I can still hear the echoes of my primary school teachers’ well-intentioned encouragement: “Don’t be shy, ask questions!” They would pace around the classroom, their eyes scanning our young faces for any hint of confusion or wonder. “Remember,” they’d say, their voices filled with conviction, “questions are a sign that you’re learning and understanding.”
As I sit here, years later, I find myself pondering the irony in those words. Were they right? Partially. But as with many aspects of our education system, this well-meaning advice only scratches the surface of a much deeper issue.
The Half-Truth About Questions
Indeed, questions can be a sign of engagement. They indicate that a student is paying attention, attempting to process the information being presented. But this perspective misses a crucial element: the spark that ignites those questions in the first place – curiosity.
Questions are not merely a product of attentiveness; they are the offspring of genuine curiosity. Without that intrinsic drive to understand, to solve problems that truly matter to us, even the most attentive student may find themselves at a loss for questions. Why? Because they lack the fundamental motivation to dig deeper.
The Motivation Conundrum
And herein lies one of the most pervasive problems in our current education system: the abstract nature of motivation. Especially in the early years of schooling, the goals and outcomes of learning are often disconnected from anything a young student might genuinely care about.
Think about it. Why would a vibrant, young mind be naturally inclined to care about passing to the next grade with golden stars? The truth is, they don’t – at least not initially. This drive is cultivated through social and parental expectations, reinforced by a system of rewards and punishments that teaches students to value these abstract achievements.
The Conformity Trap
In this scenario, we inadvertently create a system that favors quick conformity. Students who can rapidly adapt to these social rules – rules that are, in many ways, arbitrary and disconnected from real-world applications – receive positive reinforcement. They’re praised for their ability to “learn” and “succeed” within this artificial construct.
But what about the non-conformists? Those with potentially higher learning and action potential often find themselves lost in this system. Their path to growth becomes a matter of chance, relying on random support and sheer perseverance to make significant strides in the long run.
The Ripple Effect
The consequences of this system extend far beyond the classroom. The well-supported conformists often go on to settle into average jobs, perpetuating the cycle by creating new rules and regulations that align with their conformist worldview. Meanwhile, those who couldn’t or wouldn’t conform must fight an uphill battle to realize their potential.
This creates a parasitic problem within the very structure of education. Instead of fostering genuine curiosity and intrinsic motivation, we’ve built a system that often rewards compliance over creativity, memorization over understanding, and conformity over innovation.
Reimagining Education
As I reflect on my own experiences and observations, I’ve come to realize that transforming our education system requires a multifaceted approach. Here are some key areas we need to address:
1. Redefining the Role of Educators
In my view, educators, especially in primary classes, shouldn’t just be subject matter experts or curriculum enforcers. Their primary role should be to create the right environment for students to cultivate curiosity. This is no small task and likely extends beyond what educators alone can accomplish.
I suspect that significant changes in educational infrastructure, particularly in how we physically imagine and design schools, will play a crucial part. The traditional classroom setup might not be conducive to fostering the kind of curiosity and engagement we’re aiming for.
2. Education as Persuasion
Ultimately, I’ve come to see education as a game of persuasion. The investment we make is in nurturing the next generation to grow into individuals with high agency, confidence, and inquisitiveness.
It is interesting to note that passion is addictive and inspiring. The learning environment in a class that is taught by an educator who is truly passionate about what he is teaching is indeed much more impactful that someone who is trying to fill in weekly quotas.
Educators should be skilled in the art of persuading students to think about the world around them. They need to help students discover potential topics of interest and use these as vehicles to structure knowledge delivery. This approach would involve a mix of hands-on and theoretical work, always grounded in the student’s genuine interests.
3. From Broad to Narrow: An Alternative Approach
There’s a saying that by focusing obsessively on one thing, it’s possible to create a broad understanding of the world. Our current system tries to consolidate broad knowledge into narrow learning channels. But what if we tried the opposite approach?
Imagine starting narrow with something like a talking robot. A student might begin by playing with it, then progress to disassembling and reassembling it, and finally adding small additional functionalities. Because this focus point is interesting to the child, it can serve as a springboard to contextually expand into broader topics:
- Electronic circuitry
- The use of robots in society
- How work was done before automation and industrialization
- Ethical considerations of AI and robotics
- The history of technological innovation
This approach allows for depth and breadth, all while maintaining the student’s engagement through a topic they find genuinely fascinating.
A Personal Vision for Change
- Create Curiosity-Inducing Environments: Redesign school spaces to stimulate exploration and questioning.
- Train Educators in the Art of Persuasion: Help teachers become adept at inspiring curiosity and guiding students to their interests.
- Implement Interest-Driven Learning: Start with narrow topics of interest and expand outward to cover broader subjects.
- Encourage Deep Dives: Allow students to explore topics in-depth, trusting that breadth will naturally follow.
- Connect Learning to Real-World Outcomes: Help students see the tangible results of their studies.
- Foster Intrinsic Motivation: Create environments where learning is its own reward.
- Celebrate Diversity in Thinking: Recognize and nurture different learning styles and approaches.
The next time we tell students to “ask questions,” let’s ensure we’ve given them something worth questioning. Let’s create an education system that doesn’t just permit curiosity but actively cultivates it. Only then can we truly say that questions are a sign of learning and understanding – because they’ll be born from genuine interest rather than mere compliance.
In reimagining our approach to education, we have the opportunity to nurture not just knowledgeable students, but passionate, curious, and innovative thinkers ready to tackle the complex challenges of our world. It’s a vision that, based on my reflections and experiences, I believe is not only possible but essential for the future of education and society.