While working at school recently, I dropped by a classroom to pick up a couple of students for an activity. The class was finishing up a “Show ‘N Share,” so I had an opportunity to learn a few things about a contemporary toy and a somewhat bedraggled teddy bear.

For history and trivia buffs, Show ‘N Tell began as a toy combination record player and filmstrip viewer manufactured by General Electric in the mid-1960s. It was pretty high-tech stuff then.

Somehow, the concept has morphed over the years into what might be more accurately described as “Show ‘N Share.” For the educationally minded,  the activity meets the English Language Arts standards in Kindergarten and primary grades.

A not-so-subtle difference is that kids are actively learning more about the item instead of passively watching and listening. One of the things I particularly enjoyed and admired was watching the teacher facilitate the discussion. He was truly interested in the items and asked questions that demonstrated his interest.

A recent Trainer’s Warehouse Blog post made an interesting comparison between gossiping and asking questions. One suggestion was that gossiping is about bonding and it’s easier to bond by offering information than it is to ask questions. When we have a good gossip about someone or something, all we usually do is agree with each other and reinforce what we already believe.

But good questions can be much more effective when we are trying to establish a human connection.  For the few minutes I was part of the Show ‘N Share, I noticed the teacher used different types of questions. Most people are familiar with the difference between “closed-ended” questions (can be answered yes or no) and “open-ended” questions that require more information.  The teacher was asking both, but also varying between reflective questions (that make people think) and probing questions that cause the answerer to go deeper and provide more information. He didn’t use a lot of leading questions (that actually suggest the desired answer).

I’ve provided a stock photo of a teddy bear with this article for those wanting to develop their questioning skills. If a child brought it to Show N Share, what sorts of questions would you ask? An obvious one (probing question) is, “Why is he wearing a band-aid?” I might start with “Does he have a name?” (closed-ended) in an attempt to “get to know” who we’re talking about.

Show N Share is really about communication and conversation. We don’t always have a prop in conversation, but we do have a subject.

Some of the kids get really excited waiting for their turn to “show.” But we are also learning this is not just about showing and telling. Steven Covey once observed, “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” I think he’s right. But if we understand Show ‘N Share, maybe we realize our reply might best be a good question.