created with relevant literature regarding culture and communication in online environments.
Leah asked me to help, but as it turned out it was already pretty developed and she was ready for it to go live (See Link 2).
Anyway, it is a resource that you can access for some review of literature. I highly recommend you go there for resources regarding culture and communication in online environents.

Feel free to either email comments to me or her.