In class, the kid with the sharpest question often learns more than the kid with the right answer.

An answer closes something. A good question opens the part you have not understood yet, and understanding is what you are actually there for. Getting it right can even work against you, because it lets you move on from something you only half follow. The person asking looks less impressive in the moment and leaves knowing more.

Ask the thing you are slightly embarrassed not to know. Chances are several people around you are stuck in the same place and nobody wants to go first. If asking out loud is too much right now, write it down and ask afterwards, which counts just the same.