A parent who is considering sending his children to Crossroads Academy next year had one goal in mind for their next school: it had to be a learning environment where they became more curious about the world. Of course, educators in every school think about fostering the curiosity of their students all of the time. Curiosity makes students more engaged and lessons more lively. And there’s something in it for the teachers as well: it is more enjoyable to instruct curious students because there’s a constant exchange of perspectives and ideas. But this parent expressed an even more compelling motivation. He understood that the world is changing faster than ever before and this pace of change will require more flexible thought processes, ingenuity, and original thinking—all qualities that depend on a healthy dose of curiosity.
Adults who witness or have direct experience of these trends know that helping children become more curious about their world today not only leads to greater engagement and learning, it will also set them up for lifelong success with the challenges they may face on the horizon. Yet for many schools, this is an uphill battle. Federal mandates and required curricula can work against creativity. Large class sizes make it more difficult to differentiate instruction and tap into inherent interests. And pressures to excel on standardized tests can be counterproductive for fostering a love of learning.
Despite these challenges, schools that develop and benefit from high curiosity quotients in their students have certain commonalities. First, teachers are given the opportunity to pursue questions that matter for their students. Second, students are encouraged to create and then document an evolving understanding of the material, particularly by connecting dots between disciplines. Third, students’ knowledge is shared across the school and affirmed by the community of learners. And fourth, students are asked to continually reflect on their learning and consider how it may evolve in the future. And in the schools where these practices are common, revision is a constant, allowing students to use feedback and tap into their new understanding of materials to focus their ideas.
Given the critical role teachers play in creating environments where curiosity thrives, it is essential for them to have the time and space to develop their own creative lives and model that way of approaching learning for their students. And by doing so, they are also responding within their own profession to what this prospective parent observed: a world that is continually changing with new challenges on the horizon in both teaching and learning.
