I love comics! As a kid, the stories hooked me. There are epic battles between good and evil. Flawed heroes overcome obstacles to save the day. The characters draw me in like a magnet to metal. I cheer for heroes, but the stories are more than that- you learn the backstory of the villains and you find ways to connect to them as well.
One of my favorite comics is Batman. My favorite nemesis of The Dark Knight is Edward Nigma, a.k.a. The Riddler. The Riddler is able to match wits and intelligence with the world's greatest detective, but the game isn't in the heist for Nigma. The game is in leaving clues in the form of riddles for Batman to solve. These clues are what allow Batman to understand the methodology and rationale behind The Riddler's latest caper!
In my class, I am The Riddler, of sorts. I encourage all teachers to embrace their inner "Nigma".
The genesis of my beliefs around answering student questions with questions stems from one of my early teaching mentors, Charlie Myers. Charlie came to become a Social Studies Department Chair at Lexington Catholic High School in Lexington, Kentucky after a career in political think tanks and work as a lobbyist. My first gig was working as an Honor's American Government teacher at the school, and Charlie took me under his wing.
Charlie would almost never directly answer a student question, regardless of how simple. He would return a question from a student with a question of his own. One day, I asked him about this philosophy and he said, "I learn a lot from answering difficult questions. They force me to think. I want my students to think, so I ask questions- if it is good enough for me, it should work for them."
This is what The Riddler does with Batman. He uses questions that force Batman to think critically about the situations surrounding the crime. In this way, Batman gains insights that are critical to solving the puzzles that are The Riddler's Shenanigans.
I want my students to be superheroes, so I enact a similar strategy. The students ask questions about research, or the current concept being learned, or about a particular project. I answer their questions with questions, with several goals in mind. I want my students to think more critically. Asking questions forces students to engage in the higher order thinking skills outlined in Bloom's Taxonomy. By creating scenarios where students are answering questions that further their own thinking, I also create an environment where students develop greater academic independence. As I say all the time in my classroom, "I am not the end-all be-all fountain of knowledge!" My students gain greater confidence that they can seek answers on their own through independent inquiry.
This has also created an environment where students will ask questions of each other rather than asking questions of me. The students look to each other as experts and it forces greater accountability from them, which leads to a classroom environment where asking questions is valued and expected.
To take advantage of this paradigm shift in environment, I have incorporated my Riddler techniques with the teaching strategy of 3 Before Me. You can check it out here. The concept is simple, before students can come to me and ask a question, they must ask at least 3 of their peers in the class the question without receiving, what the student deems is, a suitable answer.
In my Bring Your Own Device institution, we have adapted 3 Before Me to include utilizing internet research. Now, a student must ask at least 2 peers and check out a web resource to seek an answer before they can come to me. Once they seek answers from me, I become The Riddler, asking questions that force the critical thinking that I seek in my classroom.
My classroom is Gotham City- full of Riddlers and superheroes! I encourage all teachers to shift the responsibility of answering questions to their students. You never know who will be the next Bat Girl or Batman in your midst!
Please leave comments if you have any questions or need further clarification.
Check out my YouTube channel: Chaka Cummings (The Dedicated Educator). Also, find me on LinkedIn and check out some of my published posts on education.
