In my experience, there are two kinds of students.
The first kind are eager to learn. They are full of questions and are like sponges, ready to soak up whatever you are willing to share with them. I love working with these students. They make teaching rewarding and fun. And they needn't be the most polished or well-versed. In fact, I find that some of the very best students I've mentored over the years are somewhat green. But, what they lack in polish and preparation, they make up in their earnest attempts to learn. You cannot underestimate this student. They improve dramatically over time and become excellent students because of how teachable they are.
The second student is a closed book. They come across like a "know it all." Instead of embracing new perspectives, they retreat to those that are familiar to them and are openly hostile to others who don't share their ideas. As a result, they're often not engaged, talk down to their peers, and have a condescending air about them. They also write comments like, "I didn't learn anything in this class" on course evaluations. This comment used to really irk me, but I now have a different understanding of it. If you don't learn anything in a course, then you might try being more open-minded next time. Not learning anything in a course says a lot more about you as a student than it does about a course...just sayin'.
I think about these two kinds of students often. You can see them in almost any context. They exist in the workplace, in team sports, and in most pursuits that require deep learning to achieve mastery. And I think the key thing that separates them is curiosity. The former are curious. The latter are not.
Albert Einstein once said, "I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." What a profound statement about learning! What a great student he must have been.
I think all educators need to work harder to cultivate and recognize curiosity. It is often not one of the first criteria that we look for when we admit graduate students into graduate programs, or when employers try to hire someone, or when coaches select athletes to be on their team. But, what if we took curiosity seriously? How might that shape the ways we evaluate our potential students, colleagues, and teammates? How might that transform these settings? Because curiosity isn't just an individual trait. It's contagious and it can change the culture of a school, workplace, or gym. Let's foster curiosity every day. Oss!
The first kind are eager to learn. They are full of questions and are like sponges, ready to soak up whatever you are willing to share with them. I love working with these students. They make teaching rewarding and fun. And they needn't be the most polished or well-versed. In fact, I find that some of the very best students I've mentored over the years are somewhat green. But, what they lack in polish and preparation, they make up in their earnest attempts to learn. You cannot underestimate this student. They improve dramatically over time and become excellent students because of how teachable they are.
I think about these two kinds of students often. You can see them in almost any context. They exist in the workplace, in team sports, and in most pursuits that require deep learning to achieve mastery. And I think the key thing that separates them is curiosity. The former are curious. The latter are not.
Albert Einstein once said, "I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." What a profound statement about learning! What a great student he must have been.
I think all educators need to work harder to cultivate and recognize curiosity. It is often not one of the first criteria that we look for when we admit graduate students into graduate programs, or when employers try to hire someone, or when coaches select athletes to be on their team. But, what if we took curiosity seriously? How might that shape the ways we evaluate our potential students, colleagues, and teammates? How might that transform these settings? Because curiosity isn't just an individual trait. It's contagious and it can change the culture of a school, workplace, or gym. Let's foster curiosity every day. Oss!
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