By James Walsh, Salisbury College, United Kingdom, student of John Martin

3
Asking Questions: Turning Inquiry into Knowledge

“Good teaching is more a giving of right questions than a giving of right answers.”

Josef Albers

 

Too often we assume that individuals are in the class that offers what they are interested in learning. While this is most often the case, there will be times when individuals' attention drifts in and out of the class, all while they are sitting there. This makes helping them learn difficult. There is, however, a key event that can assist the teacher in increasing the opportunity for learning. This is when someone asks a question.

In most situations the fact that a student is asking a question is an indication that his or her mind is open for knowledge to enter. The student has identified a gap in his understanding or knowledge, sees this as a need, and wishes to fill this gap and advance his learning goals.

When students indicate their interest in filling in the gaps and rounding out their knowledge by asking a question, they are usually at the height of their learning potential. They have already identified their need and it provides the teacher with an opportunity to not only assist a single inquiring student but to also assist others. The opportunity presented is to clear up one student's question and perhaps expand the audience and/or the subject of the question to include more pertinent information.

“The notion that questions lead to more questioning brought life and progressive movement to my classes.”

Nicholas Hlobeczy

Case Western Reserve University, OH

Who Is Asking What?

We hope that students will be asking questions to expand their learning. Primarily the teaching/learning process needs to be open to have questions interjected into the process. While this may be formally structured into the flow of instruction or informally available at random points within the process, the students will be benefited from feeling comfortable about asking questions. In most evaluations of teaching there is a query that addresses the students'ability to ask questions, and their comfort level in so doing, within the course or with that instructor. The response is indicative of the effectiveness of the teaching/ learning process.

“The origin of thinking is some perplexity, confusion or doubt.”

John Dewey

In the flow of learning, early questions can be most beneficial. Within the learning process, the first learned bits of knowledge or processes mark the progress of correctly learning. Questions at this point use answering to strengthen the learning process. When a “first learning” question is asked, the student's mind is very open to take in more information and correctly learn from the interchange.

The concept of a “first learning” question assumes that the question is coming from interest in furthering learning at the first introduction to the material, but this is not the only case. There are several other reasons that people ask questions—to clarify, impress, and quarrel.

While a question asked to achieve clarification is similar to a question asked to gain new knowledge, there must be an understanding on the part of the answerer that this kind of “clarifying question” requires an approach that reinforces the learning that has already taken place. Clarifying means that parts of or all of the knowledge or learning have been gained but not totally engrained. Often this type of answering will need to be in a form different from that of the original presentation of the material or process. If the answer is in the same terms as originally presented, then there is a good chance that the reasons that the learning did not totally happen may be revisited.

“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do, and I understand.”

Chinese proverb

One of the major problems with “being two weeks ahead of the students” is that the methods to answer clarifying questions may not be within control of the teacher. If the teacher has just learned the material, it may be difficult to have the knowledge to adjust the answering process to enable the student to see and learn from the new descriptive statement.

While being fresh to the materials limits clarifying answers, being stuck creates another problem. Often success, or perceived success, with the presentation of materials leads the teacher to return to this method of presenting the material again. Ineffectual instructors often fall into stressing their original presentation without clearing up the incomplete knowledge. This approach locks the student into a learning pattern that did not provide them with clarification of the materials. If the questions are clarifying, then flexibility in answering becomes mportant for success, for both the student requesting clarification and for others who will gain from this questioning interaction.

There will also be times when questions become avenues to assist students with their learning by being a diagnostic tool. Often students will be in a class that is beyond their preparation or abilities. In these situations, defining the students'potential problems while they are traveling further through the course provides an opportunity to help them either to understand what avenues may assist them in their learning goals or to choose to take a different path.

From the outset we find that not all questions are designed to evoke answers. Beyond the concept of the rhetorical question, there are questions that are asked to prove the asker's knowledge or the respondent's ignorance. The reasons for these questions have little to do with improving the learning process but more to do with establishing status. Here, the teacher must avoid being provoked and deal with the question in a way that sets an example for the rest of the class.

“He must be very ignorant for he answers every question he is asked.”

Voltaire

Though the intent of the student may not be to increase their or others'learning, questions can still be used to assist learning. If there is a caveat, it is not to get trapped by the situation. Though the instructor may not be able to satisfy the true intent of the questioner, it will be best if a similar approach to first learning or clarifying questions is taken. Consistency in approach may defuse the situation when a provoking question is asked, and it still allows the teacher to address others and their needs.

Also, we can see that in some cases the question is an end and becomes the answer. Potentially well-constructed questions become prime avenues for self-actuating answers. As in the game of “Jeopardy,” the “Jeopardy Question” is one where the answer appears before the question. The answer exists and then there is a definitional choice to find the question that fits with the answer just given. Frequently the answer placed in the question is incorrect and compounds the problem that the question is required to solve. This may simply be a need for interaction, and not an attempt to fill a gap or clarify learning.

Regardless of why and which students ask questions, questions are important to effective learning. Therefore, one of the important roles of the teacher is to stimulate questions.

“If you do not ask the right questions, you do not get the right answers. A question asked in the right way often points to its own answer. Asking questions is the A-B-C of diagnosis.”

Edward Hodnett

In his book Big Russ and Me, Tim Russert, NBC moderator and editor of Meet the Press, writes about a high school experience that supports the importance of asking challenging questions. During his first class in English, the students were asked to take out a sheet of paper and to describe what they observed when they walked into the building for the first time. The question stunned him. He was not being asked to memorize something, as in many of his classroom experiences, but rather to “think, to remember, and to observe.”

A Method to Ask Questions

It is curious, with the importance of question asking in education, that seldom is there any instruction in how to ask. There is of course the admonition to “raise your hand” but little or no discussion of how to formulate a question, when to ask, or what to expect as an answer.

While this book is addressed to teachers, the “question asking” discussed here is the students'portion of the learning process. It will be the students'learning and their questions, thus it is their responsibility to ask and assure that their questions are answered. It may be an important part of the teacher's ability to assist students by giving guidance how to ask questions. As an approach we can look at four ideas to effectively use question asking as a benefit to learning.

“Computers are useless. They can only give answers.”

Pablo Picasso

One…Ask Early

It is important that questions are asked when the learner becomes aware that there is a misunderstanding or gap in the learning flow. The more vertical and sequential the learning, the more important it is to use a question to clear up missing or misconstrued information. Some students are hesitant about asking questions because it shines the light on them as either “not knowing” or “lacking understanding” or because they just do not want to stand out.

It is significant that if one student is missing the point, then it is likely that others in the class will also be having some problems grasping the learning objective. Thus the student who asks the question will be assisting others, and often assisting the teacher by identifying a point that was not clearly explained.

“Students should be reminded from time to time that asking questions in class is an important part of learning, just as good test questions on an exam are.”

Hollis Todd

Rochester Institute of Technology, NY

Asking a question to clarify the learning objective gains in importance as the information becomes embedded in other objectives. If the gap in learning happens in a concept that has sequential objectives, then missing the knowledge in an early step may make learning the entirety difficult or impossible as the learning objectives progress.

Two…Use Understandable Words

Photography and its education use specific language and jargon. This means that some students will not always be familiar with the words used to explain and answer questions. Because of the flow of instruction, subject-specific words, concepts, and jargon may all cause some learning problems for some students. While the conceptual area of learning will be what we want to address with questions and answers, the words may get in the way of both the learning and the understanding of the answers to questions.

It is important that the language of questions and answers be within the comprehension of the students. This is accomplished in two ways. First the student needs to ask questions in their own vocabulary. If a student does not know the meaning of the word “chromatic” it is unlikely that they can successfully ask a question using words such as “apochromatic lenses” or “chromatic aberration.” The jargon just gets in the way and students should be encouraged to ask the question so that they understand the verbiage of the question.

Likewise it is unlikely that learning will be complete if the answer to a question is in terms that the student does not understand. It is important for the question answerer to modify their answer to form the answer in the language that will be understood by the student asking the question. If the student asks the question that misuses the jargon, then the question needs to be answered without the jargon.

”No matter how good teaching may be, each student must take responsibility for his own education.”

John Carolus, S.J.

Three… Get an Understandable Answer

The expectation of an answer is a particularly important part of becoming skilled at asking questions. In too many situations students ask questions that are or are not answered, but seldom expect more than words from the teacher. Because of the teacher/student relationship the expectation is often that the teacher will give an answer but that it may not expand knowledge or fill in the gaps in learning. In many situations there is an expectation for an answer but not necessarily for an understandable answer.

As simple as it seems, the quality of the experience for the student depends on their repeated fulfillment of getting usable information from their question asking. It is easy for students to give up on an answer when the teacher speaks the terms but does not connect with the students. This happens for many reasons but fine-tuning the understandability experience will help both the asker and answerer.

Just as it is common for students to use jargon and vocabulary to ask questions that are beyond their understanding, it is also quite common for answerers to use terminology beyond the students 'level to understand totally. It becomes important for both parts of the questioning dialogue to be using the same language. It is incumbent on both parties to be aware of the issues of using understandable and meaningful words. For this reason it is best if the level of language used in the answer is the same as was used in the question asked.

Another common problem comes from the teacher's side of the questioning process. Since questions open such a great potential tc expand learning, teachers often jump in with information beyond the students'readiness to take in the new materials. The opportunity is lost when the material extends beyond student readiness for the new materials, and instead puts up a new barrier to effective learning. In this situation the student may even tune out the answer to their own question because they are overloaded with information that confuses or pressures them.

Four…Sequencing Questions and Answers

Though questions should be asked early students need to understand that sometimes the answers to their questions will come later in the learning sequence. For many learning situations the sequence of the learning process assists, and asking questions out of the proper timeframe can make learning more difficult.

Although not a step in the questioning method, an answer must materialize from the question. There are times when the teacher will not immediately have the answer for the student. In these situations the teacher needs to give the student an assurance of an answer in the future and stick with that arrangement. If the teacher cannot answer immediately, there should be an answer later.

Answering Questions

Just as there is logic to how to ask questions, there is a reasonable scheme for how to answer the questions. This includes the time required, how to answer, relation to previous learning, who should answer, and the level of the answer.

By Matthew Meier, Brooks Institute of Photography, CA, student of Nino Rakichevich

Time

Within the discussion of time requirements are considerations of the amount of time and timing situations for answering. In course planning, it is important to include time for questioning. Though such time can be placed at the end of a lecture or meeting, this will sometimes move the answer away from the moment when the learning needs to be cleared up or reinforced. The more formal the presentation of materials, the more likely the questions will be moved to the end, if planned for at all.

“The shorter the time between stimulus and response [question and answer] the more effective the learning.”

B.F. Skinner

When there is an expectation that there will be time for questions at the end of a session, questions during the session can be avoided altogether. But time must be allotted and questions then encouraged as planned. In a public lecture a notorious photographer stated at the end of their presentation, “I don't need to answer questions…do I?” This stopped the audience and ended the discussion that could have been promulgated by the lecture. This same type of reaction can happen when question periods are pushed too near to the end of a class meeting, leaving an inadequate amount of time to address questions.

The first time the material or class is taught, the flow and relationship between instruction and questioning is not clear. In this situation the material should be viewed as providing an open, temporal approach to allow for questions to work their way into the instruction. The questioning time will assist in developing stronger courses. The areas of the material that promote questions may become part of the future instructional structure, because the questions reveal problems that the learners have with the materials. This also allows for an encore presentation and teaching that gives a better understanding of the materials. However, even if the material's subsequent presentation is changed to answer questions brought up in a first presentation, the need to answer questions indicates that some part of the course material presents a potential learning issue for the students.

For the most part, questions are better answered when first asked. As mentioned earlier in this chapter, this is where you want vertical information questions to be asked…early. Providing time for questions and answers within a class structure does not mean that the instruction is improper or lacking, but is part of realizing that those coming to learn may have differing abilities. The questioning time allows evening out of the learning pace for all in the class.

One of the most useful times for questioning is prior to presenting sequential material. This is true whether within a class or between classes. The concept of relating previous materials to subjects to be learned provides the vertical learning paradigm needed in much of image making. Particularly after breaks in the flow of instruction, times provided for questions bring back the train of thoughts required to increase learning.

How to Answer

Perhaps the greatest difference in the perception of teaching is the way questions are answered. Answering needs to be more than just a response. Often the answer relates the response to how the person asking the question got to the point of asking the question. For the best effect, the answerer needs to incorporate an understanding of the history of learning to this point, the basis of the questioning, and how the answer can be used to expand learning.

“I would want a student to ask a question that I could answer with a question that would cause them to come up with the answer. They could figure it out with what they already know. My question is aimed at getting them to realize that they have a knowledge base that they can draw upon.”

Jane Alden Stevens

University of Cincinnati, OH

Successfully answering requires adjustment to the type of answer within the situation. Questions and thus answers take on many styles, ranging from the simplest form of the direct answer to paradoxes. The main elements of effective answering are relating the type and level of answer to the type of learner, their expectations, and the learning affective nature of the answer.

As with the original presentation of the material, answers can range from direct to abstract. The easiest to consider in terms of time and complexity are direct answers. These give the asker a short but complete description, to fill the gap in information or learning.

While reinforcing, seldom does an answer in the same words as the concept that was originally presented satisfy the asker. In many situations a simple, direct answer will suffice. This is particularly true when the question is checking a fact or correctness of a method. The earlier in the learning, the more appropriate a direct answer will be.

Direct answers are efficient but not always the best way to stimulate learning in the long run. While often the asker wants only a direct solution to their immediate problem, in the long term this can frustrate further learning. With a single-problem solution, the learning stops with the answer. This answering paradigm limits potentials outside the direct application to the question asked. The answerer needs to see this potentiality, to avoid stopping learning with a correct response.

“One of the root things I immediately get at in all of my classes is how to ask questions. I ask the students about asking open-ended questions and closed-ended questions. With closed-ended questions you get no real information. So I tell the students to ask open-ended questions that lead to real information and a larger understanding of their own work.”

Steve Ashman

Savannah College of Art and Design, GA

For these situations, approaches to answering other than direct, factual, or method-based answers may net greater results. Preparation to answer in this situation requires looking ahead to the learning that will follow, and pushing the answer into those sequential or related ralms.

More involved are the sequential answers that can move the askers from where they are, through the vertical learning steps, to fill in the requested information. One of the greatest aids to effective question answering is using concepts that the learner already knows or owns. In this way the questioner's learning history can be used as a platform to build the answer and the questioner can categorize the answer into their existing knowledge. Since photography is normally a sequence of steps, answering process questions with a sense of the linearity of the process facilitates stronger answers, particularly when the questioner can be encouraged to ask the question based on their knowledge of steps in the sequence. This allows the answer to be framed from a point of existing knowledge.

Answering within the sequence of learning or a string of problems also shows how understanding the purposes and placement of the answer solves problems. At a lecture, the noted designer R. Buckminster Fuller was asked, “How do you order the details and parts of a complex set so that you can find a way to a solution?” Fuller dismissed the question as not that hard, and said “I only ask the right question.” While it might have seemed arrogant, it was the best answer that could be given. In complex sequential-based problems, only ask the “right,” the correct, the most important question and then other facets can fall into place. If the questioning and answering return to the earliest place of misunderstanding or gap in the sequential learning string, likely the right question has been asked. In this situation the answerer needs to assist the learner to move back through the string of related questions to the base, the “right” question, to facilitate a motion of learning, enabling the vertical learning to happen in an easier way.

“To be on a quest is nothing more or less than to become an asker of questions.”

Sam Keen

Returned restructured questions can also be used to have the learner revisit their own learning to answer their own question. This type of question can be used with any level of learner. For newer learners the returned question lets the asker gain confidence by relying on their own knowledge. However, this method of answer can become tiresome and ineffective if overused. With overuse, learners with the need for direct answers will avoid asking rather than face the task of answering their own question.

Particularly with more advanced learners answering questions can be used to move the question/answer dialogue to a change from filling in gaps in knowledge to increases in education. Abstract answers define subject without a finite answer. These are aimed at a larger scope of education rather than either simple process or information. The intent of an abstract answer is to direct the thought toward the subject in general terms and allow the asker to learn by discovery or synthesis.

Last and most complex are paradoxical answers. These advanced questions use problems or questions to engage the learner with a conundrum that will tweak the learner's interest in developing his or her own answers. The paradox is the type of question that either has an apparent solution that through common sense seems contradictory but nonetheless is perhaps true, or is unanswerable under the structure that is used to define the problem. Paradoxes are common and they add an unusual amount of complexity to problem solving. The paradox often promotes or requires creativity for solution to make it past the common sense aspects of solution.

”I still remember, as a student some 50 years ago, a question put to me by Professor Hollis Todd. He asked me that if I was out in the rain without an umbrella, would I get wetter if I ran or if I walked. I still puzzle over the question on occasion.“

Richard Zakia

Rochester Institute of Technology, NY

The classical paradoxes-such as Zeno's Paradox,“How many grains of sand do you need to remove from a heap of sand before it is no longer a heap of sand?”-pose logical quandaries that make solution difficult. Also within the concept of paradoxes are those that are self-referent. Self-referencing paradoxes assert and deny themselves. You can use logic to arrive at a contradiction. Epimenides’Paradox,“I am a Cretan, all Cretans are liars,” is such an example. The purpose of using a paradox, like koans from Eastern thought, can be used to move the advanced learner to inner examination that expands knowing and owning.

It can be frustrating when questions go unanswered. It is one of the roles of the answerer to ease the frustration as much as possible. The frustration happens when learning is close and it is stopped after the questioner requests information needed to continue understanding. Good answers normally go a long way to help in these situations and poor answers increase frustration.

Who Answers?

All types of answers are appropriate for most learners; however, younger learners, both young in age and early to photography, may not function as well with more abstract or leading questions. But there is an issue of who should answer which questions. There are advantages to having the asker, as mentioned in the preceding section, or other sources in a group answer the question.

Within the classroom situation, opening the answer to other students to answer can have positive and negative implications. On the positive side, when another student answers the question it reinforces the learning for both the asker and the answerer. If this approach is to be used, then it needs to be specified as to how and when another student answers another student's question. The real benefit to using this paradigm is that the vocabulary and method of answering may be more apropos for the class.

“No man becomes a fool until he stops asking questions.”

Charles Steinmetz

However, allowing one or a small number of students to always answer can set up a hierarchy causing envy and distrust toward those answering regularly. Even if the questions and answers are spread around, there will be a need for the instructor to answer. Particularly when time lags between the asking of a question and response, it becomes important for the leader of the class to put the class back on track by providing the answer.

In situations where there are multiple levels of learners present, such as in an open lab, it is likely that students will turn to other students rather than approaching the teacher. This is both for convenience and to avoid being seen as not knowing or being perceived as troublesome. While seldom seen as a concept of most educational strategies, this is one of the most common and most effective learning methods. Since this method of learning will happen anyway, the role of the instructor is to maintain control, as much as possible, such that students do not answer others'questions in ways that will injure their learning process.

An external resource for answering questions is to refer to the textbook. Since the book and reading in it are required, when the answer is clearly in the pages, the book can answer. If the answer is not satisfactorily found in a book, one can easily search the Internet for more information.

Learning from Questions

While the concept is to answer the question, it is important to listen when the question is asked. It is possible that the question may be the route of the misunderstanding. When the question asked is incorrect, before answering the question the misunderstanding needs to be cleared up. This will often answer the question by itself.

In another way, many questions start the same way, and thus listening is important to assure that the question answered is the one that was asked. If the answer is not appropriate to the question asked, it will further muddle the knowing of the learner.

Questions often are more essential in the presentation of materials than simply clearing up misunderstandings. Since questioners are often formulating thoughts as they ask their question, they can give assistance to the teacher on how to approach the subject. The learner is trying to put together how their mind is accepting the instruction. Then they base their questioning on that learning activity. Through listening to the question's structure the instructor can restructure presentations to better address the subject matter of the material being asked about and either not being understood and/or causing confusion.

The Answering Imperative

Above all, for learning to be effective, when the learner's mind is open the teacher needs to proceed. Since the question normally means that the mind wants part of the learning process, the teacher needs to be sure that the answer happens. While there are many ways that an answer can be given or directed, it needs to happen. Realizing that the answering process affords the opportunity to reinforce, reintroduce, and/or present new learning to the student, teachers need questions and then need to assure the answer.

One of our roles as teachers is to get students to ask questions.

“The wisdom of the wise and the experience of the ages are perpetuated in questions.”

Benjamin Disraeli