Good Students ASK Questions

There is a tendency among Asian students, Koreans in particular, to refrain from asking questions in class. It seems as though they have the opinion that to ask a question shows that you have not been listening carefully enough to the professor's lecture.

So, since they do not want to appear disrespectful to their professors nor as unintelligent to their classmates, they simply do not ask questions in class. This is a problem for the teacher who sees education principally as the equipping of students with skills to ask hard questions about ideas, about others, and about themselves.

In the past, I have experienced this disinclination to questioning by some of the students within Fontbonne's International MBA program where I've taught for the past four summers. Since most of the international students at Fontbonne were Asian, I have not been surprised to find the same tendency among my students here at Handong.

The challenge, as always for one who is called to teach, is to engage the thinking of my students. To call upon them and encourage them to ask questions. I knew it would be a difficult objective to attain. I realized that I would be lecturing to a classroom filled with respectful and attentive listeners. What I'm seeking, though, is actively engaged listeners who don't just drink in the lecture, but ones who ponder ideas and pose questions.

So here at the beginning of my second week of teaching I still had only modest hopes of prompting maybe one or, at the most, two questions from each class. To my very pleased amazement, though, this morning's Survey of American Law lecture was interrupted by no less than 10 questions throughout the 75 minutes I spent with my 40 students. That's got to some sort of record! (Well, . . . maybe).

It was great! One question from a student would prompt an explanation on my part, and then I would follow it up with a question of my own back to the student -- not to put them on the spot, but to encourage them to think about the question they had asked and then, to encourage them to ask the next question, to go deeper, to think things through.

Some students already have a basic grasp on some elemental concepts of law, so they asked questions about issues such as "double jeopardy" and "procedural bar." Others simply needed a better explanation of the definition of the technical legal terms that were being used -- such as "jurisdiction" What was amazing, though, was the fact that they were doing just what I have been inviting and encouraging them to do -- Asking Questions!

Jesus did it when he was but a boy of twelve. Take a look at Luke 2:46-47. During his time of ministry, one of his principle means of instruction was asking questions. Probably the ancient teacher who is best known for instructing by means of posing questions is Socrates.

In fact, the "Socratic Method" is still practiced by professors in most first year law school classes throughout the United States. Posing questions to students is one of the most effective ways to train them to think and to equip them to ask questions themselves.

To pose and ponder the persistent questions of life -- I believe that's what the Apostle Paul was exhorting his readers to do when he wrote:

"Test [i.e. Examine or Question] everything; hold fast what is good" -- 1 Thessalonians 5:21

For those of you reading this blog who have been my students at Fontbonne or MBU in the past that phrase should sound familiar! Just like you, all of my new students at Handong hear it as the concluding words of each session of every class I teach.