A student arrives at a fictional scene: a neighborhood store has been broken into overnight. The front window is damaged. A delivery driver is waiting outside, and the owner says several items are missing.
What would the student ask first?
“Who did it?” might be tempting. But other questions deserve attention: Is anyone injured? Is the scene safe? Who discovered the damage? Has anyone entered the store since?
The answers are not all in the first paragraph of the scenario. That is what makes the exercise valuable.
Curiosity is part of the investigation
Students often learn about criminal investigations through cases presented after the important facts have been gathered. The narrative has a beginning, a sequence, and an outcome.
When someone arrives at a scene, they encounter uncertainty.
A delivery driver might say, “I saw someone near the store.” That statement invites questions. When? Where was the person standing? What could the driver see? Did the driver recognize the person, or was it someone unfamiliar?
Each answer can lead to another question. Equally important, each answer may reveal what the witness did not observe.
Turning a scenario into a classroom exercise
An instructor could present the store scenario to students and ask them to write down their first five questions. Afterward, students could compare their lists.
One student might focus on the damaged window. Another might ask about the delivery driver. A third might recognize that the owner entered the building before officers arrived.
The discussion can move beyond whether a question was asked to why it matters. What might the answer clarify? Does the question distinguish observation from assumption? What remains unknown?
The National Institute of Justice’s training guidance identifies safety, emergency care, scene preservation, and documentation among the considerations for an initial response (National Institute of Justice [NIJ], 2004). A classroom exercise can introduce those priorities while leaving operational decisions to agency training and policy.
Practice asking before assuming
Educational guidance also recommends asking explanatory questions that prompt students to connect facts and explain their reasoning (Pashler et al., 2007). A fictional scene gives students a concrete situation in which to practice that habit.
The objective is not for every student to produce the same list. It is to help them become more deliberate about what they notice, what they ask, and what they can actually support.
Because before students can explain what happened, they must first learn to recognize what they still need to know.
Explore a fictional scenario at KLYVOREK Institute and practice making your case.
References
National Institute of Justice. (2004). Crime scene investigation: A reference for law enforcement training. U.S. Department of Justice. https://nij.ojp.gov/library/publications/crime-scene-investigation-reference-law-enforcement-training.
Pashler, H., Bain, P. M., Bottge, B. A., Graesser, A., Koedinger, K., McDaniel, M., & Metcalfe, J. (2007). Organizing instruction and study to improve student learning. National Center for Education Research, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/PracticeGuide/1.
