To be an advocate for children and families, you first have to know how to ask questions that will help you discover the needs in your community and enable you to move from ideas to actions. One way to do this is to ask critical questions. Critical questions have a few defining characteristics. Let’s explore them now.

Open-ended

Critical questions are often open-ended to encourage discussion within yourself or amongst others. Critical questions can be close ended, but if so, they need follow up questions.

For example, an open-ended question might be: “How are educators perpetuating or disrupting gender binary language in the classroom?” There are many possible ways to answer this question, and deep analysis is required.

A closed-ended question might sound like this: “Are educators using gender inclusive language?” This requires one of two answers: yes or no. Therefore, we can open it up by adding follow-up questions like, “If yes, how? If no, why not?”

Analysis

Critical questions generally encourage analysis by zooming in to a context or by zooming out to look at larger themes and systems.

For instance, a critical question that zooms in might sound like this: “How are children who are multilingual learners represented during story time?” It’s looking at the narrow context of story time in the learning environment. Another example is: “How are different languages used in my learning setting? For instance, are children’s home languages only used for discipline?” This question zooms in to analyze how language is used throughout the day.

A critical question that zooms out might sound like this: “How are children who are multilingual learners typically represented in the United States?” This is a very broad question, exploring larger systems throughout the entire country that play a role in the representation of children who are multilingual learners.

Application

Critical questions can also help thinking become more specific and explicit. Especially in the context of education and this course, it’s important to figure out what ideas look like in practice.

For example, an educator’s general statement about their philosophies might say, “I think children who are multilingual learners need to be respected.” This is a worthy statement, but it doesn’t invite any examination into what respect actually looks like so they can implement it in the classroom.

A critical question, such as, “What does respect toward children who are multilingual learners look like in an early childhood setting?” requires reflection upon specific practices that you can apply in the classroom.

Ethical and Moral

Finally, critical questions often probe at morals and ethics. A general definition can be that ethics are created guidelines and standards typically set for a group, organization, or society. Morals pertain to one’s own beliefs of right and wrong. Because of this, critical questions encourage deep thought and empathy.

Sample critical questions

• How do you define justice for children who are multilingual? Who needs to be involved in such a definition?
• What is the goal of this activity or pedagogical practice? Who does it benefit? Who might it not benefit?
• What identities do I hold? What identities do I know children in my learning setting hold? Which identities might I not be sure that children in my learning setting hold?
• Which of my identities hold unjust power and privilege at a systemic level? Which of my identities are targeted at a systemic level? Which of my identities are similar to or different from the children and families I work with?
• How can I move toward justice when I hold different identities than children in my learning setting?
• How can I create spaces and curriculum where children’s intersecting identities are sustained?

Using Critical Questions for Program-Level Reflection

In addition to asking critical questions about your own early learning classroom, you can also ask critical questions about your early learning program to better understand how it represents and serves the community.

Who your program brings on to be part of your team needs to be in service of the children in your classrooms. Take a moment to write down the answers to these critical questions as they pertain to your early learning community.

• What are the qualifications and qualities of educators hired to work with children at your early childhood program, some or all of whom may be multilingual learners?
• Is there representation (racial, gender, sexual orientation, dis/ability, etc.) among your applicants and employees?
• How are you being held accountable, and how do you hold others accountable, for supporting children who are multilingual learners?

Think about resources now. Positive representation contributes to healthy identity development. So:

• How are children who are multilingual learners portrayed in books, on signs, and in other educational materials at your program?
• How are children who are multilingual learners recognized or not in curriculum planning?

Now turn to parent and family relationships. Parents and families are a child’s first teachers. It benefits children’s well-being and education to collaborate with parents and families. So:

• Is there a discrepancy between which families participate in the classroom and program events and which do not?
• How do you define engagement? How do families define it?
• What modes of communication and accessibility are available to families?

references

Paris, D. & Alim, S. (2017). Culturally sustaining pedagogies: Teaching and learning for justice in a changing world. Teachers College Press.