The proverb \u2018malu bertanya sesat di jalan\u2019 (too shy to ask, lost on\nthe road) was born long before the digital era. Yet, its message is\nincreasingly urgent. Many students now easily find answers, but are not\nnecessarily brave and capable of asking the right questions. Without\nasking, knowledge easily lodges in the head, but struggles to become\nunderstanding. In Deep Learning, this situation must not be allowed to\npersist. A silent student is not always one who understands; they could\nbe confused, afraid of being wrong, or have yet to find a reason to\nlearn.<\/p>\n
Asking is not merely a way to obtain answers from the teacher. A\nquestion signifies that a person has encountered a problem, realised the\nlimits of their knowledge, and is then driven to overcome it. When a\nstudent asks, \u2018Why does this formula work?\u2019, \u2018What are the consequences\nif the conditions are changed?\u2019, or \u2018Is there another explanation?\u2019,\nthey are performing intellectual work. They are not accepting knowledge\nas a finished product, but rather testing, connecting, and\nreconstructing it.<\/p>\n
Chin and Osborne (2008) assert that student questions are an\nimportant source for meaningful learning and scientific inquiry.\nTherefore, a good classroom is not merely full of correct answers, but\nprovides a safe space for honest questions. Unfortunately, a culture of\nquestioning is not always alive in schools. In many classrooms, the\nteacher remains the centre of questioning, while students are only asked\nto answer. The teacher asks to check if students remember the material;\nstudents answer briefly; then the lesson moves on to the next problem.\nThis pattern may produce an orderly class, but not necessarily a\nlearner. Students learn to guess the answer the teacher wants, rather\nthan building curiosity.<\/p>\n
Even more concerning, some students are reluctant to ask questions\nfor fear of being labelled inattentive, less intelligent, or disruptive\nto the class rhythm. This fear makes silence appear as discipline, when\nit is often a sign that learning is not yet truly alive. In Deep\nLearning, questioning should be present throughout the entire learning\nexperience: understanding, applying, and reflecting. At the\nunderstanding stage, questions help students distinguish what is known\nfrom what is not yet understood. When applying knowledge, questions\nguide them to read the context, compare options, and anticipate\nconsequences. At the reflection stage, questions make students look back\nat their thinking process: which parts were successful, what assumptions\nwere wrong, and what strategies need improvement. Thus, questioning\nfosters metacognition, the ability to learn how to learn.<\/p>\n
The academic paper on Deep Learning positions conscious, meaningful,\nand joyful learning experiences as the path to quality education; a\nculture of questioning is one of its drivers (Ministry of Primary and\nSecondary Education, 2025). For students, the function of questioning is\nat least threefold. First, questions ignite curiosity. Curiosity ensures\nthat learning does not stop at being an obligation, but becomes a need\nto understand the world. Second, questions train critical reasoning.\nStudents learn not to quickly trust information, but to examine sources,\nreasons, evidence, and possible alternative viewpoints. Third, questions\nhelp students build independence. They do not always depend on the\nteacher\u2019s explanation because they are able to recognise learning\nbottlenecks and find ways to overcome them.<\/p>\n
However, the responsibility for building a culture of questioning\nshould not be entirely placed on students. Teachers must also ask\nquestions, especially of themselves. Before teaching, a teacher needs to\nask: what prior knowledge do the students already have? Which concepts\nmight be difficult? What real experiences are close to their lives?\nDuring the learning process, the teacher needs to ask: who is not yet\nengaged? Why are there incorrect answers? Did the error arise from a\nmisconception, the language of the problem, or an inappropriate learning\nstrategy? After the lesson, the teacher\u2019s reflective questions become a\ncompass for improvement: did the students truly understand, or can they\nonly repeat the explanation?<\/p>\n
A teacher who enjoys asking questions will not rush to judge a wrong\nanswer as a failure. They see it as pedagogical data. An incorrect\nanswer can open a path to understanding the student\u2019s way of thinking.\nFrom there, the teacher can choose more relevant explanations, examples,\ntasks, or support. Conversely, a teacher who feels they already have all\nthe answers tends to teach in one direction. They may deliver the\nmaterial smoothly, but are not sensitive enough to what is happening in\nthe students\u2019 minds. Learning ultimately becomes a delivery, not an\nencounter.<\/p>\n
Therefore, schools need to build an ethics of questioning. No\nquestion should be laughed at. No student should be humiliated for not\nyet understanding. Questions do not always have to be voiced orally;\nthey can emerge through small notes, group discussions, question boxes,\nreflection journals, or healthily managed digital forums. Teachers can\nprovide wait time after asking a question, invite students to formulate\nquestions, and value the thinking process, not just quick answers. A\njoyful classroom is not one without difficulties, but one where students\nare brave enough to face them together.<\/p>\n
The proverb \u2018malu bertanya sesat di jalan\u2019 should not be interpreted\nsolely as advice for children to diligently seek information. In Deep\nLearning, it is a call to build intellectual courage. Students need to\nbe brave enough to admit they do not yet know; teachers need to be brave\nenough to question their teaching methods; schools need to be brave\nenough to review habits that silence students\u2019 voices. The learning path\nis not always straight, but honest questions will guide us so we do not\nget lost. From questions, understanding is born.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/too-shy-to-ask-lost-in-deep-learning-1783983033", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }