Curiosity and Education

I have been thinking a lot about how many children cringe at the thought of school. Many see it as a necessary “evil” – something they are forced to do in ways that do not appeal to their interests. It is interesting to me that for many, it does not start out that way.

I get so inspired by babies, who are the best learners. They are naturally curious, and there is so much for them to learn. Anything is intriguing to them – someone wearing glasses, a butterfly in the wind, a spoon, anything. Already little scientists who are quite skilled in the scientific method, these babies are gathering data all the time. They test hypotheses – and sometimes their parents’ energy – on a regular basis. No one has to beg them to do it; it is just natural.

I often recall my son’s toddler experiments. Once I was downstairs in the kitchen cooking, and I kept hearing noises coming from the foyer of our home. The noises ranged from loud to barely audible. I paused from my cooking to go into the foyer and discovered socks, balls, toys, and other random items, which were making a mess of the foyer. Instead of rushing to put an end to what at first sight was a toddler making a mess, I snuck up the stairs to see what he was doing, being careful to stay out of his sight.

Although he was clearly making a mess, there was method to his madness. He was simply listening. He would pick up an object and throw it over the balcony, and then he would sit close to the railing so he could hear the sound. He was learning that a sock made a different noise than a book or a toy. Once I figured out what he was doing, I decided to join in. I helped him gather other materials to throw down. Oddly enough, I was just as excited as he was. We were experimenting with sounds together. The sheer joy on his face made me overlook the mess we were making.

We had many moments like this even before he could walk or crawl. I can remember noticing when he would strain to look at things or reach for things. As long as there was no danger involved, I would always try to take him closer to the object. I would let him pull my hair or touch the mole on my nose. If he was looking at a tree, I’d take him closer so he could touch it. I marveled at his fascination with whatever captured his attention. I would ask him questions about it, and I really believe he was trying to answer them, even before he learned to talk. I knew early on that he was a smart one. Honestly, I believe most kids are.

So this cringe thing that happens when I ask kids if they enjoy school pains me. It is not supposed to be this way. Learning should be an experience that allows us to explore where our curiosity takes us, ultimately leading us down paths that reveal our callings – our purpose. So when and why do the cringes start?

All the kinfolks in a child’s village play a role in learning, so it takes collective soul searching to figure out how we are sabotaging our kids’ love of learning. Perhaps we are so focused on “order” that we overlook opportunities to provide our children with meaningful learning experiences. Maybe we are so focused on doing all the teaching that we forget that kids are part of the learning process.

Research shows that all of us have to engage with a topic in meaningful ways for deep learning to occur. In other words, one-way learning (from the teacher to the student) is shallow learning. Figuring out the best ways to engage students takes a lot of time and energy. Maybe we are too busy. Maybe we are caught up in a cycle of replicating the ways we experienced learning as children, even if the methods dampened our own curiosity. Or maybe it is as simple as not paying attention to their interests.

Whatever the reason, we have a collective responsibility to instill in our children a love of learning so they can use what they learn to co-create a future that offers more access to quality living – good jobs, good health, and happy families. We must challenge ourselves to figure out what the barriers are and get serious about removing these barriers for our children. We need to throw some ideas over the balcony and listen to them, just like my son did in his earliest experiments.

Reflection Questions

What are some of the behaviors you have observed that may take the joy out of learning?
How can we interrupt these behaviors?
What can we do as a collective? As individuals?
How can we bring awareness to those in the village so that we are not stuck in cycles of bad habits?

Design by Trevett'sJuly 16, 2019Comment