This document discusses rekindling curiosity in education. It notes that while children are born curious, many factors like home life, organized play, and schooling can extinguish that innate curiosity. The industrialized education system with its standardized curriculum and focus on objectives has also reduced curiosity. However, curiosity is important for creativity, learning from mistakes, and education overall. The document suggests fueling curiosity through inquiry-based and problem/project-based learning.

1. http://bit.ly/RekindlingCuriosity
Rekindling Curiosity
Michelle Baldwin
Anastasis Academy
Denver, Colorado
@michellek107

2. “Curiosity is the very basis of
education and if you tell me that
curiosity killed the cat, I say only the
cat died nobly.”
~Arnold Edinborough
Why Curiosity?
CC photo by Stefan Tell, 3 July 2006, http://www.flickr.com/photos/stefantell/354864230/

3. What?
• We are all born curious.
• How have we extinguished innate curiosity
in children?
• home
• play time
• school

4. Playtime
• Organized/Competitive
Sports, Dance
• Adult Intervention
• Evolution of Children’s
Toys

5. Kids and Boxes
CC photo by Ianus Keller, 13 November 2005, http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianus/73131024/in/photostream/

6. • LEGO Toy Bricks- introduced 1958
• LEGO Sets- introduced 1964
“included all the parts and instructions to
build a particular model.”
• LEGO Themed Lines- town (1978), castle
(1978), space (1979), pirates (1989),
Western (1996), Star Wars (1999), and
Harry Potter (2001).
http://aboutus.lego.com/en-us/lego-group/the_lego_history/
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1950s/qt/lego.htm

7. Curiosity and
Industrial Age Education
• Standardized Curriculum
• Teacher Education
• Anticipatory Set and Lesson Objectives

8. So What?
• Why is it important for us to help our
students remain curious?

9. Curiosity & Creativity
• How are they related?

10. Curiosity & Mistakes
• Freedom
• Responsible Risk-Taking

11. Now What?
• How can we ignite or rekindle curiosity?
• Inquiry
• Problem-Based/Project-Based Learning
• What else?

12. “I think, at a child's birth,
if a mother could ask a
fairy godmother to endow
it with the most useful
gift, that gift would be
curiosity.”
~Eleanor Roosevelt