The Art of Asking

The art of asking questions is essential for reflective learning and building critical attitudes in students. The National Curriculum Guidelines for medical courses emphasise the need to train doctors to think critically about society's problems. To achieve this it is necessary to create a learning environment that focuses on reflection in order to develop the student's ability to find their own way of intervening in the world. The phenomenological study used qualitative content analysis through Alarcão's triple dialogue to evaluate the dialogue between teacher and student in a portfolio. Three recurring themes emerged from the analysis: theory-practice articulation thought operations and interpersonal relationships which were integrated with the cognitive emotional and attitudinal dimensions of learning. The conclusion is that the art of asking questions can enable students to develop critical attitudes in line with the new assumptions of medical education. This confirms the need for medical teachers to develop this skill in the current context.