Students always have questions… which is awesome (when they don’t, we worry). As instructors, we try to help guide them to answers (and sometimes simply provide them).
This semester is particularly busy and time is in short supply. For brevity, I’ve had to qualify and clarify the idea of questions. I’ve not looked at fancy delineations like questions for clarity or questions of intention. Those are great frameworks, but, like a lot of things: what works in a textbook doesn't work as well in a classroom.
Instead, it's about: Genie Questions.
[Boom Zahramay: Do genies really deserve the bad rap?]
Well, you know genies, right? And you know when you make a wish — if you’re not really clear — that the genie will probably goof up your wish, right? Well, the same goes with Genie Questions: Be specific and clear.
If you say: Hey genie, I wish for a million bucks*… the result isn’t great. Even a “million dollar” wish might land you in trouble.
[Geico even made this idea into a great commercial.]
3-Questions
In a busy class, we sometimes have to invoke the 3-questions rule. In critique, this forces the student to consider priorities and be efficient with time.
The 3-questions rule is a simple enough idea: OK students: Here are some index cards. You have three minutes to write down three main things you'd like to get from today's critique. Then, write down three questions that will get you the answers you seek. During the critique you can ask three questions. Make them Genie Questions.
Genie Questions: You get three...
- Um... what do you think?... Hey. I like your hat! [next]
- Do you think it needs work? ...Yes!.. [next]
- Ok, I was really struggling with the type. I have two layout styles exploring type weight, typeface and type leading. I'm going for a dense, academic feeling. I like this one better, but I fear it might be looking too jumbled — and the other one is simply too bold. I'm not sure if you agree or not. What other things could I consider to give this the heavy feeling I'm looking for? ... Now that's a good Genie Question...
A good Genie Question:
- Poses the problem
- States explored scenarios and results (and poses options)
- States your/student's opinion
- Asks for specific areas of validation or input against the stated problem (this or that? ... or other areas to explore?)
A bad Genie Question
- Tries to roll three questions into one: What do you think of the type, the color and the overall paper choice of this project?
- Tries to force answers instead of insight. Can you tell me what to do?
So, next time you approach a situation where you might have questions, can you make them Genie Questions?
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