Although I occasionally joke that my life would be much easier if I hadn’t taught my children the word ‘why?’, I am an enormous advocate of the power of the question. As a coach, or as a Board member, or as an interviewer, I ask questions every single day, and I know that the right question opens up avenues of thought, illuminates the unarticulated or hidden assumption, and can even shift the axis of understanding of the person for whom the question is intended. Good questions are transformative.
This is why I absolutely loved the opportunity I was given last Wednesday to be asked questions by groups of Grade 4 students at Dalton School Hong Kong, which I was visiting in my capacity as a Foundation Board member, helping to prepare for the final steps towards becoming fully K-12. These Grade 4 students were in the early stages of planning to set up their own businesses, and as part of their research had invited various Board members and local entrepreneurs to be quizzed on what works in setting up organisations, and what pitfalls they should be looking out for, as well as what motivated us personally, and why we had chosen to do in our careers what we do. Their questions were perceptive, and genuinely made us think; I came away from the session actually understanding even more about myself, as well as a strong sense of participation in the work of the children, and a connection with them – it was a mutual investment in a shared outcome.
This is the power of the question … but it is also the power of the education behind the question. The fact that these young students were able to craft these questions, and had developed not only a strong inquisitiveness and curiosity, but also with the ability – even at their young age – to focus and direct questions, to unearth deeper truths, was not the result of chance; but rather the outcome of the education they have been experiencing over the past few years. I have had the honour of being associated with DSHK, and its vision of a student-centred, dual language, future-ready education, since its inception over a decade ago, and the reason why it I see it as such a privilege is because it is evident that the school is genuinely pushing beyond the limitations imposed by national curricula, to expose children to opportunities for learning and growth that will ensure – absolutely ensure – they will succeed in the future that awaits them.
Dalton Graduates – just as envisaged by the founder of the student-centred Dalton Plan, Helen Parkhurst, over a century ago – will have necessary diplomas and qualifications, of course; much more importantly, though, they will actively have developed the human skills that will be essential in our new world. This is a world that is fast advancing – where automation extends far, far beyond anything we could have imagined even a few brief years ago – a world where Large Language Models can take over much any repetitive task – and many creative ones too. Jobs that have been the goal of professional ambition for centuries will, quite simply, no longer be needed. As Professor Po-Shen Loh reminded us at the Dalton Speaker Series Event recently, however, what AI cannot do is be human, and what the students at DSHK are learning is the range of skills that only humans can learn, to build their connection with other humans.
Hence the power of the question – if one of the most important skills our children need to learn to be successful human adults is to connect with others, then the right questions, to prompt connection, are arguably one of the most powerful tools they can develop. Worth remembering … and so … the question is … what are you going to do about it? If you are in Hong Kong, do visit DSHK – a warm welcome (together with curious questions) awaits
