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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 2018)
October 2018 - EASTERN OREGON PARENT - 15 Curiosity forms the basis of a child’s intelligence eading an article called “Birth of a Robot” in an old issue of Smithsonian got me thinking about hu- man intelligence versus artificial intelligence. Nicholas Butko, one of the researchers quoted in the article, said that they wanted to program their robots with curios- ity, not knowledge. Giulio Sandini, an Italian bioengineer says, “If you want to build an intelligent system, you have to build a system that becomes intelligent. Intel- ligence is not only what you know but how you learn from what you know. Intelligence is acquiring infor- mation, a dynamic process.” R These scientists are saying that the cycle of learning begins with curiosity. Curiosity allows children to explore, examine, investigate, wonder and in doing so learn and THE EASTERN EDGE GO OUT-OF-STATE WITHOUT PAYING OUT-OF-STATE TUITION eou.edu/cost discover new things. Learning gives pleasure and feeds the desire to re- peat the experience. Rep- etition creates mastery of new skills. Having skills develops self-confidence. Self-confidence builds self-esteem, which in turn creates a sense of security in the child. With self- confidence, self-esteem and security intact, a child chooses to explore and begin a cycle of learning again. Curiosity involves the mind, as well as all the senses. As parents and teachers know, this curiosity can sometimes create more mess and chaos than we might care to deal with. With our disapproval or by not enriching a child’s environment we can short circuit curiosity, the natural and vital fount of learning. If our child is afraid to ex- plore, learning is cut short. When a child’s world is in chaos, he or she will seek the familiar and comfort- able, unwilling to leave the safety of the known. Curiosity is impacted by family stress, natural disasters, war and violence. Once crushed, curios- ity is a difficult trait to redevelop. Our disapproval of activities can prevent curiosity from creat- ing the learning cycle. Hearing too much of the following – don’t touch, don’t climb, don’t get dirty – diminishes the investigative urge. Not feeling safe also curbs curiosity. Ever notice how a toddler will wander off, discover that a par- ent is not nearby and run back to touch “home” base before going off again? A caring adult who provides a safe haven and a relationship to Maren Schmidt _______________ Kids Talk™ share the child’s thrill of discovery reinforces the learning cycle that begins with a child’s desire to know. Children’s curious enthusiasm for life can help adults rediscover the joy of learning. When we allow ourselves childlike curiosity we cre- ate an active mind instead of a pas- sive one. The mind is like a muscle that becomes stronger through continual exercise. Asking questions and digging for answers makes your mind stronger day by day. Curiosity helps us pick out new ideas that spur creativity. When we are curious and open to new ideas, it’s as if our brains look for the new and unexpected. For example, most of us have had the experience of learning a new word and then see- ing it pop up everywhere. Being curious opens up new pos- sibilities. Trying new foods, travel- ing, even driving to work a different way can open up our minds to new ways of thinking and doing things. Being and staying curious is at the root of intelligence, learning and fun. Without it, we’d just be robots. ________ Kids Talk™ is an award-winning column dealing with childhood de- velopment issues written by Maren Stark Schmidt, M.Ed. She has more than 25 years experience working with young children and is the au- thor of Understanding Montessori: A Guide for Parents. Contact her via e-mail at maren@kidstalknews.