There Are No Stupid Questions!

There are no stupid questions! In our attempt to understand ideas, thoughts or the steps involved in something, we ask questions. ...  Questions help us understand segments of the spoken or written word that we may have missed or misunderstood. For children, it is critical in their attempt to make their learning experience, meaningful, fun and cool, helping to build their self-confidence.  

Years ago, when one of our sons first began working in the produce department of a local food market, he was reminded of the importance of asking questions whenever something about his new job was unclear. (Asking questions  is easier than fixing the costly mistakes that result, especially, in a business environment)   Several weeks later, I met the owner while shopping in the store.  He remarked that our son was one of his best employees simply because he was always asking questions.

When the teacher asks, “Are there any questions”?  many students remain silent, afraid, perhaps, to ask the questions that are on their mind. In the minds of some, the asking of a question or more, is an indication that the student was not listening or worse: that he is stupid. Not so!. ... The opposite is true.  The more questions that are asked, the greater the depth of understanding of the material  at hand.  Questions help to fill in the gaps of learning, whenever information is passed from one person to another or to a group. The teacher  must now look at the material presented and provide yet another view of its properties or explain it again, thus adding a new dimension of thought to the discussion.

Without questions, information does not change. It might even be incorrect, outdated or worse. Progress remains stalled. Complacency might result. ...  (In a buying scenario, questions can stall, delay or omit  outright a non-essential purchase thereby protecting your bottom line.) Why spend money when there is no need to do so?  Questions help keep our minds sharp and the subject at hand, fresh and new. One question can lead to another, sparking a totally different view/mindset, approach or insight into the subject being discussed or studied. ...   ‘Hiding’ behind the academic mask of misunderstanding, indifference or confusion becomes impossible with questions. Our intellect is laid bare for all to see and hear. It can be intimidating, perhaps, but not to be feared. 

When I volunteered in ‘Mary’s’ primary intensive classroom, the asking of questions was the cornerstone of ‘Working with Dough’. It had to be. With Mary’s children, especially, it was the only way to know that information had been transmitted to the  student and processed accurately by each child.  No one could escape being asked a question.  Not even me!  At the end of a session, a pair of students would ask me a question based upon the day’s ‘dough’ events. ...  (Working as a team was a calming technique for the students.) ...   One student would ask his question and invariably, his peer would ask me the same question. I would give the same answer twice or change it, if possible.  With young children who are academically challenged, the first rule is to engage them intellectually.  It is not important that the questions are simple or repeated. What is important is that the student was able to repeat what he had heard, proving that he was listening. (Knowing how to compose a question is also a critical component of learning.)  

One specialized group of professionals who spend the better part of their working lives trying to find answers to perplexing and formidable questions are scientists.  A part of their job entails making huge errors or mistakes in trying to find the truth or discovering a better way. For these educated professionals, the asking of questions is in their job description! It should be in ours, too, for there are no stupid questions in the brilliant minds that ask them.