Deborah Meier played a major role in the formation of Central Park East - a school focused on questions.
What makes CPE schools different, according to Meier, is that students are "interested in what [they] don't know, not just what [they] do know."
To make that happen, Meier developed and implemented 5 Habits of Mind. They're listed below.
How do we know what's true or false? What evidence counts?
How might this look if we stepped into other shoes, or looked at it from a different direction?
Is there a pattern? Have we seen something like this before?
What if it were different?
Why does this matter?
Here's why I'm sharing this with you... I believe these habits of mind can be adopted by you and you can use them every day.
If you're managing a project, team, or a process:
How do you know that the data you have collected is true and valid?
How might the data and metrics look if you stepped into the customer's shoes, or your team's shoes?
Are you seeing a pattern? Is there seasonality?
What if the circumstances were different? How might different circumstances change the outcome?
Why does it matter?
If you're an entrepreneur, you could ask the same question.
If you're a musician, these questions are even more important to you.
How do I know that the numbers of followers I have is meaningful, accurate, and valid?
How might that data look from the perspective of a promoter? Does my data tell the right story?
Is there a pattern? Are you seeing you're getting more followers after every promotion?
How might different performance venues or set lists alter your outcomes?
Why does it matter?
There are so many ways we can think about the world around us. Sometimes a prompt or a guide helps.
It works for kindergartners ;-)