The Power of Curiosity: Why Asking Questions Is the Key to Learning

The Power of Curiosity: Why Asking Questions Is the Key to Learning? "Why are we using the article ‘an’ with the word hour and not ‘a’?" One of the students asked during class when we learned about articles; I stopped and started smiling because that one question made me remember why curiosity is magical. It's not about getting answers; it's about igniting a quest for discovery. Curiosity gives birth to learning. It turns a classroom from a room of receptive hearing to one of active discussion and energetic discovery. When students question, they are mastering their own learning. "Ma’am, but what if...?" or "Would this be possible otherwise?" Each 'why,' 'how,' and 'what if' is a move toward greater comprehension. But most students hesitate. "I didn't ask because I thought it was a stupid question," a student revealed later. It is crucial to understand there are no stupid questions in learning; every question takes you to a place with some substance. All learners must pose any question, however you may perceive it as bizarre or irrelevant. When you pose a question, you're not only learning the answer; you're making your fellow students think, as well. As educators, it is our goal to foster such curiosity. That is where the greatest findings start for them. As teachers, we should strive to nurture this curiosity. We should encourage students to ask anything even if they think it’s strange or unrelated. That’s where the best discoveries begin.

-Komal Dhanwe
PRT English