We who teach college or university classes have all been asked questions for which we are completely unprepared, which we never expected, and which address the areas of our greatest knowledge deficits.

We fear that students will discover that we do not know the material as well as we think we should. This experience is especially traumatic for beginning instructors who are staying exactly one chapter ahead of the students in a new course.

It is normal and reasonable to want students to believe that we are knowledgeable about the courses we are teaching. However, it is abnormal and unreasonable to expect that we will be able to answer all of the questions our students will ever ask. Until you are comfortable admitting that there are some things you do not know (some professors never get there), the following suggestions may help you to deal with those questions to which you are totally unable to respond.

A temporary fix
It is vital that you completely suppress your first impulse to pontificate knowledgeably on that topic (despite your total lack of information) --trying to make it sound as though your answer is based on irrefutable data. Realize that this pontification approach (which may at first appear to be working) is only a temporary solution. It comes back to haunt you when, at the beginning of the next class period, that one super-motivated student in the second row raises her hand and explains to the class that she found the true correct answer AND that the truth is vastly different from anything to which you previously alluded. You will want to avoid this extremely unpleasant eventuality at all costs.

You will also want to suppress your second impulse to cloak your ignorance by mumbling, “I’m not exactly sure---there are many different theories, and I intend to address this topic later in the semester.” Never forget that students are experts in knowing what to say when asked questions for which they are unprepared, and they will readily recognize the “I’m not exactly sure” dodge for exactly what it is.

A better way
There are better ways to handle these uncomfortable situations. Begin by memorizing the phrase, “That is a very good question.” Try to deliver this phrase with a note of sincerity accompanied by a facial expression indicating that you are impressed by the student’s question. You might consider adding “I’ve never thought about it,” which indicates that you share the student’s need to know this answer and that this question is something that is not widely known (otherwise you would know it.) Then, ask the class, “Does anyone know the answer?” If someone does know the answer, allow him to bask in the spotlight and share his knowledge, then thank him for sharing that information with the class. Rest comfortably in the knowledge that the students will feel they have learned something in your class, and they will forget that it wasn’t you who provided that information.

Go home and Google
If you re-direct a question to the class but no one in the class knows the answer, it is verification that the answer is not common knowledge. Thus, you should promise the students that you will locate the answer for them by the next class meeting. Then go home and Google (or whatever is needed) until you find the answer. Depending on the class and the question, sometimes an unexpected question can provide a great learning experience if you challenge the class to see who can locate the best answer by the next class meeting.

If the question asked requires an opinion and you are reluctant to state yours, turn the question back to the class or to that student: “Class, what do you think?” There will always be a least one student who wants to give an opinion; there will always be another student who disagrees; and that is how productive classroom discussions begin.

End it quickly
You may have experienced a situation where, on occasion, a student’s question is not always the result of his fervent curiosity and relentless pursuit of knowledge. Sometimes, he asks a question motivated solely to gain the attention of the hot blonde in the third row who is texting on her cell. Sometimes, his question is irrelevant, risqué, rude, or all of the above. Generally, the class will become very quiet and look directly at you for your response. Now is the time to realize that the student has already achieved his goal of gaining attention and you have only two options: you can end this quickly or you can make it worse.

You can end it quickly by looking directly at the student while maintaining a neutral facial expression as though you are contemplating how to handle this situation—thus gaining everyone’s rapt attention. You then allow a small smile to creep onto your face, letting your smile slowly grow until it becomes a grin that clearly indicates you are acknowledging his question as amusing but also as inappropriate. Refrain from attempting a witty verbal repartee. Then, ever so slightly raise your head and continue as though the question had not been asked, allowing the student to maintain his delusion of grandeur. Or, you can make the situation worse by doing something else. In fact, doing just about anything else will make the situation worse.

I encourage you to try these solutions to meeting challenging student questions. These techniques are effective, and, with a little practice, they rapidly become second nature.

Dr. Fletcher is a 2008 recipient of FSU's Undergraduate Teaching Award. See our Teaching Excellence Series for upcoming presenters, archived presentations, and more opportunities to interact with award winning faculty.

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