Curiosity, Passion, and Learning (#IMMOOC 4 Week 1)

Why is it critical to spark curiosity and ignite passions in learners?

#IMMOOC #LCInnovation

Just over a year ago, I was accused by a colleague of being too enthusiastic.  Fortunately, the deadpan individual has moved on. I unapologetically love what I do and am very passionate about my work.  Continuous learning makes me feel alive, on a continuous growth-focused path.  I carry a continuous spark of curiosity in my soul- always wanting to learn about other people, their cultures, their values, how things work, and why people behave in certain ways.  Unlike my accusatory colleague, I’ve maintained that curiosity throughout my life and I’m thankful for it.  I cannot imagine living otherwise.

As a chemistry teacher, I love demonstrations and labs.  I have typically kicked off lesson topics with activities to spark curiosity and wonder.  When a teacher “wows” a student with a memorable experience, the associated learning is tightly bound in memory because the content has interest and value to the student.  Curiosity is piqued through sensory experiences- color changes, bubbling, odors, or maybe a controlled explosion.  It’s natural to wonder why these things happen.  For me, that has always been the beauty of teaching science.  I appealed to student interest in effective, dramatic ways.

I now serve in an administrative role, having made this change out of a desire to help more students have opportunities in STEM education.  I’ve seen a falling away from creating the sense of wonder and awe in students in favor of overly direct and explicit means of instruction.  I will never forget observing a chemistry teacher a few years ago to hear the teacher in a pre-lab lecture tell the students exactly what they would see and why it was going to happen.  This was painful- it was like telling the punchline of a joke first.  It completely ruined the experience for the students.  In my current role, I’m helping teachers regain the sense of stepping back and facilitating student experiences.  As they let go of what I will describe as excessively direct and explicit means of instruction, they see that student passion drives student learning far better than adherence to standards and prescribed curriculum materials.


In his book, The Innovator's Mindset, George Couros states that "If a student leaves school less curious than when they started, we have failed them."  I appreciate Katie Martin's addition in Learner Centered Innovation, "...if we, as educators, lose our curiosity and ability to ask 'what if,' we and our students lose out." We need passionate educators who fuel the flame of curiosity, keeping it alive and well in our students!

George Couros, The Innovator's Mindset: Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity (San Diego, CA:  Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc. 2015).

Martin, Katie, Learner-Centered Innovation:  Spark Curiosity, Ignite Passion, and Unleash Genius (San Diego, CA:  Dave Burgess Consulting,  Inc. 2018).