U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday (August 30, 2026) he will encourage G20 members to re-examine terms of trade with China to shrink global imbalances and press Beijing to rebalance its economy away from exports and toward domestic consumption.U.S
Step inside Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharth's first home in Chennai: 18th-floor gem that blends vintage and modern styles Updated on: Aug 31, 2026, 14:10:07 IST By Krishna Pallavi Priya Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link A look inside Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharth's first home in Chennai
Editorial independence is core to our work. Some links may earn us a commission, without influencing our opinions.Add a little shine and sparkle to your lips with these 5 glitter lipsticksIf you are bored of your regular lipsticks then its time to switch to glitter lipsticks
Techie lands in Bengaluru from US via Amsterdam, calls out Delta, KLM over missing bagA techie landed in Bengaluru from the US via Amsterdam, only to discover his checked baggage was missing. Published on: Aug 31, 2026, 12:10:34 IST By Vaishali Kapila Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link A techie
Daughter takes mother to movie theatre for the first time with her own earnings: ‘This is priceless’A daughter used her own earnings to give her mother her first movie theatre experience. Updated on: Aug 31, 2026, 13:36:14 IST By Vaishali Kapila Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link A daughter
Why do bright students go silent when asked a simple question
Why do bright students go silent when asked a simple question?
Picture this situation: a student who has scored high marks all year. The teacher asks a simple, straightforward question — not a trick, not a challenge. But the student stares at the desk. Says nothing. Everyone in the room assumes he/she doesn’t know. But that is not so; the student just couldn’t find the words in time. This moment plays out in classrooms every single day. Almost nobody talks about it.
The real problem is not intelligence. We are quick to measure how much students know. We rarely ask whether they can actually use that knowledge when it counts. Think about how most students study. They memorise. They drill. They learn exactly what a question looks like and exactly how the answer should be written. This works until the question looks slightly different or someone asks them to explain it out loud. Suddenly, the answer that felt solid on paper doesn’t feel so solid anymore. It’s not that they don’t know it, but that they only know it one way. Nobody ever taught them to know it any other way.
Here is a sentiment students seldom articulate openly, yet consistently experience: remaining silent is perceived as safer than risking being incorrect. Wrong answers invite looks. Sometimes comments. So students learn to opt out. They sit on answers they’re fairly sure about because “fairly sure” doesn’t feel like enough. They wait for the next time, not because they got less smart but because the habit of silence quietly takes root. This isn’t a flaw students brought into the classroom. It’s something the classroom quietly built into them.
There’s a skill sitting right at the centre of all of this that most schools never directly teach: the ability to take a thought and turn it into words in real time in front of other people. It may sound simple, but is not.
Solving a problem and explaining it are completely different. One happens in your head. The other happens between you and another person. It requires organising your thinking, choosing the right words, and trusting yourself enough to say them. That’s not automatic. It has to be practised.
The good news is that this is fixable and it doesn’t require a complete overhaul of how someone studies. It begins with the simple habit of asking yourself, “Why does this actually work?”Not just accepting the formula or the rule, but genuinely trying to understand it. Because once you understand something, you can talk about it.
From there: Explain things out loud. To yourself, to a friend, to anyone willing to listen. Discuss problems rather than just solving them quietly. When you get something wrong — and you will — try to get curious about it instead of embarrassed by it. Confidence doesn’t come from always getting it right but from learning that being wrong isn’t the end of the world.
This is where it gets uncomfortable. Schools have the power to change this and most are not. This is not due to bad intentions but because the system continues to measure what is easiest to measure: recall, remember and reproduce. Which means the ability to think out loud, to reason through uncertainty, to communicate clearly under pressure, goes untrained.
Classrooms that make room for open questions, for wrong turns, for students to explain their thinking rather than just demonstrate the answer produce students who can actually handle a question they didn’t prepare for. A student being silent isn’t proof they know, but of how they were taught to know. We’ve built an education system that fills students with knowledge and never gives them a real chance to practise using it messily, imperfectly, or out loud. Then we’re surprised when they struggle to answer a simple question.
The knowledge was always there. What was missing was the practise, and the belief that their voice was worth using. That’s what needs to change.
The writer is co-founder and Chief Business Officer, Oratrics: The Future Human School.
Published - June 06, 2026 06:30 pm IST
education / The Hindu Education Plus / students / careers / university / universities and colleges / higher education
Source: TheHindu
Related Posts: If we scored 500…’ - Gill shuts critics with justification on follow-on plan On Fast, Scored 119 AYG success presents a bright picture for women’s boxing in India Kareena Kapoor shares cutest picture of Taimur Picture Abhi Baki Hai Farewell picture Kantara: Chapter 1’ And ‘Tanvi The Great’ Join Best Picture List Sekhar Kammula shares rare picture with daughter Vandana from her graduation Grab up to 50% off on best selling smart TVs across sizes and picture quality Bengal picture abhi bhi baaki hai
Daayra trailer: Kareena Kapoor probes Prithviraj's encounter killings as Meghna Gulzar explores law vs justiceDaayra's trailer features Kareena Kapoor and Prithviraj Sukumaran as cops in a gripping crime thriller exploring the limitations of the law. Updated on: Aug 31, 2026
6 hours ago
Celebrity diets often come with strict rules, expensive ingredients and foods most people would struggle to eat every day. But actor Deepshikha Nagpal’s approach to food is refreshingly familiar. At 49, the actor says she enjoys parathas, poha and other home-cooked foods
6 hours ago
One person has died and 15 remain missing or unaccounted for after flash flooding swept through parts of the Grand Canyon, the National Park Service (NPS) told US media. The flood hit at around 14:30 local time (22:30 BST) on Saturday in Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch area
6 hours ago
In the run up to the Global Fintech Fest 2026, Madhusudanan R, co-founder of M2P Fintech, spoke to The Economic Times Digital about the new frontiers of challenges for India in the age of AI, how fintechs have to walk a tightrope and why India is a better market than the US
6 hours ago
Keeping a smartphone beside the bed has become a common habit. Many people place their phone under the pillow, on the mattress, or on a bedside table so they can check notifications, use an alarm or quickly respond to messages during the night
6 hours ago
Krushna Abhishek celebrates Rakhi with mami Sunita Ahuja and her kids; Govinda skips celebrationKrushna Abhishek celebrated Raksha Bandhan with Govinda's kids and wife Sunita Ahuja, while the Hero No. 1 actor remained absent from the celebrations. Updated on: Aug 31, 2026
6 hours ago
Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister Joseph Vijay announced a milk procurement price increase to Rs 44 per litre. He also revealed plans for a semiconductor park and new electricity corridors in Kanchipuram. Meanwhile, Mumbai's milk prices will rise by Rs 9 per litre starting September 1, 2026
6 hours ago
Novak Djokovic broke down in tears during a US Open first-round defeat by Argentina's Mariano Navone which provided further evidence age is fast catching up with the 39-year-old great. The 24-time Grand Slam champion was overcome by emotion in the deciding set of a dramatic match where he struggled
6 hours ago
The Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) will now be conducted three times a year instead of the usual two, following a decision by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS). The board has announced an additional FMGE examination for October 31, 2026
6 hours ago
Jenny Lupton death: Southwest Airlines flight attendant's nephew reveals unusual circumstances, ‘Her bed was untouched’In a conversation with HT.com, Jenny Lupton's nephew, Samuel, described her as a “very friendly person” who knew “exactly how to make anyone laugh or smile
6 hours ago
Venus Williams falls at first hurdle in US OpenVenus Williams tumbled out of the US Open first round early Monday. Updated on: Aug 31, 2026, 12:13:12 IST AFP Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Venus Williams tumbled out of the US Open first round early Monday
6 hours ago
Novak Djokovic drops biggest hint about future in professional tennis after US Open shocker: ‘How much longer I can…’Novak Djokovic addressed his future after suffering a shock defeat in the first round of the US Open. Updated on: Aug 31, 2026
6 hours ago
Lakshya Sen will aim to put the disappointment of his early BWF World Championships exit behind him when he leads India’s challenge at the USD 1.25 million China Masters Super 750, which gets underway in Shenzhen on Tuesday. Sen, who made history as the first Indian male shuttler to reach an
6 hours ago
The government has notified the scheme with an outlay of Rs 1.27 lakh crore to boost the in the country.The scheme has been divided into six segments covering designing of chips by Indian firms, setting up units for capital equipment required for chip production, semiconductor fabs, chip assembly
6 hours ago
Four suspected members of an armed group were killed in a gunfight with the Meghalaya Police in the East Garo Hills district on Sunday. Two pistols, along with live and used rounds of ammunition, were recovered from them, said the East Garo Hills Police
6 hours ago
Anti-conversion bill won’t be tabled in Goa assembly: BJP lawmakerRuling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Michael Lobo said the government acted in haste in having the bill cleared in the Cabinet Published on: Aug 31, 2026, 14:06:30 IST By Gerard de Souza Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy
6 hours ago
The rupee fell 13 paise to trade at 95.56 per U.S. dollar on Monday (August 31, 2026) morning pressured by rising crude oil prices and geopolitical strain. Forex traders said market participants have raised the probability of a September Fed rate hike, pushing U.S
6 hours ago
An FIR was filed against Rahul Gandhi for his remarks on a purification ritual. The Congress party criticized the Uttarakhand government for this action. They questioned why no case was filed against those who performed the ritual. The Congress stated they would respond through democratic and legal
6 hours ago
The Supreme Court on Monday stayed a case against Dehradun gym owner Deepak Kumar, who had opposed the harassment of an elderly Muslim shopkeeper by alleged Bajrang Dal members in January, Live Law reported. The bench also stayed the Uttarakhand High Court’s March order restraining Kumar from
6 hours ago
OpenAI said on Friday that it plans to end its agreement providing AI models to Cursor, the coding-tool company now owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. OpenAI said it was not confident that SpaceX would use its technology “within our terms of service
6 hours ago
Google Maps has changed the name of “Lake Ontario” to “Lake America” for U.S. users to reflect President Donald Trump’s executive order renaming the lake, according to a Google statement. Mr. Trump announced on Thursday (August 27, 2026) that he was changing the name of the smallest
9 hours ago
Designer Sandeep Khosla responds to Urvashi Rautela's 'gandi copy' of Gigi Hadid saree from 2023 NMACC opening in Mumbai Published on: Aug 31, 2026, 10:16:09 IST By Sanya Panwar Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Sandeep Khosla reacts to Urvashi Rautela's Cannes 2026 look
9 hours ago
‘You didn’t get robbed, you got outworked’: Man in US hits back at ‘Indians steal jobs’ claimA man in the US hit back at claims that Indians “steal jobs”, saying they earned opportunities through hard work. Published on: Aug 31, 2026, 10:51:35 IST By Mahipal Singh Chouhan Prefer HTon
9 hours ago
Can too much exercise be dangerous? Neurologist explains when intense workouts may harm the heart Published on: Aug 31, 2026, 10:13:37 IST By Anukriti Srivastava Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Can pushing your body too hard during exercise cause a heart attack? (Unsplash) From heart attacks
9 hours ago
Meta's Vice President and Head for India and South East Asia, Sandhya Devanathan, is leaving the social media giant after more than a decade and is all set to join OpenAI as Vice President for South East Asia and Australia. In this newly-created role
9 hours ago
Woman reveals how she makes ₹8.8 lakh a month from user generated content: ‘No outreach’A woman turned user-generated content into a ₹8.8 lakh monthly income in just five months. Published on: Aug 31, 2026, 10:58:19 IST By Vaishali Kapila Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link A woman
9 hours ago
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Field Marshal Asim Munir on Sunday (August 30, 2026) reached Turkiye for a trilateral defence pact meeting, which also includes Saudi Arabia. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye signed the trilateral defence agreement
9 hours ago
