There are no dumb questions....
Early in my Police Career I came across a training Sgt. who always reiterated that there are no dumb questions. Mostly this was a safety issue, since we are working with some equipment that could be dangerous if not used correctly. I always encourage and tell this to my students to ease their fear of asking questions. I want them to engage me as I engage them. I believe this promotes learning.
I also tell my students this. They need to know that they are here to learn, any question asked by them is a learning experience for them.
Hi Richard, Thanks for your post to the forum. You shared a real life example to illustrated an important point.
Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
In my class that are automotive classes the student may not know how to check the oil level in an engine so I tell them to ask questions remember there are no dumb ones but the one that is not being asked the person next to you may be thinking about the same one.
Hi Jviveros, Thanks for your post to the forum. When we respond with "Good Question!" it encourages additional questions. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
absolutely,no dumb questions!!!
especially, because that is what school is for!!!
to learn!!! from, studying, teachers, books, questions, even by having to fail at something and trying again!!! asking, is the best part of learning. allows you to seperate opinion vs fact.
I also teach an automotive class at a technical school and you are correct about the knowledge of students, it can be from somewhat advanced to very basic to none at all. Although other students in the class may be too afraid or intimidated to ask a question and it is being asked by another student, I have noticed that almost every seemingly dumb question elicits discussion and further questions, helping in the understanding of the subject.
as a welding instructor, I tell my students to always ask questions. you don't know until you ask.
I tell my students that the classroom is the best place to ask questions, especially "dumb" ones. Once you get out of the classroom, "dumb" questions may be held against you so ask ask many as you can think of while it's still safe to do so!
Hi Steve, That's an excellent point! Thanks for your post to the forum.
Susan Polick
Encouraging all the students to ask questions will increase participation by everyone.
In my military experience, we were taught the only "dumb" question is the question that went unasked. I constantly reinforce to my students that if you have a question, you can rest assure that several of your class mates have the same question.
Hi Michael, Thanks for your post to the forum. Sometimes I have students write a question on a slip of paper and then we go over them in class. It's almost always the case that many of the questions are identical! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
This is absolutely correct. In my class I always encourage my students to asking any questions regarding the topic, every questions are welcome. it doesn't matter what kind of questions, as long as in the subject we're cover. I always tell my students is in my class there's only stupid questions. If you do not understand and you do ask the question that's stupid questions. So please feel free to ask, because if your students understand the subjects, they'll very interesting and focus more.
