- Create a Wonder Board
or list on your phone – all questions go on a piece of paper and up on
the board. write down your questions, questions others have,
definitions, what you want to investigate later, Seek, Explore, Question
- Inquiry Bag of tools – magnifying glass, paper and pencil, compass, straightedge, camera, colored pencils, measuring tape, binoculars,
them, “nice question! More evidence that you’re a curious person!”
Let them know they are curious, thinkers, wonderers, etc. Always tell
them why you think that about them. The more they hear it from those in
authority the more they are going to believe it.
- Play games, do your review around the room. Make up memory games
- Be secretive – tell some in the class the new formula or theme secretly and then out loud say, “Don’t tell anyone.”
- Take the tangents – when a student asks a question that isn’t on topic take it and bring it back. Show them that it is ok to be curious.
- Have them choose their ideas – this teaches them to evaluate how interesting ideas are – the beginning of curiosity.
- Have them write
about an interesting idea in an interesting way so they become
interested in the idea and find ways to study it – full-fledged
- Increase their responsibility (Have them involved in their own assessments) will create more independence and curiosity. Curiosity is confident independence. 🙂
- Don’t answer their questions directly,
answer with a question to get them thinking. Let them know their
questions are important and that searching for answers bring a lot of
- Listen to them
- If you don’t know the answer, tell them, ask how they could search for the answers together
- Share your questions with them!
When curiosity – that drive to know, is gone it is hard to get back! But not impossible!! Nurturing curiosity can be as easy as listening and talking to each other.