Ethics panel to explore the role of questions in teaching

Contact: Mark Schwerin
Photo of hands raised in a classroom.

What role does question-asking play in higher education?

KALAMAZOO—The topic of questions as they pertain to teaching and learning will be explored by a panel of experts during an upcoming discussion at Western Michigan University as part of the Center for the Study of Ethics in Society's fall lecture series.

"Exploring the Question Across the Curriculum" is the title of a panel discussion that begins at 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15, in the University Center for the Humanities, 2500 Knauss Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

Questions explored

Members of an ongoing interdisciplinary reading group on teaching will explore the ways in which key questions are or are not addressed in higher education curricula today. The group will explore such questions as:

  • Is education about the answers or about the questions? What are the marks of a good question?
  • Should teachers know all the answers? Does laying out course expectations in detail at the outset of a course inhibit good questions?
  • Whose questions are most important in a learner-centered curriculum?
  • How does the quality of questioning affect the quality of learning?
  • Do new technologies affect the kinds of questions we address, and how?
  • What are the ultimate questions and how do we tackle them in higher education?

In the spirit of the topic, the panel will not seek answers. Rather, the panel will seek to generate an open forum for raising issues … and questions.

For more information, visit wmich.edu/ethics.