So, I had the joy of teaching my first lesson of the semester at a local high school. The lesson went really well and the students seemed to have a good time with the activity. With all the educational joy floating around and the excitement from the activity, I was surprised to notice something a little disconcerting. THE STUDENTS DID NOT WANT TO ANSWER QUESTIONS! Now, for those of you who already teach, this is probably not exactly a revelation to you, but many of us "green horns" haven't had enough time in the classroom to have experienced this. Students DO NOT like answering questions, specifically during the lecture. I noticed and addressed this in my lesson that day.
I decided to bring this up right in the middle of my lecture, mostly because the opportunity presented itself and I felt that it's advice that often isn't handed out to students. The truth is, at least in my experience as a student, most of us practically crawl under the desk hoping to avoid answering the teacher's questions during lecture! Why is this the case? Why are we so afraid to speak up when called upon, especially when some of us, myself included, have no problem speaking up in class about pretty much anything else? Well, to put it simply, no one wants to look stupid in front of a crowd!
So, I told the class "Hey guys and girls, if you knew all of this information already, I'd be out of a job! You're all here because you DON'T KNOW what we're talking about....YET!" One of the best ways to get past the "yet" is to ask questions, answer the teacher's questions, and in general, not be afraid of being wrong. We're all going to be wrong, so embrace ignorance! I can pretty much guarantee that several of the other students in the class are just praying that someone will ask the question that's been in their mind the whole class. So, don't be afraid to speak up, answer the lecture questions, or ask your own questions! We all just might learn something ;)
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