The A.S.K. Principle

There is a well-known principle within church circles that's called the A.S.K. principle.  It is based on Jesus's Words in Matthew 7 verse 7, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."  One of the features that makes it so memorable is the acronym.  The first instruction to Ask is acronymized in Ask Seek Knock, and although we are going to look at each step individually, they actually represent a learning methodology that is on an upward spectrum.

We've heard teachers say that there are no silly questions and that is true, because even questions that appear to be silly can lead to deep and enriching discussions.  Take the 'Would you rather...?' questions, for instance.  I have often wondered why I was defending my choice of Guinness Punch over Ginger Beer, as a drink that I would rather have if I had only one last chance to choose, however, the progress was not so much in my defensive argument, as it was in the back and forth that happens, whenever one of my curious children ask me these type of questions.  Their Ask initiates the next step of Seeking.

Seeking is how we look for truths in our discussions.  It might be 'last drink orders' one day, or 'political party policies' the next.  In a formal learning context, Seeking represents a series of questions and answers that form meaningful discussions.  It can be viewed as Cognitive Exploration, done in pairs/groups and leads to the last stage of our learning methodology - Knocking.  This is the Active Exploration stage, and is where the learner makes themselves vulnerable by knocking on closed doors.  It takes a lot of courage to try something new and that is what knocking on a closed door represents.  Learners don't know what to expect when or if the door opens so knocking is an act of courage.

Ask, Seek, Knock - a learning methodology that requires curiosity, community and courage.  When we make our homes, classrooms, churches and staff rooms safe places to ask 'silly' questions, we learn more about ourselves and each other.  So, here's one to get you started... Would you rather know everything there was to know in a day or be granted the gift of having immediate answers to your questions for life? 

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