Ask Children“Wha t do Y ou Think about Tha t？”

A nyone who has had regular contact with children should ask them the question， ‘What do you think about that？’， every day. “That” can be anything； a person， place， thing or idea. We should start when the child is an 1）infant. Just point to something and ask the question， and pause. We should continue throughout childhood and persist in 2）adolescence. Asking a child， “what do you think about that？”， is an invitation to a 3）collaboration， a joint effort at meaningmaking. It 4）acknowledges that child as a fellow human creature engaged in the world and its stuff. The question also conveys the expectation of participation and the responsibility of having a view. The pause is as important as the question. Adults need to listen. We want children to develop these virtues of engagement and participation. I think that’s more likely to happen if we welcome and value children’s views and experiences from the start， even when they make us 5）squirm or lose track of our lesson plans or when they challenges us to change long-standing practices. What do you think about that？ I suggest that we regularly ask children the question in its most 6）radical form， as an invitation to participate in shaping the free world.

任何經(jīng)常與孩子打交道的人應(yīng)該每天問孩子們這個(gè)問題，“你對那樣?xùn)|西有什么想法？”“那樣?xùn)|西”可以是任何事物：一個(gè)人，一處地方，一樣?xùn)|西或是一種想法。當(dāng)孩子還處于嬰兒期的時(shí)候，我們就應(yīng)該開始這樣的詢問。你只要指著某樣?xùn)|西，問這個(gè)問題，然后停下來即可。我們應(yīng)該將這個(gè)做法貫穿孩子的童年，并在其青少年時(shí)期得以持續(xù)。問問孩子“你對那樣?xùn)|西有什么想法？”能夠開發(fā)他們的合作能力，并共同努力完成意義的構(gòu)建的過程。這個(gè)問題表現(xiàn)出大人們視孩子如同等地位的成人，讓他們參與到世界中來。這個(gè)問題也表達(dá)了對孩子們參與其中的期望以及使他們形成自己觀念的責(zé)任感。停頓與問題一樣重要。大人們需要去聆聽。我們想要孩子們多加參與。我想，如果我們從一開始就樂意接納并重視孩子們的想法與經(jīng)歷的話，即便有時(shí)候他們會(huì)讓我們感到不舒服，或是使我們脫離了我們的課堂計(jì)劃，或是挑戰(zhàn)我們?nèi)ジ淖儜T有的做法，這一點(diǎn)就更有可能得以實(shí)現(xiàn)。你對那樣?xùn)|西有什么想法？我建議大家用最徹底的方式多問孩子這個(gè)問題，讓他們變成改變這個(gè)自由世界的一份力量。