IF YOU WANT TO:
Postponing students' questions which go beyond the current focus of discussion.
Sometimes students ask questions which go beyond the topic of discussion. These are questions which anticipate an upcoming topic, take a topic to a deeper level than expected, or raise a new issue. The question may be important to the student, but irrelevant for the current discussion. The teacher must decide either to put the question aside for after class or to deal with it at the moment.
Most faculty members agree that questions which require a lengthy response or divert discussion from its major focus should be postponed.
As one economics professor explains, "When those circumstances arise, I usually say, `If I indulge this question, it will lead to this, which will lead to that, which will take us off the main track. If you are interested, please see me after class.'" Likewise, a history professor notes, "If a student asks a question about a topic I am going to address more formally in a later lecture, I ask the student to make note of the question and bring it up again."
If you are able to postpone students' questions with humor, it makes it less likely that they will feel "stupid," or "put-off" by your response. Some faculty members, for example, respond by saying something like, "Andrew, you anticipate me by two full weeks. If you can wait that long it is my hope that we will all share your thirst for knowledge on this point."
Limitations on Use of Suggestion
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