Learning how to ask the question, figuring out what a good question would look like and to whom and under what conditions is hard. In part, it's hard because it involves risking the stupid question. It can also be hard when the circumstances are new--different contexts have different norms and expectations. When so-called educators lie about stupid questions, we undermine students' actual knowledge that figuring all this [out] is a challenge. In this way, we deny their very real knowledge of risk and context, their knowlege about the conditions of learning. [my emphasis]I think we'll all agree that we hear stupid questions ALL THE DAMN TIME from our special snowflakes, but what ARE these questions? The last one I got was in an email, something to the effect of, "Hi can you tell me what page numbers have the works cited information?" I wrote back, "Have you considered checking the table of contents?"
I think most of the stupid questions I hear are related to the nuts-and-bolts workings of the course--and usually they're only stupid questions because the answer has been given to the student repeatedly, and in writing.
But as for the class discussions? I don't get a lot of stupid questions on the material. And a student with a question at least indicates a CERTAIN level of thought and engagement--enough engagement to show confusion. (Some days, I'm grateful just for that.) Anyone else see something different in the "stupid question" issue?
