What If Money Was No Object ~ Alan Watts. Why Curiosity Enhances Learning. "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. " -- Albert Einstein It's no secret that curiosity makes learning more effective and enjoyable. Curious students not only ask questions, but also actively seek out the answers. Without curiosity, Sir Isaac Newton would have never formulated the laws of physics, Alexander Fleming probably wouldn't have discovered penicillin, and Marie Curie's pioneering research on radioactivity may not exist. Instilling students with a strong desire to know or learn something is what every teacher lives for, and research has even shown that curiosity is just as important as intelligence in determining how well students do in school.
Your Brain Likes Curiosity So what did these experiments reveal? 1. The researchers found that, once the subjects' curiosity had been piqued by the right question, they were better at learning and remembering completely unrelated information. 2. Asking the Right Question. Just Ask: Harnessing the Power of Student Curiosity. When was the last time you asked your students what they wanted to learn? Take a minute and think about that. In the go-go world of Common Core, Smarter Balance and other assessments, when do we focus on what kids want to learn? I'm not suggesting that the entire curriculum should be focused on what the students want to learn. Instead, what about offering students a chance to explore something that interests them and that is related to the content? Exploration, Discovery and Engagement Here are four steps to make this happen in your classroom: Ask the students what they want to learn.
The only part of this process that might be tough is step number four. One great way to explore what students want to learn is to institute 20 Time or Genius Hour with your students. Since I started giving the students time to explore the things that interest them, I can focus on being a "guide on the side" to help them during their learning process. "What do you want to learn today? " Curiosity: The Force Within a Hungry Mind.
What makes children want to learn? According to research, it's the joy of exploration -- a hidden force that drives learning, critical thinking, and reasoning. We call this ability curiosity, and we recognize it in children when we see them exploring their environment, devouring books and information, asking questions, investigating concepts, manipulating data, searching for meaning, connecting with people and nature, and seeking new learning experiences. The Heart of Lifelong Learning Most teachers understand that curiosity supercharges learning. But they also know that many students can achieve high grades without being curious -- by understanding the system of test-taking and dutifully doing their homework. Curious children often spend a great deal of time reading and acquiring knowledge because they sense a gap between what they know and what they want to know -- not because they are motivated by grades.
Image Credit: Marilyn Price-Mitchell, PhD 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. A Stop-Motion Love Letter to the Power of Curiosity. By Maria Popova “The more you know, the more you want to know… the more connections you can make between the different bits of knowledge… the more ideas you have, which is why curiosity is really the wellspring of creativity.” “It is in our nature to explore, to reach out into the unknown,” wrote pioneering polar explorer Ernest Shackleton in reflecting on the feat that nearly took his life, adding: “The only true failure would be not to explore at all.”
This vitalizing power of exploration applies as much to the exterior world we inhabit as it does to the interior. Upon turning eighty and looking back on his extraordinary life, Henry Miller observed: “Perhaps it is curiosity — about anything and everything — that made me the writer I am. It has never left me.” And yet in the century since Shackleton and the decades since Miller, despite the proliferation of access to knowledge, we seem to have lost our appetite for this singular human faculty that propels us forward.
Donating = Loving. Curious George (Age 3+) The Secret Garden (Age11+) Boxers & Saints (Age 12+) Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask (Age 12+) Art & Physics (Age 16+) Curiosity: Exploration and Discovery (All Ages) Connected. From founding The Webby Awards to being a passionate advocate for The National Day of Unplugging, Her love/hate relationship with technology serves as the springboard for a thrilling exploration of modern life…and our interconnected future. Equal parts documentary and memoir, the film unfolds during a year in which technology and science literally become a matter of life and death for the director. As Shlain’s father battles brain cancer and she confronts a high-risk pregnancy, her very understanding of connection is challenged.
Using a brilliant mix of animation, archival footage, and home movies, Shlain reveals the surprising ties that link us not only to the people we love but also to the world at large. A personal film with universal relevance,Connected explores how, after centuries of declaring our independence, it may be time for us to declare our interdependence instead. Quotes “Examining everything from the Big Bang to Twitter…a cinematic clickstream…INCREDIBLY ENGAGING!” Particle Fever. Curious George Swings into Spring (Age 3+) Spellbound (Age 9+)
In the Shadow of the Moon (Age 9+) Spirited Away (Age 11+) Moonrise Kingdom (Age 14+) Being John Malkovich (Age 15+) Fur (Age 16+) Brainventures. Learning Tools: Science, Math, and Exploration (Age 5+) Get our best picks for movies, apps, TV shows, books, and more, customized for your kids. Get the App Get the App No thanks close(x) Don’t Miss Out You’re all set! Look out for our weekly updates soon. Connect with us Jump to navigation "Best of" Lists "Best of" lists Get age-appropriate ideas and inspiration for every interest: Poll Did this specific Top Picks list help you decide to do any of the following? Let your child watch/play/read/listen to a particular media title 41% (739 votes) NOT let your child watch/play/read/listen to a particular media title 13% (240 votes) Buy, rent, or download a particular media title 24% (423 votes) Did not impact my decision 22% (391 votes) Total votes: 1793 About our rating system ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids of any age.
Find out more Learning ratings Share this List Launching birds at targets? Csm_game. Lifeboat to Mars (Age 8+) NASA's Space Place (Age 8+) The Learning Network (Age12+) Mozilla Thimble (Age 12+) Google Art Project (Age 12+) Lumosity (Age 12+) TED (Age12+) Codecademy (Age 13+) Coursera (Age 15+) Laughing Squid (Age 18+) eBay (Age 18+) Seasons and Weather (Age 4+) Bill Nye The Science Guy (Age 8+) Geo Walk HD - 3D World Fact Book (Age 8+)
The Free Dictionary by Farlex (Age 9+) HowStuffWorks (Age 12+) Solar System for iPad (Age 13+) Every Body Has a Brain (Age 4+) Dora's Cooking Club (Age 4+) DreamBox (Age 5+) LeapFrog Explorer Learning Game (Age 6+) Playing LEAPFROG EXPLORER LEARNING GAME: DISNEY PHINEAS AND FERB is almost like watching an episode of the show of the same name, minus a few key characters. In it, the boys decide to build a water balloon launcher that they can drive around. At the same time, Dr. Doofenshmirtz has created a similar machine that shoots rotten food. Throughout the game, the boys are upgrading their machine and testing it out on some rogue robots. When they aren't looking, Agent P, aka Perry the Platypus, borrows the machine to battle Dr.
The game has six levels to complete with increasing difficulty, each containing educational mini-games. The Magic School Bus: Oceans (Age 7+) Body and Brain Connection (Age 8+) Lifeboat to Mars (Age 8+) Nancy Drew (Age 10+) "Imagine" Games for Girls (Age 7 & 10+) Get our best picks for movies, apps, TV shows, books, and more, customized for your kids. Get the App Get the App No thanks close(x) Don’t Miss Out You’re all set!
Look out for our weekly updates soon. Connect with us Jump to navigation "Best of" Lists "Best of" lists Get age-appropriate ideas and inspiration for every interest: Poll Did this specific Top Picks list help you decide to do any of the following? Let your child watch/play/read/listen to a particular media title 41% (739 votes) NOT let your child watch/play/read/listen to a particular media title 13% (240 votes) Buy, rent, or download a particular media title 24% (423 votes) Did not impact my decision 22% (391 votes) Total votes: 1793 About our rating system ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids of any age.
Find out more Learning ratings Share this List "Imagine" Games for Girls Imagine Artist.