Strategies for Cultivating Curiosity
People use many ways to stimulate curiosity, but I would suggest that it is important to develop a range of these techniques systematically as part of your teaching repertoire.
1. Ask open-ended questions as much as you can
Encourage students to explore multiple approaches to problem-solving. For example, instead of asking, “What’s the formula for the area of a circle?”, try “How might we determine the amount of paint needed to cover a circular table?”
2. Embrace inquiry-based learning in your classroom
Allow students to formulate their own questions about concepts. This could involve presenting a phenomenon and asking students what they wonder about it, rather than immediately explaining it.
3. Connect lessons to real-world issues
Discuss how principles apply to relevant fields and current events. For instance, when teaching statistics, analyze real data from climate change studies or public health reports.
4. Incorporate hands-on experiences
Increase the use of practical applications and real-world data. This could involve building simple machines in physics class or conducting social experiments in psychology.
5. Create a question-friendly environment
Celebrate and encourage questions, even if they temporarily take discussions off-topic. Consider having a “question board” where students can post queries to be addressed later.
6. Model curiosity
Share your own learning journey and excitement about new discoveries in your field. This could involve discussing recent research or sharing personal “aha” moments.