Curiosity and the sandbox model

I've written about curiosity before on this blog (click here and here to read previous entries) and I'm more and more convinced that it is innate to human beings and an absolutely essential element in fostering a love of learning.

Baby's curiosity

My nearly five month old son has displayed his curious nature from the first week of his life. As I type this now he's sitting on my lap, watching my fingers on the key board then bobbing his head up to look at the books on the bookshelves. My hands are dribbled with drool as he's been teething but he's much happier to be with me, looking around, than sitting in a bouncy seat or lying on his back. He wants to be upright and checking things out. He wants to grab at my fingers and listen to the clicking of the key board, he wants to coo and make new sounds with his newly discovered lower lip. It is not that easy to type with an infant in your lap as I'm sure many of you can attest to, but seeing his growing awareness of the world around him is so rewarding...as well as a little scary. I want to insure that he's being adequately stimulated but given the room to develop an ability to entertain himself and use his imagination.

The desire to explore

To that end I purchased a book recommended by my sister called Brain Rules for Baby by John Medina. It's been a fascinating read and I've enjoyed it. And the book reinforced my conviction of the importance of nurturing your child's curiosity. Medina promises to give parents the keys to raising a "smart and happy child." To do that he looks at today's leaders, innovators, and thinkers, analyzed research on brain development and came up with what he calls "5 essential ingredients" that make up human intelligence. The very first element is a "desire to explore".  He quotes Hal Gregerson, lead author of a study published in Harvard Business Review as stating the following:

"You can summarize all the skills we've noted in one word: 'inquisitiveness.' I spent 20 years studying great global leaders, and that was the one big denominator...If you look at 4-year-olds, they are constantly asking questions. But by the time they are 6 1/2 years old, they stop asking questions because they quickly learn that teachers value the right answers more than provocative questions. High-school students rarely show inquisitiveness. And by the time they're grown up and are in corporate settings, they have already had the curiosity drummed out of them."

What a sad but completely understandable outcome of traditional education. And overwhelmed teacher of 30 active little people does not have the resources to nurture the individual natures of all those students. I'm sure that this curbing of enthusiasm and curiosity is one of the reasons many of you chose to homeschool. As parents who have chosen a different educational path, we have a huge responsibility and privilege. So how do we accomplish the task of encouraging our little one's curiosity?

The myth of one "right" answer

As Gregerson observed in his research, students are quickly taught that having one "right" answer is key to success in a classroom. While that is certainly efficient and makes educating a bit easier and straightforward, I believe that this model is the one responsible for squelching creativity and imagination. When I write study guides for BFB I think a lot about curiosity and how I can help our customers support their children's innate ability to question and think outside the box. To that end, you will find very few questions with simple "right or wrong" answers in my study guides. I try to incorporation questions that make the student think a bit deeper, to see the material in a different light or from a perspective outside of their own experience.

The sandbox approach

I often utilize what I like to call a "sandbox approach" to comprehension questions. When you look at a sandbox, there are specific boundaries that mark the area in which a child can safely play. These boundaries provide structure and security. Within the sandbox there is plenty of room for a child to explore and play. She can create new things, tear down castles left behind by others, shift sand and toys from one area to another. In other words, within the bounds of the sandbox, the child has a lot of freedom. I think of curriculum and study guides as the boundaries of a sandbox. They are there to provide structure and within that structure there ought to be a lot of room for individual students to develop their own style of learning, to be able to ask provocative questions, to try on different perspectives. At BFB we put a lot of effort into thinking about how to empower parents to teach their children in a way that is enjoyable and encourages the development of curiosity. Our study guides are not designed to be rigid but to help you to tackle the idea of trading in your history textbook for a pile of literature. That can be a scary endeavor and we are here to help you unlock the richness of a literature based education. And we want to encourage your student to bring his or her unique observations and perspectives to that literature and that is why we rely more on discussion questions than we do comprehension questions. This approach is not for everyone, but for those of you who want to take the road less traveled, we're happy to take this journey with you.

We would love to hear what you think! Chime in below in the comments section and share your thoughts. Don't forget to check out our Facebook and Pinterest pages.  To learn more about Beautiful Feet Books, click here. And if you've enjoyed this, please feel free to share using the buttons below! 

Curiosity: The Essential Element

"Heaven is satisfied curiosity.” 
-Paola Antonelli

The word curiosity has been floating around my mind for about a year now. I've been thinking about it in terms of the people I know as well as the things I see and find interesting. Curiosity is defined as "1. A desire to know or learn. 2. A desire to know about people or things that do not concern one." I think that these are fine definitions as they communicate an openness and desire for knowledge. But in researching curiosity I came upon the quote above and it bears repeating: "Heaven is satisfied curiosity." What a wonderful way to look at curiosity. As creatures who are put here on earth for a finite amount of time and who are imbued with the image of our Creator it comes to reason that curiosity is the desire to know things beyond this earthly realm. Curiosity exists because we are made for more than this world and we desire to know what comes next. Curiosity is part of the human makeup and I would argue that a curious spirit is fundamental to a full and interesting life. 

Those among us who are the most curious are generally children. What makes it so much more fun to go to a museum or zoo with a child? It's their wonder at the things they see, their openness to a new experience, their way of seeing things our jaded adult eyes often miss. Now think of the most interesting people in your life. In my life they are the people who have cultivated this sense of inquiry. They have not settled for their current store of knowledge, they are constantly seeking more, asking questions, delving deeper. These are the people that you enjoy hanging out with at social events. They're generally the people who ask you questions but don't settle for rote answers. They discuss ideas and truths, not people. Like Eleanor Roosevelt's famous quote: "Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people." These are the people who ask questions and genuinely listen. You can tell they are absorbing information and not just preparing their response. They are also the people who can admit that they may need to shift their perspective in the face of new information. Whenever I encounter people like this I walk away from our conversation challenged, re-energized, and usually mulling over a new idea. 

Unfortunately, curiosity seems to be a fragile trait: One that can easily be squelched in childhood. Ken Robinson's articles and books on education decry the industrial model our schools often take. He finds these methods are not only inept in educating children, they also destroy creativity and curiosity. He also states that the emphasis on testing stunts a child's natural ability to think outside the box. In aiming education toward "one right answer" children are steered away from their unique perspectives. I loved taking my little sister Katie to the museums here in Paris because she had an entirely unique perspective. She found humor in serious subjects, noticed things I hadn't seen despite many previous visits. She didn't feel the pressure to know have the "right" perspective, yet, she also asked questions and was curious about the pieces. We discussed art history and the development of different artistic styles. Her curiosity enriched her knowledge. And although she may have taken a month "off" from formal schooling in order to come to Paris, this was a month that opened up her world and made it even more interesting.

So, how as parents and teachers can you nurture that innate curiosity in children. And how can you do it without driving yourself mad answering their incessant questions? Here are a few tips:

1. Model curiosity yourself. If you are an inquisitive person, let your children see this. You do not need to have all the answers and it's fine for your children to know that you don't know everything. By being curious yourself you show them the importance of inquiry. And take time to cultivate your own curiosity. Attend workshops, classes, start a book club, take up a new hobby, visit museums. 

2. Answer their questions. This can be very difficult as children are constantly asking questions. Try to provide answer when you are able. If you do not know the answer, investigate together. Look up things online, visit the library and check out books on the subjects. And when children are old enough, turn the questions back to them. See if they can figure out answers themselves or use resources to independently learn. David Macaulay's books are wonderful resources to have on hand for questions about how things work, why buildings are built certain ways. Every family should own a copy of The New Way Things Work!

3. Read. You knew this was coming, right? It is in this area that I believe literary choices are very important. Choose books that are interesting and informative. Choose stories with characters who model curiosity. If your library is full of didactic books whose main aim is to teach a lesson, your child will not go to those books in search of answers. Provide books on subjects that interest them. Have you ever met a kid who didn't think ancient Egypt was fascinating? These were two of my favorite books on the subject when I was young: Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt and Tales of Ancient Egypt. These books showed me a new (albeit very very old) world and in discovering new worlds curiosity grows. Read stories of people who lived at different time periods and in different cultures. Purchase a good atlas so that you can look up these places and learn more about our amazing world.

4. Be flexible. Many home educators feel huge amounts of pressure from all sorts of different sources to prove that they are doing a good job. This is so natural. Whether you're facing disapproval from grandparents or friends or your community, choosing to homeschool is still a counter-cultural decision. While you may be feeling pressure to use a curriculum that is modeled after traditional models, one that allows you to easily measure progress, if it's not working ditch it. Trust your instincts. You know your children best and if you see their curiosity shrinking and studying history or literature or math regularly brings tears to your child's eyes, try a different path. Take a break from the worksheets, memorization, and testing, and pursue the subjects that make your child's eyes light up. Choose methods and curriculums that are built around a curiosity based world view. In the quest to create life-long learners, nurturing that creative spark is essential. There is a time for testing and measuring progress but true learning should not be sacrificed for quantifiable results. Some of the best knowledge cannot be gauged. Have you ever heard of a test for evaluating someone's creativity or wisdom? I am not talking about taking on a laissez-faire approach to education where there is no direction. On the contrary, this is an educational point-of-view that seeks to encourage the pursuit of education for its own sake. 

5. Move outside the classroom. This is such a fun way to encourage learning. Check into local museums, see if they have special programs for children. Take field-trips. Research your destinations beforehand and set up scavenger hunts. Go to plays, operas, concerts, poetry readings. Visit the botanical gardens. So often these institutions offer discounts for educators. They may also have special free days. Check with your local chamber of commerce for ideas of places to visit and child-friendly outings. 

I hope you find these tips helpful. I would love to hear about your experiences and the ways in which you foster your children's creativity. Have you ever quit using a curriculum when you noticed you children were not responding well? Share your stories! And if you have questions, feel free to ask. Let's get inspired in our creativity and curiosity!   

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