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t’s easy to get into a rut with our question asking, posing the same type of questions with little variation. Take a look at the studies you’ve done recently and run your questions through the grid offered by Ronald Habermas. He outlines three types of questions: 1) Questions seeking answers, 2) Questions requiring discussion, and 3) Questions posing problems. I think a good study or a good class will utilize all three.
Habermas goes on to detail several types of Questions Seeking Answers. There are open ended (i.e. “How do you go about discerning God’s will for your life?”) and closed ended questions (i.e. “What does the text say regarding how did the Jerusalem Council come to its decision?”). Also, there are directed and generic questions. Directed questions put someone on the spot – “Andy, how did your parents handle conflict?” and can be useful in drawing quieter members into the discussion. Generic questions, where no one particular person is called out, are less threatening. Then there are loaded or hypothetical questions. Loaded questions (i.e.”No one here really buys into infant baptism, do they”) tend to squash discussions and should be avoided. Hypothetical questions, ‘What if’ questions, tend to foster a tone of inquiry and encourage responsiveness.
In those type of questions, there is a limited range of correct answers. Questions requiring discussion, Habermas’ second category, opens that range up a good bit. With these type of questions, we show we value diversity of opinions and acknowledge we can learn from one another. The questions above can be turned into questions requiring discussion quite easily: How should we go about discerning God’s will in our life? Why do you think the Jerusalem Council made it’s decision in this way? How does seeing our parents resolve conflict affect us and how we resolve it?
The third category is also quite useful: questions that pose problems. These type of questions can come in the form of a case study, and apparent contradiction we live with, can be very provocative, and are incredibly helpful in teaching us to dialogue civilly and in love. Habermas suggests choosing a significant, relevant, thought provoking problem. Then, having picked your problem, wording it carefully as a question that encourages probing and promotes ownership. An example might be, “Is lying ever permissible or is it always wrong?” I’m sure you can come up with more and better examples of questions posing a problem.
As the people in our groups come with different expectations and learning styles, varying the types of questions we ask will help a greater number of them feel engaged as learners and participants. Be thoughtful not just of what you ask, but of how you ask it.
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We’re about halfway through the fall semester and you may be thinking, “what’ll I do with my group when we finish this study?” Well, I’ve got some new resources on marriage you may want to consider:
