People ask how curiosity fosters learning? It sounds so easy to say “Watch for interest and curiosity as an entry place for learning,” and yet sometimes this can be more challenging than we expect. Along with wanting to nurture our children’s love of learning, we might have the nagging concern that they might not be ready for what the world may require of them or that they aren’t learning enough.
That is a thought that has helped me hold steady when the fear of not doing enough for my children reared its head. Curiosity is the driving force in learning. Through noticing the curiosities of a learner and how he naturally learns, we can affirm his interests. When we honor his curiosities and the topics he wants to explore, we can help him choose the projects to undertake. He then becomes more aware of his learning process and has agency in his learning. These are essential components in becoming a life-long learner.
