Commencement Address: The Importance of the Right Question

Clayton Christensen:

To get to the point of graduation, you've endured an almost endless sequence of measurements of your intelligence and knowledge, in the form of tests. You have taken more tests than you hope to remember. The role of faculty here and other teachers earlier was to define the questions. Your role, as students, was to provide the right answers.

Many in education, however, have overlooked a frightening fact: finding the right answer is
impossible unless we have asked the right question. Unfortunately our teaching system focuses little attention on teaching us how to ask the right questions. As a scholar, father, and advisor, I have slowly realized that asking the right question is the rare and valuable skill. That done, getting the right answer is typically quite straightforward.

In my remarks today I'd like to describe three instances where people like us have plunged into implementing an answer, without taking the care to define the salient question to which we need good answers. Two are of national scope; the third is personal. My prayer is for each of you - students, graduates, families and faculty - is to see learning to frame questions as a critical part of your work.

Clusty Search: Clayton Christensen.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at June 13, 2011 3:42 AM
Subscribe to this site via RSS/Atom: Newsletter signup | Send us your ideas