A proverb with a grain of salt

A certainly well-meaning proverb states that there are no stupid questions, only stupid answers. If one absolutely wanted to, one could effortlessly disprove this proverb. For example, a question as to whether a tomato is more of a fruit or more of a vegetable could hardly be categorized as "stupid". However, how would it be if the question were instead whether a tomato is more like an airplane or a steam locomotive? Or whether three multiplied by four might not equal 743. Even the most disciplined teacher, should this or a similar question be asked with sincere interest, might find it difficult not to twist the corners of his mouth. Admittedly, these are extreme examples, and should these questions be formulated, it is more likely to be provocative than serious. And yet, the proverb would be more accurate if it read "There is no question that does not have some raison d'être from some point of view, even if it seems trivial at first glance." Again, admittedly, this proverb would not be very catchy, which may have been one of the reasons that the above proverb has caught on, even if its sweepingly formulated claim to generality is not true in the final analysis.

Interaction and Communication

However, why should we worry at all about the correctness and relevance of potential questions? Because the interaction of question and answer is one of the most vivid examples of communication. All human interaction can be interpreted, at least on an abstract level, as a form of communication. Even a person who does not want to communicate communicates his unwillingness to communicate, as long as only one other person is present to perceive this lack of communication. This is true, of course, for oral communication, almost as obvious for written communication, and beyond that for any behaviour that can be perceived as meaningful to an observer. A glance, a clenched fist, a banal nod or shake of the head. Each of these simple actions is open to interpretation, and provided that a particular behaviour is given the same or at least a similar meaning by both sender and receiver, it is communication.

A format: question - answer

Question and answer represent a very simplified process of learning. Whatever the content may be, the teacher presents a content, the learner questions, the teacher builds on the content by means of his answer. Conversely, the success of learning can be verified when the learner takes on the role of answerer and the teacher takes on the role of questioner (who knows the right answers). The concept is simple as long as answers are factually correct or incorrect. As soon as there is room for interpretation, as soon as there is no longer the famous "one correct answer", it becomes more complex - but also more interesting. In this sense, the construct of question and answer is not necessarily to be understood statically. Regularly, an unexpected but still necessarily incorrect answer from the learner will open up a different perspective for the teacher.

A Far Eastern Approach

In the highly formalized Japanese martial arts, which go beyond the physical aspect and traditionally contain their own philosophies, values and morals and serve not only to train the body but also the personality and mind, such question-answer conversations, so-called mondo (問答), have a fixed space. These conversations follow a fixed pattern; a short question from the student is followed by a talk from the teacher, which in turn may be followed by a question from the student. The teacher is free to end the conversation at any time or not to start it at all if he feels that the student's heart is not in it. In this constellation, the student is also not allowed to contradict or critically question the teacher. From a Western point of view, this circumstance may seem strange, perhaps even presumptuous or arrogant. However, it must be considered that the Eastern value system places a different value on moral concepts such as honour and respect. The basic rule is that people of higher rank are not to be contradicted. In this society, the term "teacher" (sensei, 先生) also has different connotations: sensei refers to both the teacher at a school and the trainer in a sports club as well as the artist who instructs students; it can also serve as a form of address for doctors. A common translation for sensei besides teacher is also master, because in Japanese understanding there is no difference between a teacher and a master. Any person from whom one can learn something in any way is a sensei. Since the right to be called a sensei has to be earned long and arduously, it would be presumptuous in Japanese understanding for anyone who wants to learn something to doubt the words of a teacher - and such doubt is suggested when the student questions and criticizes.

Possible applications

The Japanese approach may seem outdated, strict or strange from a Western point of view - but it is by no means unsuccessful, and in relation to the martial arts they even enjoy an extraordinarily high reputation worldwide. This is not to say that a system that offers the learner no opportunity for questioning is better or more correct. The primary purpose is to illustrate the diversity of possible approaches to communication and interaction between learner and teacher. Even if the framework of communication may be identical and limited to a simple question-answer format, there is room for manoeuvre in the actual implementation, for example, in the question of whether or not an opportunity for criticism is granted. This scope enables teachers to respond precisely to the needs of their learners, although the role of the learners should not be underestimated.

Conclusion

A student who does not want to learn will be difficult to teach. At this point, adult education, for example, has the distinct advantage over school education in that its learners may not always, but at least regularly, learn voluntarily and make a conscious decision to acquire education. Even then, however, it will depend crucially on the concrete disposition and, not least, on the state of mind of the day. Even a motivated learner who enrols in night school will regularly seek excuses and also find them. Who can’t hear it, the lazy voice inside one’s head? And even if one gets up and attends the course, perhaps one does not have the leisure to participate, although the actual will to learn is evidently there, otherwise one would not be there at all. At this point, it is up to the teacher to motivate and stimulate his students - or to leave them alone and consider it a sufficient success for the moment that they dragged themselves to class despite their obvious acute listlessness. A blanket answer as to which approach would be the right one here with each student and in each situation is unlikely to exist, certainly not in this article. It is precisely this situation where it can be worthwhile to pause and reflect on the different ways of communicating and interacting in order to choose the one that is most appropriate at the time. Right and wrong do not exist, but better and worse do. In this sense, this approach fits very well into the concept of lifelong learning - because if this is true for learners, then even more so for teachers, right?

Career path: I have been working at the National Agency for the European funding programs Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps (located at the Youth Office of the German-speaking Community of Belgium) since November 2018.
Initially, I was responsible there for the evaluation and processing of applications and projects in the areas of school education, vocational training and higher education. Since January 2021, I have also been coordinating the Youth Wiki in the German-speaking Community. In January 2022, I handed over the education areas and took over the youth area instead (both Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps).
Before joining the Youth Office, I studied law at the University of Trier with a focus on international legal systems. Outside of work I am active in trade unions, other interests are languages, literature, culture and society.

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