One of the things that I think we often overlook in the classroom is curiosity. The thing that makes curiosity so important is that it’s the motivation for exploration. Curiosity makes learning a matter of wanting to learn instead of needing to learn. If we encourage curiosity, we encourage questions, we encourage experimentation and we encourage learners to venture out of their comfort zones. We encourage them to continue learning throughout their careers and lives.
Lifelong learning is more about attitude than anything else. When we are curious, we don’t see failures and setbacks as failures, but rather as learning experiences. We ask questions, we try new things and we learn from our mistakes. Curiosity helps us learn to keep moving forward and to learn from our failures.
Curiosity helps us to make connections between seemingly unrelated topics. We learn one thing, then we see how it can be applied to other areas of our lives. It is the application of our learning that creates our understanding. If we are curious, we want to learn how things work. We want to learn why things happen and how we can apply what we have learned to our lives. We want to learn how to solve problems in new and creative ways.
Curiosity helps us learn in different environments and contexts. When we are curious, we don’t wait for someone to teach us. We explore, observe, and experiment. Curiosity helps us to learn on our own, to learn in our own way and to learn in our own time.
Most importantly, curiosity gives us the motivation and desire to keep learning. It’s easy to get bored or lose interest in our learning, but when we are curious, we want to keep learning. Curiosity helps us learn in depth and breadth. It helps us see how learning is fun and interesting. It helps us see how learning is an adventure and a journey.