Celebrating Curiosity
4/19/2019
A few of my main goals (and joys) as an educator are showing my students that they are capable of more than they think and inspiring them to explore new things, stay curious, and enjoy learning, investigating, and asking questions. On Friday, PNA celebrated this in a big way with the help of many professionals and students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math) fields. Our students were free to roam and explore so many neat concepts in an engaging and hands-on way: fish anatomy, space, weather, chemistry, biology, coding, engineering, and more. I loved seeing the joy, wonder, and excitement as students investigated and created within the realms of science, technology, engineering, and math. I will never tire of witnessing the awe children experience when discovering something new about our world and the way it works. Providing opportunities for students to engage with materials and people in STEM fields is an amazing way to broaden their perspectives and keep them curious and excited about learning and exploring our world. Put perhaps more exciting than the actual event was what happened after. As students returned to the classroom to wait for parents, they immediately and naturally delved into the topics they had been exploring in more depth. One student headed straight for our bookshelves and settled into a cozy chair to read more about light. Another student grabbed a sheet of paper to make a poster to teach others about the symbols and different clouds about which he had just learned. The student further investigating light brought the book over to share a new discovery with me and her classmates. None of this was prompted, but was a result of the practices that we've worked hard to establish all year, practices of inquiry and investigation, of looking for problems and solutions, of asking questions and seeking answers, of communicating and collaborating with each other so that we can all learn together. As students learn this way, it becomes more and more natural for them and they effortlessly delve into more learning, questioning, problem-solving, and collaboration. They not only desire to learn more, but they have the skills and strategies necessary to learn more. Big celebrations and events that spark curiosity and highlight the excitement of learning are important, but it is the everyday practices that naturally transform our students into lifelong learners and curious human beings.
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Saania AliMs. Ali graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelors of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies. She specializes in Early Childhood Education, ESL, and Special Education. Her hobbies include traveling, reading, and painting! Archives
April 2021
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