BONUS: Why do teachers answer questions with questions?

Part of my instructional philosophy is to help students become autonomous in learning, not dependent on their teachers. So, I use the Socratic approach by answering questions about basic concepts with a question and then pointing the students to the sources that will help them find the answers. 

Some students get irritated by the Socratic approach when teachers answer questions with questions. But, a teacher doesn't do students any favors by acting as their dictionary. The job of the Socratic teacher is to help students become autonomous in learning, not dependent on them. 

Fortunately, the answers are readily available in sources that are at our fingertips. Gaining attribution competency is so easy that you can automate the process and differentiate yourself from others by demonstrating mastery of practices that others struggle with.