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>...focus almost exclusively on the ideas explained and try in any way to oppose them, when you find something you feel shouldn't be how it is, ask... Not pick

>...focus almost exclusively on the ideas explained and try in any way to oppose them, when you find something you feel shouldn't be how it is, ask... Not picking on your comment, just wanted to share a little anecdote. We had this one retired guy in grad school who already had 2 Ph.D.s in other disciplines and this was probably his third. OMG he would incessantly ask questions in class. They were not even helpful questions -- very basic and mundane. In an algorithms class he asked the prof. how he came up with those numbers in an example even though he had already said that they were random. At which point the prof. rolled his eyes and said "magic!" His actions were very annoying and slowed down the class significantly by breaking the flow. When asked privately why he would do that his answer was he was helping out others who may be too afraid to ask basic questions. I felt like banging my head on a wall.

lacampbell 9y ago
That was always a tension for me at university. Do I ask a question, because I'm stumped, this may be confusing others, and most people are too scared to do it? Or am I just holding up the class? No idea what people thought, or if I crossed the line. If they're too shy to ask questions they're probably too shy to reprimand me for it.
- uiri 9y ago
  If you have a genuine question, I feel like it is fine. If you're holding up the class because they're all smarter than you, well, they can take up their issues with the admissions department. But if you're asking basic questions even though you understand but you think the explanation might be confusing for others, you're probably just holding up the class.
  - lacampbell 9y ago
    No I never presumed that everyone was dumber than me and I had to fire questions off to prompt the lecturer to educate the plebs in the class. It was always genuine.
  - ruleabidinguser 9y ago
    THats a selfish attitude.

lacampbell 9y ago

That was always a tension for me at university. Do I ask a question, because I'm stumped, this may be confusing others, and most people are too scared to do it? Or am I just holding up the class? No idea what people thought, or if I crossed the line. If they're too shy to ask questions they're probably too shy to reprimand me for it.

uiri 9y ago
If you have a genuine question, I feel like it is fine. If you're holding up the class because they're all smarter than you, well, they can take up their issues with the admissions department. But if you're asking basic questions even though you understand but you think the explanation might be confusing for others, you're probably just holding up the class.
- lacampbell 9y ago
  No I never presumed that everyone was dumber than me and I had to fire questions off to prompt the lecturer to educate the plebs in the class. It was always genuine.
- ruleabidinguser 9y ago
  THats a selfish attitude.