front 1 Definition(s) Impulse toward better cognition - William James 1899 The dynamic nature of curiosity is reflected in both human and animal behavior, where curiosity serves as a motivator for exploration and learning, adapting to environmental conditions and personal contexts. In essence, curiosity is a multifaceted trait that evolves and fluctuates, responding to the complexities of life and the pursuit of knowledge. It is a fundamental aspect of human experience, driving individuals to seek understanding and connection with the world around them. Curiosity Studies Curiosity—as a desire to see, to understand, and to know p. xviii Curiosity—as a prompt to learning, growth, and exploration p.xix Curiosity—as an interest in the new, the foreign, and the forbidden p. xx curiosity—as a drive to transgress, to refuse, and to create p. xx Almost all humans begin life with an aptitude for noticing the unexpected and pursuing unanticipated phenomena in order to resolve uncertainty. p 89 | back 1 Definition(s) Thomas Hobbes - defines curiosity as “the love of the knowledge of causes.” (Leviathan, 1651) David Hume - curiosity is “the love of truth.” ("A Treatise of Human Nature. 1985) John Locke - curiosity is an “appetite for knowledge,” to be nurtured in young and old alike. (some thoughts containing education 1693) Jean-Jacques Rousseau - curiosity is “a principle natural to the human heart,” which must be carefully trained to achieve its promise (Emile or On Education, 1762) Réné Descartes - curiosity—with its interest in minutiae—as fundamentally scholastic, he insists that a certain wonder is necessary for the work of reason, knowledge, and the good of humankind.(Meditations on First Philosophy, 1641) |
front 2 Definition(s) Curiosity and Exploration: Facilitating Positive Subjective Experiences and Personal Growth Opportunities Curiosity has relevance to nearly all facets of human functioning p 303 Curiosity is a ubiquitous part of human’s lexicon and daily experiences. p 303 | back 2 Definition(s) INVESTIGATING THE IMPACT OF PLAYFUL LEARNING ON CURIOSITY AND DIVERGENT THINKING An individual engages in a state of curiosity when he or she perceives a lack of information or gap in understanding and seeks to resolve that uncertainty p 6 Curiosity is perceived to be valuable because it indicates that a child is tolerant of uncertainty, and uncertainty can be the catalyst for future exploration and learning p 6 Lowenstein’s information gap theory (1994) states that curiosity arises when an individual is motivated to resolve this gap in knowledge, information, or understanding. p 7 State curiosity, or a drive to reduce uncertainty p 7 Trait curiosity is a personality characteristic that describes an individual who is motivated to pursue information and knowledge p 7 if curiosity is an itch then exploration is the scratch that seeks to remedy it p 8 |
front 3 Curiosity Studies - Against Plato - curious people, whose appetite for knowledge often rules them, suffer from an imbalance in the three parts of their soul: reason, spirit, and appetite p. xiii celebrated for its capacity to generate knowledge and castigated for its tendency to fuel merely meddlesome inquiry p. xiii Medieval - ambiguous or two-toned assessment of curiosity was largely bifurcated into a medieval concern with curiosity as a vice and a modern embrace of curiosity as a key instrument in social and scientific advancement p. xiii - marked by a robust suspicion of curiosity p. xiii Saint Augustine - recommended the virtue of studiositas,13 or the careful application of oneself to well-circumscribed intellectual work. P. xiv Benedictine Bernard of Clairvaux’s - renounce curiosity, having instead one’s “head bent and eyes fixed on the ground,” p. xiv | back 3 Against “The Dude Abides, or Why Curiosity is Important for Education Today” A number of philosophers are prone to chastise curiosity as a deficient form of engagement with the world p 92 Heidegger - thinks that when humanity is curious, “it has a tendency to let itself be carried along solely by the looks of the world.”6 Once carried away, humanity can no longer be attentive to the existential question defining the meaning of being and instead dwells on a rather superficial level of experience. p 94 - curious freedom is the freedom to skim the surface of experience without ever attaching one’s being to something meaningful p 94 - Heidegger argues that “in wonder, what is most usual of all and in all, i.e., everything, becomes the most unusual. . . . Everything in what is most usual (beings) becomes in wonder the most unusual in this one respect: that it is what it is.”p 95 Bernard Stiegler educational theorists argue that the distracted dimension of curiosity is a major danger to youth and to society p 95 curiosity has been linked with precisely the forms of distractedness of which Stiegler is critical. While frequently aligned with inquisitiveness, curiosity is also characterized negatively as something that leads astray p 96 |
front 4 Against ("Dude Abides") Stiegler argues that attentiveness is the fulcrum of caring for the world p 97 North argues that attention focuses on stretching out and taking possession of the world (ad-tenere). p 97 Attention is therefore concerned with a will to possess that is capable of providing continuity and unity to the self p 97 V Distraction on the other hand “gives itself away”19 and is therefore a form of dispossession. p 97 The unity of self provided by attention (as a possession of experience) suddenly loses itself, exposing itself to dispersal. p 97 Care steps in to stop the dispersal process and to provide some kind of ontological unity to humanity’s everyday being p 97 theoretical confrontation with not caring, with a kind of being that loses itself in what it yields to, that disperses itself to the margins. This would be a state of being that is careless, directionless, and open to the contingencies of what happens to it. By maximizing distractibility, a carefree life would help throw into high relief the features of curiosity that are most curious. p 97 | back 4 Explain Against ("Dude Abides") Life would be curious in that it would be strange, unfamiliar, and perhaps shocking for those of us who value the long established norms of attention and care - such a life might appear meaningless, disorderly, silly, if not a total waste of time p 98 dispersion, distracted life would threaten any foundational social system predicated on the predictable certainty and regularity of an attentive, consistent, and unified identity p 98 |
front 5 Children Curiosity Studies almost all very young children are like the very young Darwin: they are indefatigable explorers. This tremendous appetite for discovery begins with a very powerful and simple mechanism universal to human babies. They are predisposed to look for regularity and familiarity in everyday life p. 76 attention to novelty is the foundation of curiosity, and helps explain why babies and young children learn more than they ever will again in their lives. P. 76 A great deal of their daily lives entails encountering things they haven’t yet experienced p 76 They are curious because so much of daily life entails novelty and, throughout the life span, curiosity is based on this one simple mechanism: the urge to explain the unexpected and resolve uncertainty. p 77 children are more curious when they can interact with things and topics in which they are interested. Sometimes this has to do with the inherent “interest factor” of the material: how complex, surprising, or unusual it is, or how it is intellectually framed p. 85 | back 5 Children - Ageing Curiosity Studies also explains why, as children get older, curiosity becomes somewhat less ubiquitous. more of their everyday experiences are folded into schema - things unexceptional and unlikely to spark their curiosity p 77 As this happens, more children begin to show specific curiosity for domains or events that grab their interest p. 77 Age Differences in State Curiosity: Examining the Role of Personal Relevance Both trait and state curiosity are crucial to information processing, decision-making, and response initiation when in face of uncertainty p 2 Later adulthood is a period of time that involves adaptation to
Study - found that curiosity was associated with crystalized
intelligence, suggesting that cognition is an important factor to
consider in the context of curiosity. An experience sampling
eye-tracking study - individuals with cognitive declines exhibited
less perceptual curiosity and exploratory visual behaviors than people
With age and age-related cognitive changes, people are likely to
Older tended to allocate more cognitive resources in personally
relevant situations and were less willing to engage Older adults were more likely to engage in systematic information search when the context was more personally relevant than when it was less personally relevant p 3 even though trait curiosity may decline with age, state curiosity
is more Undeniably, old age is accompanied by various changes that may be
seen as declines and interpreted as negative, but it can also be an
opportunity for growth if we can enhance curiosity through increasing
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front 6 Children - Play INVESTIGATING THE IMPACT OF PLAYFUL LEARNING ON CURIOSITY AND DIVERGENT THINKING Children learn best when they are engaged in activities that are actively engaging, meaningful, socially interactive, iterative, and joyful, and all of these conditions naturally occur during play. (pp. 1-2) Active, engaging contexts allow children to adopt a “minds on” approach where they take an agentic role in their learning instead of passively receiving information. p 2 Socially interactive activities, whether they be with a parent, teacher, or peer, provide the opportunity to learn from others. p 2 Iterative activities allow children to build upon their past experiences and mistakes. p 2 Joy and positive emotions can help children overcome frustrations and obstacles. p 2 Guided Play Guided play is a dynamic social activity that provides a sense of connection for both the child and adult involved. p 3 Children have autonomy, and are able to direct the activity towards their own interests. p 3 The presence of the adult allows the child to maintain a sense of competence as the adult scaffolds the activity according to the child’s prior learning and ability. p 3 guided question leaves open the possibility that there may be more to discover p 5 Conclusion(s) children’s level of curiosity may be more important than the type of instruction they receive p 52 Curiosity promotes learning because children can attend to gaps in
their Engaging in excess Engaging in exploration for exploration’s sake can ultimately help children generate new and original ideas. p 53 | back 6 Conclusion(s) - continued While learning and play have been cast as enemies, the science of playful learning indicates that they are allies p 56 Understanding and fostering curiosity in children may ultimately be key to encouraging learning in both traditional classrooms and online learning environments. p 56 Curiosity may be a powerful driver of children’s learning and
Plotkin Ch 5 “Surrendering to the enchantment of nature is absolutely essential to childhood, self-discovery, and to all healthy maturation afterward, including the process of soul initiation. And yet, that enchantment is sadly what we have most neglected in the course of raising and educating our children” (p. 113). “Until recent history, most children grew up with intimate contact with nature, the kind that Joanna describes, an experiential ground ing in the green world essential for physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual de velopment. But in industrialized societies, this has become increasingly rare” (p. 123). Research shows that regular free play in nature results in better concentration in ADHD children;14 better coordination, balance and agility, and less illness;15 more imaginative and creative play, which fosters language and collaborative skills;16 improved problem solving, critical thinking, and decision making, and greater awareness, reasoning, and observational skills;17 a reduction in the impact of life stress and better coping with adversity;18 reduced antisocial behaviors such as violence, bullying, vandalism, and littering;19 greater powers of observation and creativity; an enhanced sense of peace and being at one with the world;20 and more positive feelings about playmates. 21 Instead of plying our children with amphetamines, other stimulants, and antidepressants, we could instead truly nurture them by encouraging free play in nature” (p. 124) “The sense of connectedness that develops during empathic interactions with animals builds an emotional foundation for the child's sense of belonging to the world” (p. 124) “When given the chance, children naturally form deep relationships with animals, experiences that enhance the development of selthood, empathy, affiliation, and morality with respect to both animals and humans” (p. 125) |
front 7 Moral Obligation Impact-not-access future: curiosity must survive childhood ““Knowing” is an essential component to action itself. Knowing, however, requires that information be not merely encountered, but engaged and evaluated.” (p. 438) Who: teachers, librarians, parents, communities, child-content creators, etc. Activities that help support curiosity “show and tell” = curiosity as to what may be in a container and rewarded with an eventual revelation and small lesson about the revealed item (441) Field trips - left us wondering what it was like to live as one of these creatures in their natural habitat. (p. 441) Curb Curiosity (442) Young children most curious – have least amount of world knowledge/exposure Enthusiasm for learning and discovery naturally lessens as they gain more confidence in their knowledge Have less time to be curious Similar to losing ability to pick up on language – brains of children recognize less need for curiosity “young people who can truly appreciate the wonder of all of the human accomplishment that is documented in every library will default to curiosity regarding what else is left for discovery, and what else can the work of human beings accomplish.” (p. 446) | back 7 Role of Adults INVESTIGATING THE IMPACT OF PLAYFUL LEARNING ON CURIOSITY AND DIVERGENT THINKING adults must be sensitive to whether an activity may overwhelm a child’s working memory capacity. p 55 It may be useful, in some circumstances, for an adult to directly impart knowledge to a child before providing the child an opportunity to assume a more agentic role p 55 Plotkin Ch 5 “David Sobel, an educator, par ent, and author, suggests that empathy between the child and the natural world should be a main objective for children aged four through seven ( that is, those in the first half of the Garden).23 He advises parents and teachers to encourage emotional responses to the animals and plant life that children discover in the natural world” (p. 124) “Long walks in nature provide some of the best parent-child interactions during middle childhood. Let the child set the pace and stop when she stops. Wander and won der together, admire and explore. It's probably best not to volunteer information, but do answer her questions in a way that evokes further wonder - and ask her imagi native questions of your own” (p. 125) ((“Do you remember your special places from childhood, your hiding-and-observing thicket, your secret alcove where you met with friends? Even the most urban child hood includes favorite habitats: little houses of blankets, a corner in a closet, a hedge, your own tree in a park, or that hidden niche behind a boulder... Regular visits to these special places allow a child to be long to the world in his own way, especially to the more-than-human world that mirrors his wildest possibilities, and to learn what it is to create a place of his own, an endeavor that takes on much wider and deeper significance later in life” (p. 126) |
front 8 Role of Adults (continued) Parents’ and caregivers’ perspectives on the benefits of a high‑risk outdoor play “Adult values, attitudes, behaviours, and beliefs are factors that shape childhood exposure to risk-taking experiences” (p. 359) “Playing and learning experientially is the bedrock for children’s growth and development from a holistic perspective.” (p. 360) “... the challenges of the 21st century, such as societal pushback and helicopter parenting, we found that parents and caregivers believe that the benefits of allowing children to play outweigh any associated risks” (p. 360) “There is a decline in opportunities offered by parents and caregivers for children to engage in high-risk environments.” (p. 363) “parents who demonstrate a low-risk appetite—that is, a low tolerance to their children being exposed to risk and little unstructured outdoor play time— has led to what has been termed the “bubble-wrapped” generation” (p. 365) | back 8 Parents’ and caregivers’ perspectives on the benefits of a high‑risk outdoor play p 350 Study: examined the role of adults in sup porting children’s play and learning in a high-risk park environment. Environment: bespoke Australian outdoor “nature play park” named Boongaree Finding: parents’ and caregivers’ strong support of children’s risky play at this park and how the park supported the children’s development Nine emergent themes from the qualitative data: adults supported their children’s engagement with this high-risk park as it offered opportunities
Conclusion: the risk appetite or risk tolerance level of parents’ and caregivers’ is one of the primary factors underpinning their desire to engage (and re-engage) with risky nature play opportunities for their child. |
front 9 Parents’ and caregivers’ perspectives on the benefits of a high‑risk outdoor play The Park “park design was instrumental in supporting and cultivating children’s risky play.” “Risky play has been defined as “thrilling and exciting forms of physical play that involves uncertainty and a risk of physical injury” (p. 364) “play park was inspired by nature-infused learning and utilised natural materials and biophilic design principles” (p. 361) “key affordance offered was the vari ability of equipment and multiple opportunities for children to engage within this bespoke play space.” (p. 368) “starkly contrasted with their experiences in other traditional suburban play spaces that can be labelled as “cookie cutter” park design.” (p. 369) | back 9 Parents’ and caregivers’ perspectives on the benefits of a high‑risk outdoor play Parent Quotes “More parks should be designed like this! It allows kids to be kids—take risks, have fun, learn new skills, and build upon skills.” (p. 369) - quote from survey participant The look on children’s faces as they reach the top of climbing ropes and start walking across the bridges is fabulous—grit and determination, followed by a big deep breath when they make the top, then start to walk at height—some hesitantly needing a hand from a bigger person—but they keep going back and trying to master it. (p. 369) - quote from survey participant “Boongaree respects children’s individual ability to assess risk by offering a quality play space for all ages in a natural setting.” (p. 369) - quote participant “It gives the children an opportunity to do risk assessment of their actions, which I think is great for their development (most other play spaces are red taped and bubble wrapped to such an extent the children couldn’t hurt them selves even if they tried to).” (p. 369) - quote “The opportunity to make their own decisions about the risk they want to take how high or how fast they will go. This is paramount in the risk adverse soci ety we now live in.” (p. 370) - quote “The space is inviting and engaging so holds the children’s attention for much longer than those parks that offer no risk. Therefore, it entices them to play outdoors longer which is also vital when screens demand so much attention.” (p. 370) - quote “Fun, physical literacy, solidify friendships, life skills.” - quote “Them challenging themselves and being active, each time we have visited we can’t spend less than 2 hours there as they are having so much fun.” - quote 371 “Most parks don’t wear my kids out before they get lose interest, but Boongaree leaves them exhausted and wanting to stay.” - quote (p 371) “The creative spaces such as the sand/water area and bike track let our children imagine they are in a different world.” - quote (p 372) “Freedom to play in any way they feel comfortable. They aren’t restricted by limited play spaces or boring activities. We could go to this park every weekend and my children would still have a ball and each time would find something that challenges them but also thrills them” - quote (p. 371) “Kids can grow with the park (something for all ages), kids can get messy and really interact with the space, encourages curiosity and imagination.” - quote p 372 |
front 10 Parents’ and caregivers’ perspectives on the benefits of a high‑risk outdoor play Findings “unexpected is that they also recognised this connec tion extended to themselves within the outdoor space, connecting with each other and others from the broader community.” (p. 370) “parents and caregivers repeatedly offered improving social connections as common responses” (p. 370) “recognised that the outdoor park offered contemporary play opportunities for children to unplug from technology and digital screens” (p. 370) “most common theme espoused by parents and caregivers was the theme of fun.” (p. 371) “highlighted the interwoven nature of fun and enjoyment in child wellbe ing, growth, and development:” (p. 371) “having fun supported more frequent visits and longer stays at the park” (p. 371) “Parents and caregivers valued the myriad opportunities for children to direct their own play.” (p. 371) “adults associated this level of freedom with child-led decision-making that fuelled children’s inner imagination.” (p. 371) “recognized that the park enhanced children’s mental wellbeing and allowed them to fully embrace the scope of the park” (p. 372) “unique and novel characteristics embedded within the park design include creative spaces that incorporate natural equipment and materials” (p. 372) “Parents repeatedly commented on the natural elements in the park and how they contributed to a heighted connection to place. When children are comfortable in a place, they will take more risks and engage in deeper levels of play, including being curious and engaging in problem-solving activities.” (p. 375) | back 10 Conclusions “the relationship between play value and play space design, Woolley and Lowe (2013) espoused that traditional, cast-iron-infused playgrounds focus primarily on facilitation of physical activity, with less emphasis on exploration and imagina tion. They described such traditional playgrounds as anchored and nonresponsive to children, with the design driven by factors such as “parental fear”” (p. 375) “Parents repetitively stated that the variety and age appropriateness of the equipment enabled their children to find comfort, confidence, and challenges to match their skill levels” (p. 375) “It is not that other parks do not afford this; they clearly do—however, the point of differ ence of BNPP is the sheer size and number of play opportunities. The equipment was cleverly chosen to appeal to a variety of play styles and ages, a point that was reflected throughout the parents’ perceptions of the park” (p. 375) |
front 11 Parents’ and caregivers’ perspectives on the benefits of a high‑risk outdoor play space Suggestions “called for a need to educate parents about the positive associated benefits of nature play.” (p. 375) “The importance of a well-considered design alongside a multistakeholder approach needs to be considered that could include (a) children and youth codesigning the play space (b) parent and caregiver perspectives (c) urban planners listening to these voices in the planning of the park’s design.” (p. 377) | back 11 Nature Deficit Disorder (NDD) Parents’ and caregivers’ perspectives on the benefits of a high‑risk outdoor play space “Louv - identified the phenomenon of “nature deficit disorder” as a phrase (rather than a formal diagnosis) to highlight and discuss the impacts of a detach ment from nature for children.” (p. 375) “noted that discussing the con sequences of nature deficit disorder allows us to bring to the surface the positive associated benefits of a connection to nature for children.” (p. 375) Plotkin Ch 5 “Researchers have documented the direct relationship between lack of contact with nature and some of the most disturbing symptoms, difficulties, and pathologies of childhood. Louv coined the phrase "nature-deficit disorder " to summarize what loss of nature does to children, including a dulling of the senses, obesity, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, and the attendant prescriptions of Ritalin and antidepressants” (p. 124) “If it is true that nature therapy reduces the symptoms of ADHD, then the con verse may also be true: ADHD may be a set of symptoms aggravated by lack of exposure to nature. By this line of thinking, ... the real disorder is less in the child than it is in the imposed, artificial environment. Viewed from this angle, the society that has disengaged the child from nature is most certainly disordered, if well-meaning. To take nature and natural play away from chil dren may be tantamount to withholding oxygen” (p. 124) (quoted from Richard Louv) |