[M.K. THOMPSON] Ask a better question, get a better answer

Asking questions is a essential part of learning. Questioning and discussion in educational discourse go back at least as far as the 5th century B.C. with the Socratic method. Ancient Greek students and philosophers asked each other questions and answered them to stimulate debate, explore complex issues and improve critical thinking skills.

Questions are often used to obtain or clarify information, including the progression of steps in a mathematic proof or the due date of an upcoming assignment. Occasionally, students will catch a mistake on the blackboard and ask a question to alert the teacher and obtain a correction. (Even the best professors make transcription errors now and then.)

Sometimes, questioning is merely the act of thinking aloud. It helps us to answer our own questions.



Many of the best questions are those that help to make connections between disparate ideas or that highlight conflicts between ideas. They are part of the process of fitting various pieces of information together to develop new understanding or theories about how and why things are the way that they are. These questions are so important that many teachers tell their students "there is no such thing as a stupid question" and reward questions by making class participation part of the grading system.

Of course, sometimes questions have a less noble purpose. Students may use questions to disrupt class, distract their teacher, derail the conversation at hand, or simply waste time until the class period has ended. In social situations, questions can be intrusive, inappropriate, even deliberately hurtful. These questions are intentionally unproductive and are discouraged or deflected whenever possible.

For many centuries after Socrates, the process of questioning went unchanged. Children asked questions constantly as they explored the world around them. Simple questions were answered immediately. Difficult questions were deferred to other experts. "I don`t know. Go ask your father." Sometimes the question was batted back. "I don`t know. Go ask your mother." Usually, the question was resolved by going to the library, an encyclopedia, a sage, or a scholar.

But the internet and the age of information have changed the rules and questioning is a whole new ball game. Today, most questions can be answered in the blink of an eye by asking the internet. Search engines have replaced card catalogs. Hyperlinks have replaced book indexes. Wireless networks have freed us from the bondage of the location-dependent information. With the rise of the smart phone, heated debates can be resolved at the dinner table with minimal disruption to the conversation or meal.

But with all power comes responsibility. Questioning is no exception.

Because we have access to so much information, we also have the responsibility to attempt to look up the answer before seeking help. It is understandable if a student is unable to find (or understand) information about electron tunneling in semi-conductors at high temperatures. However, asking questions because it is easier than looking up answers that have already been provided in e-mails and websites is unprofessional and disrespectful.

Questions are a request for information and assistance from individuals who have more understanding, knowledge or information than you possess. In many cases, they have no obligation to answer. In some cases, they will have no desire to do so. The more effort you have put into asking the question, the more likely it is that you will receive a polite, helpful and detailed response.

A good question will be clearly stated. It should include the motivation for asking the question and the specific information that you wish to obtain. It is also helpful to describe the aspects of the situation that you do and do not understand. You must help your teachers help you.

You must also be patient with your teachers as they are patient with you. Even well-constructed questions can be difficult to answer - and the answers difficult to comprehend - because the disconnect often occurs at a lower level of understanding than the answer addresses. Most answers (and lessons) will begin at step 1 and then proceed to steps 2, 3 and so on. But many extraordinarily frustrating questions result from a lack of understanding at step 0.

If you cannot convey the location of the initial disconnect in the first question, then you must try again. Ask another question. You will receive another answer - perhaps better, perhaps worse - but usually different. The questions and answers circle each other, passing by in close orbit and traveling further apart until they finally connect and the inquisitor is enlightened.

There is no shame in asking a simple question - only in asking a lazy one. Help others to help yourself. Ask a better question, receive a better answer.





Mary Kathryn Thompson, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. She can be reached at mkthompson@an.kaist.ac.kr. - Ed.