Why Do We Never Get an Answer?

 

"Why do we never get an answer when we're knocking at the door?"

"Question", The Moody Blues

--From 1970's A Question of Balance

One simple answer to the question, "Why do we never get an answer when we're knocking at the door?" posed by The Moody Blues is likely that the person isn't asking the right question in the first place.  The quality of the answer one gets to any question directly correlates to the quality or nature of the question being asked, and it is not that difficult for a person to get the answer they are looking for by strategically wording a question a certain way.

While Charlotte Danielson asserts that her framework is supposed to be about professional growth, many states and local districts have adopted it as their teacher evaluation instrument.  Districts that use the framework as an evaluation tool largely construct their instruments around Domains Two and Three of the Framework.  Domain 3:  Learning Experiences, has five components.  Component 3b is Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques.

Susan Brookhart, Professor Emerita at Duquesne University, and a national leader in the field of assessment, has authored the book How to Design Questions and Tasks to Assess Student Thinking (2014).

McTighe and Wiggin's Understanding by Design Framework emphasizes the importance of Essential Questions.

I reference the resources above only to provide examples from prominent researchers of the expansive work that has been done in the area.  And, yet, this is typically not a strength of most teachers.

While principals will observe examples of exemplary pedagogy in the area of questioning when they visit classrooms in their buildings, they are more likely to observe low level questions; teachers calling on volunteers to answer whole group questions; teachers answering their own questions; students with their hands up for an extended period of time waiting for the teacher to come over to them, despite being seated in groups and having "silent teachers" posted all over the walls; few structured opportunities for students to ask their peers questions or create their own questions; or, worst of all, teachers doing most of the talking.

I do not blame teachers for this.  I think that there is a systematic failure by teacher preparation programs, mentoring and induction programs, and district professional learning priorities to emphasize questioning strategies, as well as a failure to provide intentional formal evaluative feedback around Danielson 3b.  In my opinion, it is essentially impossible to sustain high levels of rigor and critical thinking without embedding effective questioning strategies into ongoing, daily instructional design.

As we consider high quality leadership practices, the importance of seeking to understand, asking questions in a non-threatening manner, and suspending judgment in the early stages of implementation are just some examples of listening and questioning strategies that are frequently cited to support healthy cultures and influence productive outcomes.

And, in personal and professional relationships, asking questions, reflective or direct, rather than attempting to elicit reactions from declarative statements is generally considered less threatening and more productive.

So, here is the irony of it all.  What is arguably the number one skill that will be required of life ready graduates in the age of AI?  The ability to ask the right questions!  Good teachers model concepts for students while they are moving toward mastery and achieving higher levels of independence.  Now, more than ever, it is critical for teachers to model and incorporate effective questioning strategies into their lessons.  The more things change, the more some of the most important things remain the same.  Even in the age of technology . . . even in the age of AI.