Weekly Update 4 - Questioning (Feb 01 2021)
❓Theme of the week: inquiry lifestyle ❓ Links to books, courses, freebies, music ❓ Sneak preview of this Friday's premium post
Quote of the week
What I'm reading
"Pedagogy of the Oppressed" by Paulo Freire. Good questions start with, and lead to, good learning. And for this, Paulo Freire is still my preferred starting point. If you lead, teach, learn, or want to do any of these better - it's worth persevering with this (sometimes tricky) book.
"Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom" by bell hooks. Another one worth returning to, as I'm preparing the Friday post. For bell hooks, questions and dialogues is where learning is at - and this book illustrates it perfectly.
"Sid Meier's Memoir!: A Life in Computer Games" by Sid Meier. What an absolute gem of a book! If you grew up around video games at all, then Sid Meier's name will ring a bell. This is a book about gaming, design, business, and choices. I learned a lot just by following along.
(Please, note: if you go ahead and buy a book using one of the links above, you’re supporting a non-Amazon bookshop, and I may get a percentage of the sale. You don’t pay any extra though.)
What I'm hearing
"Twilight of the Thunder God" by Amon Amarth. Viking-themed melodic death metal. You have been warned. :)
"some kind of peace" by Ólafur Arnalds. And for something completely different... Restrained but with lots of depth in the sounds and rhythms. Fans of Múm and (quieter) Sigur Rós, this one's for you.
"Circlesongs" by Tomasz Chyła Quintet. New kids on the block when it comes to Polish jazz. Smart and not always easy, but definitely keen to do their thing. Back catalogue spans 4 years already...maybe not so new any more?
Elsewhere online...
"The Power Of Questions" (Forbes / Jeff Boss). A good walk-through for those of us who want to tweak our questions a little bit. Small changes can make a big difference.
"The Surprising Power of Questions" (Harvard Business Review / Alison Wood Brooks and Leslie K. John). This piece is more in-depth, and shows us exactly what can happen when we commit to more inquiry (hint: all good things).
Freebies, deals, and offers
"Stop Stealing Dreams (What Is School For?)", by Seth Godin. This series of mini-essays about the brokenness (and promise) of education takes 2 hours to read, and is worth every minute. Free.
"Free Psychological PPE: Surviving Lockdown" - Three dates still available as of Mon, 01 Feb 2021. Suggested charity donation. If you're not living in lockdown, take this course anyway, because life is tough and uncertain. :)
This week's premium post: a sneak preview
This Friday, the premium post will explore questioning - and learning to develop a more open-minded, inquisitive style of living and working. As such, it's only fair that I leave you with a list of questions which may or may not be addressed in my Friday's post!
Why is a questioning approach good for you?
How does this approach differ from the "standard" approaches?
How to find the time, and the energy, for an inquisitive approach?
Where to find good inspiration for asking better questions?
Aren't people going to think that I'm (dumb/nosy/weird etc)?
What are some good ways of remembering and re-using good questions?
That last bulletpoint is also going to make its way onto a question organised worksheet - free for you to download at the end of the Friday post.
Until then, take good care (and subscribe today to get the Friday goodness straight to your inbox).
Vic