{"id":10989,"date":"2018-02-15T23:45:50","date_gmt":"2018-02-16T05:45:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/fostering-curiosity-the-hunger-to-learn\/"},"modified":"2018-02-15T23:45:50","modified_gmt":"2018-02-16T05:45:50","slug":"fostering-curiosity-the-hunger-to-learn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/fostering-curiosity-the-hunger-to-learn\/","title":{"rendered":"Fostering Curiosity: The Hunger To Learn"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n\tThe character, Alice, in the book, \u201cAlice\u2019s Adventures in Wonderland,\u201d once exclaimed how she was <em>\u201cCuriouser and curiouser!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\n\tWhile Alice realized this was not proper English when she said it, her adventures are a great example of the power of exploration and learning from being curious.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tMost of us think we understand what curiosity is. But what does it really mean? Can we actually foster and develop curiosity and apply it to learning in the workplace?<\/p>\n<p>\n\t<strong>ALWAYS THINKING \u201cWHY?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\n\tWe all have moments of curiosity when we wonder why something happened or how something works. However, besides this momentary curiosity as a state of mind, it also can be a stable personality trait for some people. Some of us are high in curiosity, while others are low in this attribute.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tChildren are born with an innate curiousness that allows them to explore their new world and take in everything in their environment. They discover each sensory input as they develop and learn to understand their bodies and use them the best they know how. As they learn to crawl and walk, and speak and talk, childhood curiosity ignites a passion to learn.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tWhen a child reaches about 3 years of age, his or her parents often are exhausted by their toddler\u2019s repeated requests to answer the question, \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tAlas, these inner traits are slowly stifled at home and at school. Boundaries are established, and children are told what they must and cannot do.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tSimilarly, Warren Berger author of \u201cA More Beautiful Question,\u201d says these same boundaries infiltrate the workplace. He notes, \u201c\u2026Many companies\u2014whether consciously or not\u2014have established cultures that tend to discourage inquiry in the form of someone asking, for example, <em>\u2018Why are we doing this particular thing in this particular way?\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\n\tWe need more opportunities for curiosity to flourish where we work.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t<strong>CURIOSITY AND LEARNING<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\n\tMario Livio author of \u201cWhy?: What Makes Us Curious,\u201d states, \u201cCuriosity inspires the most exciting things in our lives, from conversation to reading books to seeing films. It drives all scientific research, and education. Other species are curious, but they don\u2019t have the ability to ask, \u2018Why?\u2019 This is uniquely human.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tWe all know learning is not about acquiring and regurgitating information just to pass a course or examination. Nor is learning about obtaining new skill sets in order to improve our career.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tLearning changes how we think\u2014pure and simple. And the irony is, if learning changes how we think, it actually can help us regain the curiosity needed to grow in today\u2019s workplace.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tIndividuals with high curiosity describe the thrill of being challenged by new situations and learning new tasks. And they experience great pleasure associated with such learning. Whatever the outcome from their learning, it is reward enough. It also provides motivation to continue to want to learn.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tSuch individuals also like to gather information from varied sources. It becomes fascinating to find and learn new information and how to apply it in their lives. The seeking out of new and unfamiliar information is a stimulating and exciting exercise.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tNobel-prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman noted, \u201cEverything is interesting if you go into it deeply enough.\u201d That is the kind of curiosity we need to develop in the workplace for greater collaboration and to innovate new ideas and inventions.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t<strong>STEPS TO FOSTERING CURIOSITY<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\n\tKathy Taberner and Kirsten Siggins in their book, \u201cThe Power of Curiosity,\u201d advocate getting yourself into a state of being where you can be fully present before you can actively listen and ask good, open-ended questions.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tAll designers, innovators, scientists, and engineers are exceptionally good at asking great open-ended questions. Berger reminds us \u201cthat questions are important, and we should pay more attention to them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tFollowing the line of thinking of developmental psychologist Dr. Marilyn Price-Mitchell, I have drawn upon some of her ideas around fostering curiosity in children and applied them to adult learners in the workplace:<\/p>\n<p>\n\t<strong>1. Place a higher value on curiosity. <\/strong>Companies want innovation but don\u2019t grow the ability to be curious within their employees. We need to recognize and reinforce employees when they ask good questions, challenge current thinking, and develop solutions to existing company processes and problems.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t<strong>2. Teach employees the art of asking good questions. <\/strong>This is more natural for some than for others. It is beyond inserting questions into the Google search bar. Open-ended questions that begin with \u201cWhy,\u201d \u201cWhat if,\u201d and \u201cHow\u201d are powerful idea starters. Marilee Adams has written many books on this subject, including \u201cChange Your Questions, Change Your Life,\u201d and Dan Rothstein wrote \u201cMake Just One Change: Teach Students to Ask Their Own Questions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\t<strong>3. Hatch more curiosity in project teams. <\/strong>There always will be those who are more curious. Put less curious team members together with high-curiosity- minded people and have them work out a solution to a real-life work problem or idea. Curiosity is contagious as people become excited about making a positive contribution.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t<strong>4. Draw out and don\u2019t ignore the puzzled look. <\/strong>When you see someone with furrowed eyebrows and a visible question on his or her face, ask what he or she is thinking about. The immediate response will be a question. Sometimes we\u2019re scared to ask what someone is thinking because we don\u2019t want our ideas challenged. We should welcome being challenged because it leads to innovation right around the corner.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t<strong>5. Highlight the curious leaders in your midst. <\/strong>We all know the creative individuals in our organizations and those who are born innovators. Provide a forum for them to share with staff the thinking process they go through to innovate and explore new ideas. Whether through articles, presentations, or video-recorded interviews, allow others to learn from the curious thinkers in-house.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tAlbert Einstein is purported to have said, \u201cI have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tLet\u2019s do all we can to stimulate curiosity in our workplaces.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t<em>Roy Saunderson is author of \u201cGIVING the Real Recognition Way\u201d and Chief Learning Officer at Rideau Recognition Solutions. His consulting and learning skills focus on helping companies \u201cgive real recognition the right way wherever they are.\u201d For recognition insights, visit:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/AuthenticRecognition.com.\">http:\/\/AuthenticRecognition.com.<\/a> For more information, e-mail him at RoySaunderson@Rideau.com or visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.Rideau.com\">www.Rideau.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\n\tWe need more opportunities for curiosity to flourish where we work.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[25],"class_list":{"0":"post-10989","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-magazine","7":"tag-talent-tips","8":"magazine_issues-january-2018"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is 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