Intellectual character

Educators are well aware that sparking their students’ curiosity is a key to motivating classroom learning. Teachers encourage curiosity by asking questions that are important to students, by creating opportunities for students to pursue their interests, and by allowing students the flexibility to craft their own learning. Yet it is equally important for educators to cultivate their own curiosity as well — their curiosity about their students’ perspectives, experiences and understanding, about their own professional practice or methods and strategies for teaching and learning, and about how the systems around them impact their classrooms on a daily basis. Incorporating professional reflection into daily practice and collaborating with colleagues to learn together can support curiosity and deepen learning.

Curious organizations are sometimes called learning organizations: they are the schools, districts, and other institutions that have built a culture that encourages questioning, deepening understanding, and seeking new information. Yet schools differ in the degree to which they are learning organizations. Curiosity must be modeled from the top, by open-minded leaders who have the humility not only to ask questions but to allow others to ask questions and pursue answers, even when those are uncomfortable. This curious, truth-seeking orientation helps an organization better anticipate and address challenges that arise by contributing to a better understanding of the systems at play and providing more information that can be used to design creative solutions.