Popping any question

We've all been in classes when the professor asks a question and a hush falls over the room. Does nobody know the answer? Does anyone even have an idea? Perhaps there are times when nobody has a clue, but all of us been sitting in the class for the entire semester. Often someone in the class must have some idea. So why does no one answer without being cajoled by the professor? Did no one do the readings, or is it something more?

Maybe we're all just afraid of looking dumb. Nobody likes getting the wrong answer. If we're wrong, everyone might think we're stupid. Or maybe we'll just feel stupid.

But aren't we at college to learn? That seems to be the point of going to school. And-theoretically-one learns more from a wrong answer than from a correct one. I find it curious that students sometimes seem unwilling to volunteer answers they are not sure of, considering the potential for learning. What do we stand to lose? Is it our grades, our image, our self esteem-or what? I wonder if one wrong answer would really make a difference to any of these things.

And it's not any better when students get to ask the questions. There are as many instances of silence when the professor asks for questions as there are when he asks for answers to questions. There are certainly questions, because people go up to ask them every day after class, but many times no one speaks when a professor opens up the class for discussion. Do we think that everyone but us knows the answer? Maybe it's as simple as not wanting to waste anyone else's time. Or maybe we're afraid that asking a question might make us look dumb because we don't already know everything about a subject we're taking a class to learn about.

Just because Duke is supposed to be at the top of the heap, it doesn't mean that people shouldn't have questions, or that everyone understands everything. In fact, I challenge you that perhaps the fact that Duke is "on top" means that there should be more questions here, not less. Where did the idea come from anyway that asking questions makes one look unintelligent? To ask the right questions sometimes takes a great deal of understanding.

Plus, is it more intelligent to let a question go unasked, or to ask the question even though everyone may know the answer? Chances are, if one person has a question, or even a wrong answer, others do also. Remember the statement, "There are no dumb questions."

In fact, there have been studies done about human beings' odd tendency to attribute different qualities to others in a group than they do to themselves. This phenomenon is called pluralistic ignorance. In these studies, people were asked to read articles that were difficult to understand, and were told they could ask for help if they really needed it. No one asked for help, but they thought that about a third of the other people would. In a group when others didn't ask for help and were silent, people assumed it was because the other people understood the article, even when they themselves weren't asking for help due to a lack of understanding. Isn't that crazy?

So next time you are thinking everyone is smarter than you, or that none of them would be hesitant to ask a question, just realize: They are probably thinking the same thing about you!