Dare to Ask

When you’re four years old, the world is a mystery to you. You spend your days asking questions about all sorts of things—“Why is the sky blue?” “Why is water wet?” “What is pasta made of?”

However, one day, maybe when you start going to school, you stop asking questions out loud. It’s not that you don’t wonder anymore. It’s just that maybe you don’t want to be rude, or you get scared of exposing yourself in front of other people, or you think others will think you’re dumb. Then, sometimes the person we would like to ask something seems too intimidating, or we worry that we don’t understand the subject well enough to pose a decent question. But in the end, we would still like to get answers. Data from classrooms is certainly disheartening. One study found that of all the questions asked during class, only 30 percent are posed by students. This is also because we are taught to answer questions rather than ask them. 

Importantly, you should be aware that asking questions improves learning overall. It enhances problem-solving, critical thinking, and reading comprehension, and ultimately, our understanding of the world. As Claude Lévi-Strauss, a French social anthropologist, once said: “The scientist is not a person who gives the right answers, he’s one who asks the right questions.”

With that in mind, you can use asking questions to your advantage when learning something new. You can begin practicing alone. For instance, if you are studying for a German language course, you can write down a few questions about irregular verbs and sentence structures and then answer those questions at the end when you have finished studying for that day. It’s beneficial for you to end each study session with a few short-answer questions. Next, when you’re studying with someone, you can take up the role of an examiner and ask your partner some questions about the subject matter; then afterward, reverse the roles.

This way, you will gradually get more confident asking questions and eventually be able to speak up in front of more people.

Even if you’re scared of asking your questions out loud, you can write them down so you don’t forget them. Then, when you have time, you can surf the internet, find experts, and write to them. Often, an expert on the topic will be happy to reply and explain the issue to you. Additionally, there are many forums dedicated to different niche subjects, where you can post your question and get an answer.

Don’t forget: ask as many questions as you can think of. Scientists have found that the more you ask, the better your questions get. And the more you ask, the more you can learn. Also, when in group contexts, if you ask the first question, there is a bigger chance that others will soon start asking too. By doing that, you help yourself and, at the same time, help others around you.

Additionally, questions have an important role in human relationships. Often, they are not only serving the function of bettering our learning, but are also the starting points of new relationships. By acknowledging common interests, good questions can turn strangers into friends, coworkers, or business partners. Not daring to speak up may cost you many such opportunities. 

Finally, keep in mind that even if it may feel scary to ask questions, that should not stop you. Rather think of all the benefits, and dare to ask! 

References:

only 30 percent are posed by students: Reinsvold, L. A.,& Cochran, K. F. (2012). Power dynamics and questioning in elementary science classrooms. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 23(7), 745–768.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10972-011-9235-2

enhances problem-solving, critical thinking, and reading comprehension: Davoudi, M.,& Sadeghi, N. A. (2015). A systematic review of research on questioning as a high-level cognitive strategy. English Language Teaching, 8(10), 76–90.
http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/elt.v8n10p76

The scientist is not a person who gives”: Levi-Strauss, C. (1964).
Mythologiques: Le cru et le cuit. Plon.

to end each study session: Greving, S.,& Richter, T. (2018). Examining the testing effect in university teaching: Retrievability and question format matter. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 2412.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02412;
Bertsch, S., Pesta, B. J., Wiscott, R.,& McDaniel, M. A. (2007). The generation effect: A meta-analytic review. Memory & Cognition, 35(2), 201–210.
https://doi.org/10.3758/bf03193441

the more you ask, the better: Kastens, K. A., Zrada, M.,& Turrin, M. (2019). What kinds of questions do students ask while exploring data visualizations? Journal of Geoscience Education, 1–21.
https://doi.org/10.1080/10899995.2019.1675447

if you ask the first question, there is a bigger chance: Nadile, E. M., Alfonso, E., Barreiros, B. M., Bevan-Thomas, W. D., Brownell, S. E., Chin, M. R., Ferreira, I., Ford, S. A., Gin, L. E., Gomez-Rosado, J. O., Gooding, G., Heiden, A., Hutt, A. E., King, M. L., Perez, S. G., Rivera Camacho, Y. I., Salcedo, F., Sellas, C. F., Sinda, K. A., . . . Cooper, K. M. (2021). Call on me! undergraduates’ perceptions of voluntarily asking and answering questions in front of large-enrollment science classes. PLOS ONE, 16(1).
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0243731

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