I used to get this from the speaker himself:
After he finishes his presentation, he'll ask the audience:
"Any questions?".
A typical Malaysian audience usually remains silent.
After prompting for a while, the speaker will go on and say:
"If you have no question, it could only indicate two possibilities: Either you fully understood, or you totally don't understand."
I told my students the same thing. After a few attempts, I kinda figure out it wasn't working to get students engaged. And I came to my own conclusion that there's a 3rd and 4th possibility to a silent audience (in fact, there should be more than 4). Anyway, just to share my own 3rd and 4th version.
3rd: The audience are not thinking!
The current era is moving at much faster pace than before. There are tons of information knocking at our door virtually every moment. It's overloading our working memory as our could take in a limited cognitive load each moment. Guessed this is exactly what happened during our online discussion using spectrum during class. It would be a great simulation of what the current net gen are going through --> multitasking. Somehow, we humans coined the idea of creating a computer capable of multitasking to get more things done in shorter time. Computer multitasking, yes; but human multitasking, is our brain made for it? Guessed there's many research the effect of human multitasking. It would be interesting to find out what are the effects of multitasking on thinking abilities and thinking skills. Does multitasking inhibits thinking skills?
4th: Lack of questioning skills
This conclusion is through my observation on my students. Basically we could not pose question if we don't know what we know and what we don't yet know. My students know that I encourage questioning. But they often have the bad habit of lazy to think, and they'll just tell me that:
"Teacher, I don't understand."
In which I'll often reply:
"What is it that you don't understand?"
They'll reply:
"Everything." (This is where they annoyed me)
"What is the everything that you don't understand?"
Some will get stuck from here as they don't even know what they don't understand.
Maybe it's just me. Maybe because I'm a science teacher, I expect my students to ask specific question.
Something worth mentioning before I end this blog:
Mdm Ng is supremely resourceful!
Just couldn't catch up going through the resources she gave... +_+
you know something? haha. i 'terasa' about what you said about the silence that greeted Dr Tee after the question "Are there any questions?" Actually I have a lot that I don't understand but I feel that I don't know what to ask. I don't have the specific research vocabulary to do so. at times i don't even know what i'm asking. i'm still groping in the dark. i'm glad i'm auditing the class. hopefully i'll see a glimmer of light soon.
ReplyDeleteHa.. I guessed it's a norm to any learner. But I think, asking question is an essential learning skill. Personally, I'll equate questioning skills to metacognition --> knowing what you do not know.
ReplyDeleteWhich will give you a better chance to bridge the gap from the known to the unknown. Otherwise, one may rely on the element of chance to stumble upon to know the unknown.
mmm.as for me after entering Madam Ng's class for two times, i think d reason for the silence could be
ReplyDelete1. we're busy browsing on d materials she asked us to read b4 d class.he he
2. we're busy composing or should i say completing the analysis form
3. we're ( opps I) trying to catch her 'train'..she's so well versed la...i need to use extra gear for the next class..hi hi