A question of questions

Hello everyone,

I've decided that I will redistribute some emails that I sent last year on questions and classroom discussion. I hope you find them useful:

A Question of Questions

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the nature and use of questions in the classroom, either originating with the teacher or the students.

For teachers there are a few principles to keep in mind, and I’ll spend a few emails treating them.

First Principle: All student questions are valuable.

I know that some student questions seem really annoying. Sometimes students slyly ask questions as a way of disrupting the class or delaying the lesson. More on those later. For now, I simply want to assert the value of all questions. They should be encouraged as much as possible. We should value a culture that fosters questions (searching for answers) and questioning (expressing doubt or skepticism). When such a culture is created in the classroom, wonderful things begin to happen.

This means that we have to listen carefully for questions that are either spoken or implied, and we have to be willing to answer all of them. (A spoken question: “What do you mean?” An implied question: “I don’t get it.”)

Sometimes the answer may be deferred: “I don’t know that answer to that question, but I will find out before tomorrow.” Or, “Does anyone know the answer to the question?” Or, “I would be willing to answer that question, but not during class time. Please see me after class.”

Sometimes the answer may be no, or one of its variants: “No, I don’t allow students to go to the bathroom during class.” Or, “That question is personal, and I’d rather not talk about it if you don’t mind.”

Sometimes the question may be whispered. You judge if it’s worth picking up on. A question whispered to you in confidence ought to be answered in confidence. A question whispered to another student that’s on the topic may be answered publicly without embarrassing the student. A whispered question off topic may be ignored.

(If I see two students whispering to each other while I’m talking, I stop and ask, “Do you have a question?” If they do, I answer it. If they don’t, and were only talking, I say, “Oh, then please don’t talk while I’m talking.” They almost always apologize and are more respectful afterward.)

If a student keeps asking the same, annoying question over and over, it usually means that the student doesn’t understand, and you must find another way to communicate. (Rarely the student is just being annoying; if so, defer the answer to after class, and the student will usually drop the tactic. Still, treat the question as if it’s serious, and simply requires some individual attention.)

Occasionally, seemingly off-topic questions will give you inroads into the topic. “Was Shakespeare gay?” was a favorite of many of my students. A serious examination of that question can’t be done without a close reading of the sonnets and a look at the poet’s life. The question actually leads to close reading, which is a great thing. It also leads to the inevitable conclusion that the evidence is inconclusive and open to speculation, which can provoke all sorts of research topics.

“Why do we have to do this?” is a terrific question. A thorough answer is often a terrific metacognitive exercise. It also can lead to some very useful connections with the student’s life and practical uses of knowledge; or, for me at least, it often leads to the one necessary lesson a year on the intrinsic value of knowledge (apart from its practical applications).

The idea here is that no question should be dismissed. All questions should be taken seriously. A culture of asking and answering questions ought to be fostered in the classroom.

More on this tomorrow.

Jeff Combe