Fundamentally all of us are curious, and curiosity is a motivator for learning. It is so basic and widespread that we are not so conscious about it. Curiosity is thought of as the noblest of human drives.
Philosopher and psychologist William James, who was the first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States called curiosity “the impulse towards better cognition”. He noted that, in children, it drives them towards objects of new and sensational qualities—that which is “bright, vivid, and startling”.
Another American educator George Loewenstein says that curiosity functions like other drive states, such as hunger, which motivates eating.
It enhances learning, consistent with the theory that the primary function of curiosity is to facilitate learning. Researchers found that people were more likely to recall the answers to questions they were especially curious about.
There are many ways to promote curiosity in learning.
Tutorwaves’ philosophy of ‘learning by the student’, ‘taking them to the next level’, ‘asking the right questions’ etc. are aimed at enhancing their curiosity and hence learning. Our tutors share materials and initiate discussions that are slightly more advanced than their current level of competence. The other aspects include encouragement and appreciation, making the students think far and wide on the ‘what’, ‘why’, and ‘how’ of what they learn.