Afraid to ask questions in maths class?

There are three main reasons why students don't ask questions in the school maths classroom:

1. Students who have very little knowledge or understanding on a topic, find it very difficult to even know what question to ask. I have found that it is as they begin to gain understanding they start to link their existing maths knowledge to the newly learnt topic and this is when they begin to be able to formulate good questions. Maths needs to be built as blocks of knowledge, so prerequisite blocks need to form a foundation be before the next part can be learnt. Providing relevance by explaining examples of applications of maths is also important to the students who want to know "What do I need to know this for?"

2. Many people have a fear of speaking up in front of other people. This fear of asking a question is an everyday occurrence in many classrooms and indeed many workplaces. Despite the best intentions of teachers to provide a supportive environment, it is often an inner feeling that their question might seem stupid to other students or even seem stupid to the teacher. Learning maths in smaller non-threatening environments is beneficial for the more introverted or under-confident student.

3. Students who understand the lesson being taught won't necessarily ask questions in the first instance. However, it is always good to have students think about how different numbers might change the outcome of the the process. That is why investigations are a good idea. For example two numbers larger than one multiplied together give a bigger number as the answer but if one of the numbers is smaller than one (a decimal or a fraction) then the answer is smaller than both of the numbers. Thinking about the answer they get and asking if this is "a reasonable number" adds depth to understanding. And again asking questions about practical applications can also anchor the maths around context.