It can be difficult to ask questions during a lecture. There’s a lot of pressure when everyone is paying attention to you speak. Even putting the public speaking aspect of it aside, it can be hard to figure out what to ask. You might be paying attention and following everything but no questions pop into your head. Or, you might get lost somewhere but can’t figure out what needs clarifying to get you back on track. Still, asking questions is an important part of the learning process. It helps not only you, but also your lecturer in figuring out how to explain the material, and your classmates, who might have similar concerns but don’t want to voice them. So here is how you can ask more questions in your lectures.
Sit In Front
One of the best ways to make asking questions easier is to sit in the front of the lecture theatre. Not only does it allow you to speak to the lecturer without throwing your voice, but it also helps you forget about the people who are sitting behind you, which can be a source of nervousness. Sitting in one of the front rows also has the added benefit of making it easier to pay attention.
Annotate Your Resources
If you have a text to read or other information to refer to in class, go through it ahead of time and make notes based on how you interpret it. If any questions come up, you can note them down to be brought up whenever the relevant topic is at hand. Even if they don’t, you can refer to these notes during the lecture to aid your understanding.
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Cement What You Know
Many students believe that there has to be a gap in their understanding to warrant asking a question. If there is something you’re not clear on, by all means ask away, but you don’t have to wait for this to happen to ask a question. Even if everything is making sense, ask a question just to solidify your understanding.
Find Connections
Another great strategy for asking questions is to connect the topic at hand with something else. This could be a topic from a previous lecture, or another field of study entirely. For example, if you’re in a lecture discussing the work of a particular philosopher, you could ask your professor how it differs or overlaps with a different philosopher’s take on the same issue.
Consider Applications
Finally, another method you can use to ask questions is to apply something theoretical to the real world. Exploring this tangible impact can give you a greater understanding of the topic, and the larger picture of why studying it matters.
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