How to Ignite Intellectual Curiosity in Students

Great post! My 1st graders tend to be really curious characters. I'd like to think that has a lot to do with me. When I am teaching a concept I pretend that I am loss and think aloud to involve the participation of my students. Once they notice that their teacher is "talking to herself" they instantly want to get involved. The opportunities that I make of this allows my students to ask questions and it sets them up perfectly for the hands on activities that I construct for them.

I have made it my mission to teach my students how to think and not what to think. Inquiry based learning is a wonderful foundation for those curious minds.

This is a lot to consider, as I myself have found, on occassion that I 'teach to the test.' There were several important points made in the comments that have ignited my curiosity and desire to attempt some different strategies in my classroom. If students understand the material, and understand good test taking strategies, then the standardized tests should become easier.

Great post! I am a 1st grade teacher in the state of North Carolina. My students tend to be curious characters and I'd like to think it has a lot to do with me. I am a very animated teacher and I think aloud a lot! If I am teaching a concept, I act as if I am lost and then form questions aloud. My students are intrigued by the idea that their teacher is talking to herself and then they instantly want to become involved. I attempt to incorporate this technique where ever I feel the inquiry based learning will come alive.

I model and teach my students how to ask questions. Its always been a mission of mine to teach my students how to think and not what to think. The inquiry process is a great foundation of teaching this mission because it allows for me to set up a hands-on learning environment in which my students have the ability to jump right in, so to speak.

-Chelsea Smith
1st grade teacher

I'd like to echo much of what has been said above. Through meaningful arts integration, students not only feel more motivated and engaged, but they are capable of understanding more complex relationships in a wide variety of content areas. What's more, developing an educational environment in which children WANT to come to school is a powerful act that promotes social change.

I explore the integration of improvisational theater in my blog: http://www.improv-education.com
I'd love to continue the conversation.

I enjoyed your comments about using an inquiry approach in the classroom. I especially liked the idea of students using clarifying questions and critical, analytical thinking. I would like to learn more about this. Do you know of anyone who is using the inquiry method with young elementary students?

The closest I think I have come to this is when we implemented Literature Circles with second, third, and fourth graders. Students were taught to ask open ended "fat" questions to spur conversation and to get beyond the obvious factual questions and answers. Students were also taught to question the authors.

It took a little time to teach the process, but once we got beyond the basics, the students really enjoyed it. Some of their discussions were quite in depth, especially when you consider the ages of the students involved.

Thanks for sharing.
Judy Lee

I enjoyed reading about the inquiry approach you are using with students. Have you seen this approach used with young elementary students? It sounds very invigorating. I like the utilization of clarifying questions and critical, analytical thinking.

How could I find out more about this technique and its use in young and/or upper elementary classrooms? The closest thing I think I have ever started is the Literature Circles. I have used these with second, third, and fourth graders. In the Literature Circles students are taught to question the author, and ask open ended questions to provoke thought beyond the obvious factual questions and answers. It took a little time to teach the process of the Literature Circles, but once we got beyond the basics, the students really seemed to enjoy the experience.

Thanks for sharing this information about igniting student curiosity.
Judy Lee

I totally agree with the fact that student's curiosity needs to be ignited. So many activities that children are involved in today are planned and regimented to the point that they do not have an opportunity to think for themselves. They are told where to go, what to do, and how to do it. Creativity is a dying characteristic. Yes, high stakes testing has put a lot of pressure on classroom teachers. Much of our time is consumed with assessing, progress monitoring, remediation, and reassessing. It is a vicious cycle that consumes much of our time, as well as energy. Giving students time to think, explore and discovery is a wonderful concept that deserves further investigation. I look forward to reading the article Dr. Willis recommended. As a new school year begins, I would like to experiment with this type of learning and monitor its effectiveness as a tool to help students learn problem solving skills.

Your post was very interesting and thought provoking. I like how you defer to the teacher for reflection. So often, we all see teachers wanting to blame the students, refusing to look within. I am a kindergarten teacher and try to have inquiry based lessons in my repetoire. I hope that I am laying the foundation for my student's coming years in school by teaching them to question and always continue learning. It seems to me that science lends itself better to inquiry lessons, but with kindergarteners, most are curious about many things so this principle can be used in a variety of situations. Thank you for making me think about my teaching and reminding me to reflect about my practices.

I really appreciate this post! I whole-heartedly agree that teaching through inquiry is the most effective way to capture and sustain students’ attention and help students perform well on state assessments. I am a second grade teacher in Colorado. I strive to teach using inquiry on a daily basis. It is rare to find a student who will not participate and engage in lessons where his or her own curiosity is valued and incorporated into the learning. I am always amazed at the high quality of my second graders’ questions and their desire to find the answers for themselves. However, this “magic” did not happen right away. When our school opened two years ago, we had a student body that came from many different schools. Our school decided to work towards becoming an authorized International Baccalaureate School. At the heart of the IB program is inquiry-based learning. This type of learning was new for many teachers and students. As the students and staff get more comfortable with inquiry, we are seeing improved student achievement.

I once saw an excellent example of a way to get students used to asking and refining their questions at a workshop on inquiry teaching. The presenter put an object into a box. Our job as workshop participants was to ask yes or no questions that would help us figure out what was in the box. The first time we tried this exercise, our questions were very basic. Eventually, after a few tries, our questions got more sophisticated and it took fewer and fewer questions to figure out the object. I have tried this with students and have found it to be a great way to introduce asking high-level questions.

Here’s another idea I got from my principal-I have a chart in my room with four boxes-What I think I know, What I want to know, Learnings, and Misconceptions. At the beginning of a new unit, I ask students to write on a sticky note what they think they know about our new concept and on another sticky note what they want to learn. They then put the notes in the appropriate boxes on the chart. Throughout the unit, they add sticky notes to the Learnings section. As they learn new things that contradict what they thought they knew, they move those sticky notes into Misconceptions. Students are free to get up and put or move a sticky note on the chart at any time. Previously, I was using a traditional KWL chart (know, want to know, learned). The addition of “misconceptions” prompts students to be more reflective about their knowledge.

I look forward to hearing other ideas about inquiry teaching!

We have recently begun really focusing on developing science labs that will help to teach the standards in our state. In piloting a few of those labs this last year, I can say that the enthusiasm of my students during these class sessions is refreshing and inspiring. Most of us teachers learn best when we get to participate fully in inservice or professional development classes. Why do we think our students should learn any differently? As the encouragement of lessons that foster inquiry in students continues, we can say with confidence that students learning and retention will improve as well.