Have you ever wondered, “What is the driving force behind learning?”
It’s “curiosity.”
According to viable sources, curiosity is the joy of exploration – a shadowed force that drives critical thinking, reasoning, and learning. Simply said, curiosity is the medicine without which learning cannot be possible.
For years and years, teachers try to “engage” students with “engaging content,” but curiosity and engagement are two opposite poles. Engagement translates to being involved in a particular activity of learning, whereas curiosity, on the other hand, leads to achievement.
Let’s suppose your class has a habit of sitting numbly through every lesson, expecting you (their educator) to spoon-feed knowledge and guide them through every activity. In that case, you most likely want to get rid of this habit. Research has proven that curiosity can be valuable to academic performance as intellect – this comes as no surprise to educators. Students who have a deep desire to learn purely and are more likely to retain information longer, enjoy a positive educational experience, and research deeper.
So, with this in mind, how can teachers foster curiosity? Listed below are a few foolproof ways to make teaching exciting and enflame curiosity among students.
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Model curiosity in numerous forms
Indeed, curiosity is one of the basic human instincts, but it can be distinguished through practice and observation. The key is to create a progressivist environment in which students learn to become forward-thinkers.
By adopting a progressivism teaching style, your students can become active learners. They will interact with one another and cultivate social qualities such as tolerance for different views and cooperation.
Activities including thinking aloud when reading an illustrated picture book, having a conversation, or even watching a video can help you turn your students into active learners. As long as you can take a break from the rigid rules of learning and practice “thinking out loud,” you can explain what and how and why you are thinking what you’re thinking.
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Provide challenging group projects
Based on research, curious students do not necessarily get higher test scores and grades unless they believe that school is challenging (and even worth their time).
So, this tip packs a powerful punch. According to a survey released in 2016, student’s learning activities shouldn’t just be thought-provoking. They should also be based on inquiry (e.g., expeditions, experiments, and other research), driven by higher-order questions (the how’s and why’s), and supported by helpful group structures where students can work together.
For instance, you might create a geometry scavenger hunt where third graders work in cooperative pairs to discover a range of shapes in their playground or school. Later on, they can explain why and how the shapes they select meet the apposite criteria.
Or you could create a product/project around an environmental or economy-related subject of your student’s choice. Assign students to respective groups to work together with other students to research the problem, debate the pros and cons, gather school polling data, and finally vote on the subject.
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De-school it
Let the course material stand on its own. For instance, if there is a backstory, don’t skip it.
In school, teachers tend to “schoolify” everything in order to make it “fit” in a classroom. It often means that complete, whole, and engaging “things” lose their heads just so teachers can squeeze them into a timeframe, quiz form, or the like. It doesn’t seem right and will not lead to any beneficial results.
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STEM
STEM, in other words, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, is an incredible way for students to cultivate their sense of curiosity and deepen their investigating, problem-solving, and questioning skills.
It doesn’t just teach students core information in these vital learning capacities; rather, it enables them to understand that learning is a never-ending journey.
Furthermore, teaching STEM ignites the desire in students to use their creativity, questioning, and imagination in hands-on, fun activities. Also, it takes teaching curiosity a shared learning experience.
The takeaway
That concludes our ways to ignite passion and curiosity among students by incorporating practical activities in lessons. Know that to be effective, a lesson plan doesn’t have to be a far-reaching document that enlists every possible outcome related to classroom scenarios. Instead, it should offer you a general outline of how you plan to lift spirits and encourage your students to learn.
After all, a productive lesson is not one in which everything goes according to plan, but one with both teachers and students learn from each other. And if we can take advantage of our human capacity for curiosity, we can bring life to dead objects. So the next time you teach, incorporate the above-said tips and see how much of a difference they create in your classroom.
