Creativity and Curiosity: My Thoughts –Special Post #12A

Creativity and Curiosity

Creativity and curiosity goes hand in hand in my book.  I don’t think you can be creative without being curious; it is a thought process. It is not a talent. However, some would disagree and say some people are born creative. I think it is possible for everyone to be creative; we just lack in confidence of our creative abilities. Curiosity is the beginning of creativity and it is possible for everyone to have creativity abilities; they may be different but it is possible for everyone. Creativity is the ability to see things in a different light, generate new original ideas, inquire, investigate, and seek out answers. It is important for teachers to provide maximum opportunities to develop a student’s creativity and curiosity. How can this be done? First, the teacher has to be curious. If the teacher is not curious then you can  forget it. We do not want kids to imitate teaches because we want them to develop their own original ideas. However, teachers do need to model this behavior. She/he has to be willing to look at things with new perspectives, feel anxious to apply new thoughts, and enhance the curriculum so it will help develop self-initiated actions of the students. I want to place emphasis on “enhance” because I do not think any current curriculum or any new curriculum developed will meet the needs of every student.

I think it is important to remember; the curriculum/programs are guidelines for teachers and shouldn’t be used as scripts. I don’t think the curriculum was intended to become a script for teachers. It just has over the years, because so many teachers become passive and the curriculum’s daily lesson plans become a crutch.  I think this may be the reason teachers are not as develop as they could be in their creativity abilities. The curriculum is doing all the “thinking”. I’m not sure how we can get these teachers to look at their curriculum differently. I think most of these teachers are set in their ways and have the attitude; "this is how I have always taught so why change". This is when you want to shake and scream at them “Change is good! The world is changing and kids are not learning; they are just memorizing facts”. Probably not the best thing to do. :)  The teachers that set examples and are not afraid to make a stand for the students are going to make differences. Teachers have to find out what interest the students and then modify the lessons so they are more meaningful so the students will remember them and want to find out more. Students need to be adaptable, effective learners, and able to think critically and creativity in order to survive in the world. We know future jobs are going to require more of this!

Teachers have to know how to implement each program effectively, adapt if needed, make decision to enhance and enrich each lesson as they get to know the students and their interest. Part of teaching students to be creativity and curious is going to require the teacher to relax the “rules” of the curriculum a bit and give the students some freedom. Allowing freedom to be creative will definitely affect their self-esteem and their overall achievement. It will increase their abilities to become more independent, curious, and creative.

As I prepared for this blog post, these questions sparked my curiosity, and I asked myself why I am not more curious? So I thought about it and most of the time when my curiosity is sparked it is because it is something that interest me.  If there is not interest there, then I am usually not curious and do not really seek out any further information. Then there are times when I am curious but at the time I really have no way of finding out the answer. (I need to using Google on my phone more) Then as time goes by, I just forget about it.  I hope to change that and increase my curiosity and creativity. I need to remember to ask myself more questions more often… Why? What? Where? How? Who? Then FIND OUT (even if I have to write it down and look it up later)!

If I am going to be successful in helping my students become more curious and creative then I am going to have to teach myself how to do this. So, I decided to do some reading and come up with ways I can help increase the creativity and curiosity of students.I thought it would be a good idea to provide myself with some guidelines so I can be a teacher that knows how to increases the creativity and curiosity of the students in my classroom. I do not want to be that teacher, or parent for that matter, who says, “Do not ask so many questions”. I want to be the one that says, “Well, let’s see what we can find out…”

4 Reasons Why Curiosity is Important and How to Develop It

Curiosity is an important trait of a genius. I don’t think you can find an intellectual giant who is not a curious person. Thomas Edison, Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Richard Feynman, they are all curious characters. Richard Feynman was especially known for his adventures which came from his curiosity.
But why is curiosity so important? Here are four reasons:
1. It makes your mind active instead of passive
Curious people always ask questions and search for answers in their minds. Their minds are always active. Since the mind is like a muscle which becomes stronger through continual exercise, the mental exercise caused by curiosity makes your mind stronger and stronger.
2. It makes your mind observant of new ideas
When you are curious about something, your mind expects and anticipates new ideas related to it. When the ideas come they will soon be recognized. Without curiosity, the ideas may pass right in front of you and yet you miss them because your mind is not prepared to recognize them. Just think, how many great ideas may have lost due to lack of curiosity?
3. It opens up new worlds and possibilities
By being curious you will be able to see new worlds and possibilities which are normally not visible. They are hidden behind the surface of normal life, and it takes a curious mind to look beneath the surface and discover these new worlds and possibilities.
4. It brings excitement into your life
The life of curious people is far from boring. It’s neither dull nor routine. There are always new things that attract their attention, there are always new ‘toys’ to play with. Instead of being bored, curious people have an adventurous life.
Now, knowing the importance of curiosity, here are some tips to develop it:
1. Keep an open mind
This is essential if you are to have a curious mind. Be open to learn, unlearn, and relearn. Some things you know and believe might be wrong, and you should be prepared to accept this possibility and change your mind.
2. Don’t take things as granted
If you just accept the world as it is without trying to dig deeper, you will certainly lose the ‘holy curiosity’. Never take things as granted. Try to dig deeper beneath the surface of what is around you.
3. Ask questions relentlessly
A sure way to dig deeper beneath the surface is asking questions: What is that? Why is it made that way? When was it made?Who invented it? Where does it come from? How does it work? What, why, when, who, where, and how are the best friends of curious people.
4. Don’t label something as boring
Whenever you label something as boring, you close one more door of possibilities. Curious people are unlikely to call something as boring. Instead, they always see it as a door to an exciting new world. Even if they don’t yet have time to explore it, they will leave the door open to be visited another time.
5. See learning as something fun
If you see learning as a burden, there’s no way you will want to dig deeper into anything. That will just make the burden heavier. But if you think of learning as something fun, you will naturally want to dig deeper. So look at life through the glasses of fun and excitement and enjoy the learning process..
6. Read diverse kinds of reading
Don’t spend too much time on just one world; take a look at another worlds. It will introduce you to the possibilities and excitement of the other worlds which may spark your interest to explore them further. One easy way to do this is through reading diverse kinds of reading. Try to pick a book or magazine on a new subject and let it feed your mind with the excitement of a new world.

WHO IS ELLI?

Elispeth Bishop is a writer for INGOODMEASURE.net. She was born and raised in Colorado. She enjoys skiing, playing tennis, and hiking in the mountains of Salt Lake City, Utah. I think she makes some excellent point in her article and I left did leave a comment. I wanted to let her know that I agreed with her and I too, think you can not be creative without being curious.