What inspires a student’s desire to learn? Is it the same reason students want to learn about their course?
A learning environment is created by adding students and an instructor to a pre-built curriculum, which is the standard procedure in higher education. There are planned activities and resources to help students participate in the activities, which aim to bridge the gap between students and the learning process. However, intellectual curiosity is an uncontrollable process that is either innate or sparked by completing planned activities or involving an instructor.
In a structured classroom setting, learning can be intellectual. Students’ cognition shifts from automatic to higher-order and possibly critical thinking when their intellects are engaged. Therefore, intellectual curiosity develops into the desire to comprehend why something is read, the search for a fundamental or underlying premise that may be novel or different, the desire to seek out challenging viewpoints, and a time when previously held beliefs may be questioned.
Understanding why students need intellectual curiosity to be engaged in your class and what you can do to encourage it may be important to you as a teacher. When I taught as a traditional teacher, it was easier for me to observe how engaged the students who were present in class were and to ask specific questions to encourage them to think more deeply about the subjects covered in the class.
However, as an online instructor, this strategy needs to be modified, and I’ve learned how to do so through practice and time. I’ve found that you need to do more than just ask questions; you also need to think about how questions are asked and how the message is perceived. The subsequent paragraphs may provide you with fresh concepts and methods for your teaching practice.
Why Learning Activities Are Important
Asynchronous class discussions and written assignments are the two most frequently included learning activities in traditional online classes. There are two reasons why these are the most popular activities. Individual and group participation is provided by them.
In an asynchronous discussion, students are directed to specific information and asked to respond to specific questions. The implicit assumption is that the reading that goes along with the discussion will make people think and want to know more, which will lead to intellectual curiosity.
The same fundamental idea applies to written assignments. Students are shown specific information, and it is hoped that they will think about it and become more intellectually curious as a result of engaging their minds. The result should be a paper that has been thoroughly researched, developed, and planned out.
For discussions, the reality is that the majority of students write reactionary posts without having read the materials that were given to them. Because of this, more work needs to be done to pique their intellectual curiosity and interest in reading the material.
When it comes to writing assignments, students who aren’t used to writing or who want to finish as quickly as possible either use few sources, use too many direct quotes, or use inappropriate internet sources. Because of this, it is necessary to have guidance from an instructor in order to assist students in focusing and keeping their attention where it is needed.
Why intellectual curiosity is important Consider the perspective of casual reading first. Although the goal may differ, it is not typically to acquire extensive knowledge or information for long-term memory. In contrast, formal education is pursued with a specific goal, and the intellect plays a significant role in the long-term acquisition of knowledge. Students are first engaged in cognition and mental processing of information while reading the materials, after which they seek out additional readings.
A student is more likely to demonstrate critical or higher-order thinking, logical reasoning, and an elevated level of writing when they are mentally engaged. They can, for instance, take information, process it, and make sense of it all.
Mental acuity, also known as having a sharply focused mental state, is the result of this. Being intellectually curious is also responsible for this. However, this kind of curiosity ultimately seeks knowledge for the sake of learning.