Saturday 27 July 2013

Curiosity



Curiosity





Articles ICT Standard IX ICT Standard X
Curiosity
“Curiosity”, as the old adage goes, “killed the cat” implying that curiosity is bad for our feline friends. This may or may not be true, but for human beings, especially children, curiosity is a very good thing.
A Curious Cat
All the great adventurers, discoverers and inventors in human history like Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Marco Polo, Leonardo da Vinci, Christopher Columbus, Marie Curie or Isaac Newton were extremely curious about things around them. It was this curiosity that drove them to their great achievements.

Here are some reasons why curiosity is important.
  • Curiosity drives the learning cycle. Curiosity followed by exploration leads to the pleasure of discovery. New skills are developed by repeating this experience leading to an increase in confidence and Self-esteem. This confidence leads to curiosity about other things and the cycle continues.
The Learning Cycle

  • It keeps the mind active. Curious people constantly ask questions. Just as a muscle if exercised often grows stronger, so also the mind grows stronger when it is kept active.
  • It makes you open to new ideas and new possibilities. Being curious means that your mind is always thinking of new ideas. If an idea is not good, it is quickly improved upon. Curiosity also helps one to think “out of the box”. This uncovers possibilities which others would overlook.
  • It makes your life interesting and exciting. The joy that a person experiences on discovering for himself something new only leads to more curiosity and more learning. Curious people don’t ever find things dull.

Now that we know that curiosity is important can we do anything to develop it?
Here are some tips.
  1. Keep an open mind. The mind, it is said, is like a parachute. They both work best when they are open. To learn new things the mind should be open. Some of the things you may have learnt earlier may be wrong, so be prepared to change your mind and re-learn things.
  2. Never take things for granted. Always try to scratch the surface to find out what lies beneath.
  3. Keep questioning. Always ask “how”, “what”, “why”, “when”, “where”, “who”. You are sure to get interesting answers. It was Albert Einstein who said, “The important thing is not to stop questioning… Never lose a holy curiosity.”
  4. Learn things in different fields. Read or surf the net for information on varied topics from a wide range of sources. Even if the subject differs from your chosen one, continue reading. You will soon find a spark of interest that will lead to further learning.”
  5. Discover the fun of learning. One of the main problems with our education system today is that learning is confused with memorizing. Avoid ‘learning by heart’ and instead try to understand what you are trying to learn. This will make learning enjoyable.

All children are born curious. There are different ways that they may lose this curiosity.
  • Fear: Children who are afraid lose their sense of curiosity. The fear may come due to family problems or constant ill-health. In such a situation a child will feel insecure and therefore will not be willing to explore but instead will stick to what is familiar.
  • Disapproval: Very often parents and other elders curb a child’s curiosity. Don’t climb up. Don’t walk in the water. Don’t do this. Don’t do that. Constant disapproval is a sure way to stifle the curious child.
  • Absence of a caring adult: A caring parent, teacher or other grown up nearby provides the child with a sense of security. The presence of an adult also ensures that the child has someone to share in his discovery, thereby increasing his joy.

Since curiosity is so important do we let children do whatever they want to satisfy this curiosity? Certainly not! Even as infants we protect the little ones from dangers they do not understand. We don’t let small children go near an open flame, steep stairs, or even climb high furniture.

As we see our children grow up into teenagers, we as parents and teachers are facing a great challenge. The children are now curious about other things. They are now concerned about feelings, relationships, love, and are now talking and acting as adults.

Do we use harsh methods to curb this natural curiosity? Surely this will not work. Do we simply ignore it and hope that their curiosity is satisfied by someone other than the teacher or parent? This would not be good for the child. The best way would be to talk to the child and answer all questions in a frank manner. The child should also be advised caution and educated about the dangers of growing up too fast.

George Ferrao
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