Curiosity is a powerful tool to keep children engaged with the material. It makes children want to learn, and research has proved it boosts academic performance and an overall understanding of the subject. Quoted by Edutopia as “a hidden force that drives learning, critical thinking, and reasoning”, inquisitiveness is thus a necessary resource that can liven up a classroom and drive students to excel.
So, how can teachers cultivate curiosity in their classrooms? How do they effectively utilise this tool to engage their students and inspire them to take charge of their learning? Here are five ways to ensure children keep their thinking caps on:
Asking Questions
Approaching topics by asking children open-ended questions helps them open their perspectives and tackle the subject head-on. Keep in mind the objective is not that they find answers but that you, as a teacher, asking questions leads them to questions of their own.
Thus, open-ended questions are the key. They will encourage the students to think about the whys and the hows. Moreover, seeing teachers ask questions will make them open up and not hesitate to ask for help when they feel stuck somewhere.
Linking Difficult/Boring Topics With Things Children Want To Know
Not all lessons in a subject are interesting enough on their own to keep a child’s attention. Thus keeping them engaged is a challenging task. It can help to link such topics with a topic children might be interested to know more about. It’ll tap into their inherent curiosity and help them pay attention to the task at hand.
For instance, bringing in an action sequence from a popular movie to spark conversation about physics, gravity and movement would excite children and make them curious to know how the two are linked. It would capture their interest and help keep the classroom alive and buzzing.
Active Learning
Implementing active learning is the best way to cultivate curiosity in the classroom. Active learning is both a tool that encourages curiosity and a result of keeping interest alive in children.
Using models, demonstrations and experiments make children actively participate in their learning process. This, in turn, encourages asking more questions and trying to find answers for them. It keeps the wheels in their minds turning.
Critical Analysis
Questioning and active learning also help develop critical thinking, which is another excellent way of invoking curiosity. Teaching students how to look at a subject critically means teaching them to ask how and why a certain thing works under what conditions. This helps in keeping their thoughts churning and their curiosity burning.
Being Curious As A Teacher
Keeping your inner child alive is critical to maintaining a curious environment in the classroom. It creates a comfortable atmosphere where children feel safe to question, explore and experiment. It keeps the spirit of inquiry alive.
Last year, Agastya marked October 23rd as Curiosity Day with a quiz on the world’s most curious minds whose questions led to groundbreaking innovations. This is us doing our part to ensure children stay curious in their pursuit of knowledge, and we hope you do yours too! Happy Curiosity Day!
