Maybe the question is awkward? I
Brian attends a course where the lecturer asks her students to write an essay on a topic where the Brian is better versed in than his course mates due to his work experience. The lecturer asks the students to listen carefully to the presentations of their peers’ essays and then ask clarifying and critical questions. Brian first listens to what questions fellow students ask the performers of essays. He notes that the questions are overwhelmingly supportive even when there are many shortcomings in the essays. Also, fellow students ask very general questions. For example, one fellow student asks, ‘You have outlined everything important in your essay, but what do you yourself consider the most important message in your essay?’ Brian does not agree that everything important is outlined in the essay. He, on the contrary, finds that the writer has confused some concepts.
What would you do in Brian's place?
- 1. I will proceed from the principle that mistakes do not help anyone and calmly draw attention to them and point out how these mistakes could be corrected.
- 2. I will proceed from the task set by the lecturer and present my criticism in such a way that my question already contains a possible correct answer. For example, I will ask if the presenter considered the possibility of describing a certain concept in a certain way.
- 3. My role in this seminar is not to demonstrate to fellow students my expertise in the field that was just the subject of the essay. On the other hand, I will not want to poke the lecturer in the eye with passivity either, and I will ask clarifying questions, but avoiding criticism. I will begin my questions with the wording ‘Do I understand correctly that ...?’
- 4. I understand that most fellow students have not delved into the task, but I will not point out their mistakes because that is the teacher’s job. I will commend all the presenters for some of the details they have taken close note of.
- 5. Since my questions could put the presenters in embarrassing situations where they may not be able to answer my questions, I will only ask a few questions from the more confident students.