LEARNING TO LEARN
The only stupid question is the one never asked .
Hélène Bonsall , Biology teacher
“ Miss , aren ’ t kestrels what popcorn ’ s made of ?”
Even the wackiest questions provide us with essential information to tailor our teaching to students ’ needs ( this one highlights a vocabulary issue confusing kernels and kestrels - no point in continuing until that ’ s sorted !). The benefits of questions far outweigh the possible drawbacks of the inevitable one or two irrelevant contributions . Even the exasperating “ Shall I underline the title , Miss ?” provides some information ; that this student needs help in developing their independence . Despite student questions being a highly effective assessment tool , an abundance of research points to a paucity of student questions in many classrooms .
Interviews with Sixth Formers , conducted as part of my school-funded masters research , revealed myriad reasons for this reticence , ranging from student self-esteem to student engagement . However , two prevailing inhibitors recurred in discussions : a student ’ s perception of their teacher and a student ’ s perception of their peers . Frequently , similar comments arose : “ I think that ’ s a lot about the teacher . Like , how you know the teacher ’ s going to react to questions .”
Even the most approachable teachers might quash questions when racing through the syllabus to get it all covered in time for exams . This well-meaning approach could be perceived as a dislike of student questions . Problematically , even a teacher explicitly encouraging student questions might encounter difficulties . Students could be holding back their questions to preserve their self-worth , as suggested by this individual : “... if the one question you ask in , like , three weeks happens to be stupid , then that sort of gives a bad impression and that ’ s going to discourage you from asking more questions .” It seems some students think their questions are perceived as a sign of intellectual weakness and would prefer to clam up rather than show themselves up in front of their teacher .
Seemingly of equal importance , my interviewees recurrently spoke of peer influence : “ People don ’ t want to ask a question because they ’ re embarrassed that the whole class will , like , laugh at them .” Just as we might not raise our hands to admit confusion in the start of term INSET presentation , these students appear to care deeply about how their peers might react to their questions . It can feel vulnerable to admit you don ’ t get it . Hence , we arrive at the the ‘ dominant student ’ effect . An individual at ease with their peers and with high selfworth might not hesitate to ask their question : “ Another thing that would encourage me to ask a question is if I think the question actually sounds clever . (...) To show off , to put it simply .” Meanwhile , the less confident students , whose questions are arguably more important in helping them develop their understanding , become classroom wallflowers .
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