The Best Question
Posted January 12, 2015
By Eric Olofson
The best question I was ever asked in a class came from a student who would never earn a grade higher than a B+. We were in my advanced child development course and spending the entire class period discussing a single empirical article. His question entirely derailed class discussion in such a profound way that I no longer teach that course—or any other upper-level course—in the same way.
Here is the question: How could we test whether or not the connection between social cognition and prosocial behavior is explained by language development?
If it is not immediately clear why this is such a powerful question, let’s try this modified question that he could have asked instead: Is the connection between social cognition and prosocial behavior explained by language development?
The difference, of course, is that the question my student asked was about how he could generate the information for himself, not whether or not I could give him the information. After he asked his question, we spent the rest of that class period collaboratively designing a study to address it. That class period was so challenging and rewarding for all of us that I have since begun incorporating this strategy into all of my classes.
His question gets at the very heart of what higher education should be. My goal as a professor is to foster my students’ ability to think for themselves. I want them to be able to analyze a problem and devise tests to solve the problem. Whether or not developments in prosocial behavior can be explained by language is beside the point, because my student asked a question that was designed to help him analyze and solve problems on his own. After graduation, both he and you (the reader) will have a much more difficult time getting answers to difficult and probing questions, so the wisest approach to classes should be to learn how to flourish in a world without professors.
This strategy makes the most sense for students in classes outside of their disciplines of interest. Although this student was a psychology major, he never intended to be a psychologist. Many of you are in the same boat, and likely field questions from parents and friends regarding why you’re majoring in the discipline you are. Part of your answer should be this: you are learning how to think for yourself. The analytical skills you develop in your classes will help you in any career that requires you to evaluate and solve problems. As Rachel Maddow said when addressing Stanford students, “we need people who can create things, who can come up with new content.” Your goal in your classes should not be to score a certain percentage on exams by regurgitating bits of information. It should be to develop your ability to be a creator, to come up with new content. The question, of course, is how to do this?
My advice is to begin by asking the kinds of questions my student asked. Instead of asking questions designed to give you facts that you can repeat for good grades on exams, you should opt instead to ask questions that will help you hone your critical thinking skills. Ask questions that will help you learn how to analyze problems, develop hypothetical solutions, test those solutions, evaluate the quality of the information gleaned from those tests, and communicate that information clearly in written and oral communication. And if you don’t have the opportunity to joyfully derail a class like my student did, then take the initiative to do so out of class. Visit your professor during office hours and ask your questions then. If you study in groups, ditch the flashcards and instead take turns generating questions that will force your classmates to use the course content to address a novel problem. If your study group gets stumped on a particularly good question, contact your professor (again, office hours are best!) and ask for guidance or, better yet, if you can work through the question in class. Each of these strategies will help you refine your ability to create content rather than simply regurgitate it.
You are in college to learn how to fish, not to accumulate fish. So ask questions that will help you be a better angler.
Bio
Dr. Eric Olofson is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana. His research investigates the development of social cognition and metaphor understanding in children with autism spectrum disorder.
