"Whasat? Whasat?"
A question from a 3-year-old boy asked of his mother over and over as they walked
through the zoo.
Children are such curious creatures. They explore, question, and wonder, and by doing so,
learn. From the moment of birth, likely even before, humans are drawn to new things.
When we are curious about something new, we want to explore it. And while exploring we
discover. By turning the light switch on and off over and over again, the toddler is
learning about cause and effect. By pouring water into a dozen different-shaped
containers and on the floor and over clothes, the 4-year-old is learning pre-concepts
of mass and volume. A child discovers the sweetness of chocolate, the bitterness of lemon,
the heat of the radiator, and the cold of ice.
The
Cycle of Learning
If a child stays curious, he will continue to explore and discover.
The 5-year-old finds tadpoles in a tiny pool of mud on the playground.
This discovery gives him pleasure. When he experiences the joy of discovery, he will want
to repeat his exploration of the pond. [Pleasure leads to repetition.] Each day, he
and his classmates return. The tadpoles grow legs. [Repetition leads to mastery.] The
children learn that tadpoles become frogs a concrete example of a complex
biological process. Mastery in this case, understanding that tadpoles become
frogs leads to confidence. Confidence increases a willingness to act on
curiosity to explore, discover, and learn. "Can we bring tadpoles
into the class? How do other baby animals grow up? Why dont dog babies
lose their tails?" This positive cycle of learning is fueled by curiosity
and the pleasure that comes from discovery and mastery.
Shared
Discovery
What is most pleasurable about discovery and mastery is sharing it with
someone else. ("Teacher, come look! Tadpoles!") We are social creatures.
The most positive reinforcement the greatest reward and the greatest
pleasure comes from the adoring and admiring gaze, comments and support
from someone we love and respect. The teacher smiles, claps, and comments, "
You are great. Look at all these tadpoles! You are our science expert!"
This rewarding approval causes a surge of pleasure and pride that can sustain
the child through new challenges and frustrations. Approval can generalize and
help build confidence and self-esteem. So later in the day, when this boy is struggling
with the introduction of simple math concepts, rather than eroding his esteem by
thinking, "Im stupid, I dont understand," he can
think, "I dont get this, but Im the one who knows about tadpoles."
Constrained
Curiosity
For too many children, curiosity fades. Curiosity dimmed is a future denied.
Our potential emotional, social, and cognitive is expressed through the
quantity and quality of our experiences. And the less-curious child will make fewer
new friends, join fewer social groups, read fewer books, and take fewer hikes.
The less-curious child is harder to teach because he is harder to inspire, enthuse,
and motivate.
There are three common ways adults constrain or even crush the enthusiastic
exploration of the curious child: 1) fear, 2) disapproval and 3) absence.
Fear: Fear kills curiosity. When the child's world is chaotic or when he is afraid,
he will not like novelty. He will seek the familiar, staying in his comfort zone,
unwilling to leave and explore new things. Children impacted by war, natural
disasters, family distress, or violence all have their curiosity crushed.
Disapproval: "Dont touch. Dont climb. Dont yell. Dont
take that apart. Dont get dirty. Dont. Dont. Dont."
Children sense and respond to our fears, biases, and attitudes. If we convey a
sense of disgust at the mud on their shoes and the slime on their hands, their discovery
of tadpoles will be diminished.
Absence: The presence of a caring, invested adult provides two things essential for
optimal exploration: 1) a sense of safety from which to set out to discover new things
and 2) the capacity to share the discovery and, thereby, get the pleasure and
reinforcement from that discovery.
Teacher Tips
- Recognize individual differences in childrens styles of curiosity. Some want to explore with only their minds, others in more physical ways touching, smelling, tasting, and climbing. To some degree these differences are related to temperamental differences in the exploratory drive. Some children are more timid; others are more comfortable with novelty and physical exploration. Yet even the timid child will be very curious; he may require more encouragement and reinforcement to leave safe and familiar situations.
- Try to redefine "failure." In truth, curiosity often leads to more mess than mastery, but it is how we handle the mess that helps encourage further exploration, and thereby, development. Redefine failure. When the 5-year-old is learning to jump rope and he trips a thousand times, this is not a thousand failures it is determination.
- Use your attention and approval to reinforce the exploring child. When exploration in the classroom is disruptive or inappropriate, contain it by teaching the child when and where to do that kind of exploration: "Tommy, lets play with water outside."
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If we let them, children
can reintroduce us to the world. When we truly allow
a child to share his discoveries with us, we experience the joys of
rediscovery and in doing so, learn ourselves.
Curiosity
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results
in
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Exploration
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Exploration
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results
in
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Discovery
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Discovery
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results
in
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Pleasure
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Pleasure
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results
in
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Repetition
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Repetition
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results
in
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Mastery
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Mastery
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results
in
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New
Skills
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New
Skills
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results
in
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Confidence
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Confidence
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results
in
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Self
esteem
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Self
esteem
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results
in
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Sense
of Security
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Security
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results
in
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More
Exploration
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SIDEBAR:
Dr. Bruce D. Perry,
M.D., Ph.D., is an internationally recognized authority on brain development
and children in crisis. Dr. Perry leads the ChildTrauma Academy, a pioneering
center providing service, research and training in the area of child maltreatment
(www.ChildTrauma.org). In addition
he is the Medical Director for Provincial Programs in Children's Mental
Health for Alberta, Canada. Dr. Perry served as consultant on many high-profile
incidents involving traumatized children, including the Columbine High
School shootings in Littleton, Colorado; the Oklahoma City Bombing; and
the Branch Davidian siege. His clinical research and practice focuses
on traumatized children-examining the long-term effects of trauma in children,
adolescents and adults. Dr. Perry's work has been instrumental in describing
how traumatic events in childhood change the biology of the brain. The
author of more than 200 journal articles, book chapters, and scientific
proceedings and is the recipient of a variety of professional awards.
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