. This concept alone is very different from standard
science experiments you may remember when you
were growing up.
Most science teachers would give the instructions
for an experiment, perform the experiment, show
the result of the experiment, and then grade the
students on their write-ups of the experiment.
There’s not much discovery happening when
students see every step and the desired outcome
before they even attempt it on their own.
Students are simply performing a task they watched
someone else do. The Discovery Learning Method
may have a specific end result, but the focus is on
the steps and the critical thinking involved in getting
there.
Curiosity:
The Force Within a Hungry Mind
Stimulate
your students' curiosity by encouraging
valuable questions and
tinkering, looking for
teachable moments, and building lessons around
current events and critical thinking.
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. In fact, when kids are in
curiosity's grip,
they often forget the immediate
goals at hand because they are
preoccupied with
learning
Curiosity
Curiosity is part of The Compass Advantage™ (a
model created for engaging families, schools, and
communities in the principles of
positive youth
development) because it is at the heart of lifelong
learning. Curiosity not only gives children an
advantage in school, but
today's business leaders
agree that it is also at the heart of thriving
organizations.
Imagination
Our imagination changes; it is organic, and it grows
as our
knowledge grows. Knowledge feeds the
imagination which spurs us on to
new knowledge.
Ultimately, this is the cycle of discovery and of
learning we strive for in education.
An imaginative student, for
example, would be free to
take risks and be a leader, and to
state opinions
rather than just correct answers. In the same way,
an imaginative teacher can also take risks, be a
leader, and be adaptable to the changing needs of
their students.
Learning With Imagination and Knowledge
Considering this, would you say that imagination
is more important
than knowledge?
Actually, it's more about how knowledge and
imagination
support each other in learning as
suggested earlier.
How Do You Teach Imagination?
If learning with imagination matters as much as it
does, then
how can imagination be taught to
learners? That’s the thing—you can’t
really teach it,
but you can certainly model it.
In this
case, you can use guiding questions to spur
imagination. However, it is
the individual that controls
it and harnesses it. We can teach others to
take their
imagination to fruition, but we cannot imagine for
them. It
is the one thing that individuals own.
Humor models curiosity and playfulness:
When teachers use humor , they are
modeling a certain kind of curiosity and a willingness to look at life
from a different angle. While this might not seem like an inherently
creative act, curiosity is often
the starting point for creativity.
At
some point, you move from questioning and exploring into making. When teachers share humorous observations, they’re actually modeling curiosity. Over time, this becomes a part of the classroom culture.
I noticed this back when I worked with a creative, witty teacher named Allison. Her quick wit (which was never sarcastic) and her humorous observations became a part of the classroom culture. I’d argue
that this wittiness was a key element to why she had such a creative
classroom. It was a relaxed, non-threatening way to question everything.
In a way, it was like the comic relief that allows an epic story to be
even more epic.
This curiosity looks a little different with younger grades. At that
age, it’s more of a playfulness and a sense that you’re not going to
take yourself too seriously. It might mean dressing up funny or talking
in a silly voice. And, in this moment, it might not seem like a big
deal. But, actually, teachers are modeling a playfulness in this humor
that is closely related wonder and curiosity.
Humor boosts creative
problem-solving:
Laughter can help people solve
problems that demand creative solutions, by making it easier to think
more broadly and associate ideas/relationships more freely.
Humor creates a lightened mood and a mental spaciousness that makes
it easier to engage in connective thinking. It reminds me of the research around going for long walks, taking naps, or exercising.
There’s something about that sense of space that leads to flexible
thinking.
Creative humor leads to creative
fluency:
Creativity doesn’t have to be functional and utilitarian. It doesn’t
have to be big and bold and life-changing. It can be kind of silly and
small and goofy. And when that happens, students are reminded that
creative work doesn’t always have to lead to a greater end.
It can be an
end in itself. When kids make robots or do cardboard challenges or
engage in creative writing, they can do those things for the simple
reason that there is joy in doing creative work. Interestingly enough, those goofy things become the very creative acts that lead to bigger and better things.
Good Language Teaching:
A
salient feature of good language teaching is its ability to pique
good-spirited curiosity and support imaginative discovery. The language
classroom uniquely offers learners a plethora of possibilities to
explore, ask, play, invent, and imagine—and to practice language skills
on topics as diverse as space exploration and pop culture.
Teachers
who
promote creative learning environments pull learners into the language
and motivate them to cultivate positive learning attitudes. This spirit
of curiosity and creativity has long been evident to English teaching
practitioners.
1-Butler:
The writer, Butler highlightsfor
us the importance of working with texts and designing activities that allow students to interact meaningfully with a text,using curiosity as a
guide to discovery and comprehension.
2-William De Felicebuilds:
William
De Felicebuilds on the notion of using humor as a way to teach
communication. Capitalizing on humor, learners go beyond formulaic
speech patterns and incorporate spontaneous interaction by telling funny
stories. Through rehearsing and retelling jokes, students learn
narrative patterns and explore cultural humor. The end result is a fun
and enriching language activity.
Conclusion:
Truly, learning a language can feel frustrating, isolating, or even threatening at times. As teachers, we need to select methods and activities that allow thoughtful and stimulating interaction with texts
while we reassure our students that learning is a shared creative process
that allows for humorous interpretation and inventive reactions.
These three articles attest not only to the resourceful ways teachers address such classroom issues but also to the common thread of creativity and innovation.
We have seen and continue to see in our
classrooms.. A learner must learn through using his curiosity, imagination and humor. Curiosity comes out of his self-dialoguing and dialoguing with others as forms of interaction.
Imagination is the first step to the standard of creation
and innovation that offers great services to humanity. That is the greatest standard of learning.