On Curiosity

Photo by Steven Wright on Unsplash

To be a more reflective, responsive teacher is to cultivate curiosity by questioning everything we do, know, read, think or hear. By questioning I don’t mean second guess, interrogate, doubt or indict. Curiosity is simply asking questions to understand better. Here are are some of my curiosities for today:

What do we mean when we say: 

• Meeting the needs of ALL of our students - How do we know what their needs are? 

• Preparing students for success - What do we mean by ‘success’?

• Empowering students or adults - What are we empowering them to do? What is our definition of ‘power’?

• Authentic learning - Authentic for whom? 

• Problem Based Learning - Whose problems are we solving? Who decided that was a problem? What do we mean when we say ‘problem’?

What these questions have in common is the assumption that we all have the same definition of need, success, power, authenticity and problem. But a bigger assumption is the one about our true nature as human beings that leads to these definitions. If we work on examining that assumption we move closer in our understanding of these terms so frequently used in conversations about teaching and learning. 

We can begin by recognizing that all humans have a material nature that requires feeding, clothing and physical safety. We must also acknowledge that we have a non-material or spiritual nature that needs feeding, clothing and safety as well. Most of our definitions and really most of our work in schools is around educating only the material part of our students. Recently we have begun to realize that is not enough and unless we meet the needs of our students’ higher nature, what we have come to call social and emotional needs, we can only get so far in our job to transform lives and societies through education. 

So here are some more questions to consider:

• How can I find out what my students really need? How can I learn to not make assumptions about their needs based on my own experiences and current knowledge?

• What if the measure of success is the degree we are able to contribute to the betterment of our communities? What if instead of success as a destination we cultivate service as a habit and way of being?

• How are we nurturing our students’ powers to observe, reflect, serve and love?

• How are we supporting our teachers to use their power to encourage, guide, enable, unlock, support and nurture their students?

• What voices are at the table when we talk about authenticity? What voices are missing? How can we create an environment where everyone feels welcomed, included and part of the conversation on the authenticity of the curriculum, instructional resources and the pedagogy we use?

• How are we building classroom and school communities that can read and analyze the realities surrounding them, identify areas of need, and decide on how best to meet those needs?

My deepest curiosity, however, is how do we make our schools more reflective and responsive? How do we as educators serve our world, right now? If you have any thoughts on these questions, let’s have a conversation!