Where’s the (educational) curiosity at?
Start at the beginning.
In flow coaching, we’re taught to stack the intrinsic drivers, one by one, in order:
- Identify multiple curiosities to start.
- Combine curiosities into passion.
- Attach passion to a greater purpose.
- Have the ability to autonomously pursue your passion and purpose.
- Continue to grow and master your craft.
Curiosity, passion, purpose, autonomy, and mastery, the intrinsic motivation stack, are powerful drivers of behavior, giving us focus for free.
It’s innate.
And if there’s something we don’t do as flow coaches, it’s that we don’t fight biology in order to get our nervous system to work for us and not against us.
All of us are curious about something, something that naturally lights us up or makes us wonder.
Mario Livio, in his book Why: What Makes Us Curious, clarified the two types of curiosity:
- Epistemic curiosity — when something puzzles or surprises us (that did what?!)
- Perceptual curiosity — when we anticipate reward (hello dopamine!)
Working in education, I wonder lately about those moments of curiosity students are (or aren’t) experiencing.
When does the “cursed wish to know” as Equality 7–2521 craves in Ayn Rand’s Anthem ever happen?
Where in a student’s day are guaranteed moments of PERMA (positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment)?
Not only this, but from a sheer peak performance standpoint, we’re severely lacking the the ability to create, catalog, and catalyze on curiosity.
Author and journalist Thomas L. Friedman summed up the importance of curiosity a formula:
[ CQ + PQ > IQ ]
Curiosity quotient plus passion quotient beats intelligence quotient.
Show me a kid who’s combined three or more curiosities and I’ll show you a kid who’s unstoppable.
The perspective shift is everything.
We can talk all we want about 21st century skills, creativity, the portrait of a graduate, and more, but if we don’t start at the beginning with the basic building blocks, it’s all for naught.
Show me where the (educational) curiosity is at.
