asking for trouble

They say there's no stupid question. But what about a stupid person asking questions?

Recently I saw forum letters and other articles talking about the "questioning culture" in Singapore. They say that local students don't like to sit at the front rows during seminars, and they lack an eagerness to ask questions during Q&A session. On the contrary, foreign students can be seen queuing up behind the mics and such. Oh, an article from a foreign student also said that he receives funny look/stares when he asks question during class, cos the local students feel that he is delaying their class dismissal.

No doubt asking questions is an important process in learning, but the one who asks also has to have a bit of sensitivity. I certainly can understand the grumbles from the other students in the above case, the sheer thought of the long queues at the canteen can turn you off. And if you are in the working world, how about your boss calling a meeting at 6pm?

Also, I observe that some students ask questions in class for the sake of asking, as if they are showing off how much they know about the topic. It was ironic when the lecturer moved on to tougher topics and those students went mute, cos they seriously know nuts about what to show off.

Maybe it's nice to share the questions with the class, but when everyone is eager to move on with the syllabus, or overly eager for the lesson to end, then I think it's wise to settle the question after class.