Since I teach first grade, I have often found that the best strategy when encouraging curiosity or questioning is to model or show by demonstration. For example, I might say, "I wonder why the bird is behaving that way". By doing this, I am modeling my thinking and doing it out loud. I also inspire deeper observational and experimental questions by explaining to students that there is no right or wrong answer. As shared in previous discussion, I also explicitly teach the students the difference between an open-ended question and one that is closed or can be determined through basic research. Project Wild Activity, Ant Thumbprints

Strategies I use to encourage curiosity is I have a wonderings board in my classroom. Any time a student has a great question, we hang it on our board. A few times a quarter, we vote on 1 question that we want to investigate and then try to answer the question. I also take my kids on hikes in the woods, where we brainstorm lots of great wonder questions. I have them work with a team to take a question from the wondering board and try to turn it into an observational question.

To encourage curiosity and questions in the classroom I: Make observations, analyze and discuss observations, create repeated opportunities to observe, make connections, and collect evidence/visuals. To inspire deeper observational and experimental questions, I create repeated opportunities for discussion to generate students' understanding but to also give them the opportunity to formulate ideas and form further questions following experiments or observations.

To encourage curiosity and questioning, I begin each new unit with an essential question and have the students fill out a know, what, learn chart. I will have the students record what they already know about the question and record what they want to learn or know about the question. I also have students write out questions they have after viewing an anchoring phenomena. This helps students begin to formulate ideas and think critically about the topic before learning any information. I inspire deeper observational and experimental questions by catering to my students' interests. I find topics that I think there will be class discussion about and that they will take an interest in. I also ensure that I have them thinking critically about realistic scenarios that are applicable to them.

I run a Curiosity Cafe on a weekly basis with my homeroom.  We start by learning how to acknowledge the questions that we generate (subconsciously) every day - I provide a visual prompt and students need to write down as many questions as possible in 2 minutes.  We do this several times so they get better at acknowledging and recording their questions. Later in the progression of lessons, students explore Wonderopolis to identify topics and questions that unqiuely interest them.  We then have students select a particular topic/question to research. This routine continues during the year and helps students become more curious and more aware of their curiosity.  We help them move from closed (reference) to open (experimental/observational) questions. We take our students outside a lot to create sparks for their developing curiosity.

I encourage students to spend time outdoors around their own community and write about it in their journals.  They submit 1 journal entry per week and can write about any topic regarding their outdoor experiences.  I feel that this gives the students an opportunity to explore nature in their own backyard to develop a sense of connectedness to the world around them. This year, I will also have them write a question in their journals about their observations.  Each month, they can choose one of their questions and determine what type of experimental approach could be taken to research their question.

For this I think it is best to prime the class with expectations and your ultimate goal. Provide examples of other simple projects completed. Then, take a nature walk with a scavenger hunt specific to your topic. After the class has been primed with an overview of info and some hands on activities (requiring knowledge about the topic), then make an I Wonder board (if you weren't doing it all along). I think this would get the ideas going.

I have a very diverse classroom.  OK, somehow it has developed into a science center. The students seem to thrive in the unique indoor/outdoor environment.  The school (private)  added a separate building with outdoor immediate access so that we would quit disrupting the other classes as we transitioned between inside and outside "adventures".  (the disruption was everyone wanted to know what we had done or what we were doing) This being the case, my knowledge base is not that big to answer all the questions they have!  So,  I  use a lot of open ending questions in my classes, resources, books, pamphlets, internet access, and an ability to adjust our lesson plan for the student's needs. I Definitely  enjoy the answers they come up with!  The most difficult part about it is how to evaluate them through grades.  Which we all know is/can be a big priority.  So I am moved to grading with rubrics for the students who need that grade to keep them on task...  The students who are lacking interest in their natural world, now have that incentive if they need it.   (We all know those grade levels!)  The younger kids enjoy it so much that they have no idea it is a learning environment.  I am not a spectacular teacher...  but, I have an amazing outdoor/indoor environment to teach in!!!    I frequently have students who burst into tears or refuse to leave our class at the end of the semester.  We only have most students for 1 semester per year.  My favorite, break-my heart moment was a 1st grader who wouldn't even go to his Christmas Party!  He hung on to my door and cried??!!  Said if he walked out the door he wouldn't be back for an entire year and he would rather stay???  This is extremely hard on me!  I wish I could have them all year long.. but, it is just not possible. Yes, the end of the semester is very difficult for me!  Their tears and their heartfelt sadness at not having access to our incredible natural world is very hard to take!!  That is how important teaching this way is to the students!  It has such an impact on their lives when it can become a daily experience!  The results you can see in all ways including academically.  I always worry about that.. wondering if this style of teaching, since it is not mainstream, is adversely affecting the students for their "required education".  Then I started to see the results of the standardized tests that they took.  They are being affected but not adversely!!

Ooof. Another question that I can't really answer at this moment because I don't work STEM field at the moment. I will write about a time that I did teach environmental education using citizen science in the past. Much like what we have been talking about are the things we used to do at this organization. Including teaching students to think like a scientist before we would do any sort of the citizen science projects. So on the first day I would bring students to and old deer carcass that had been killed and eaten by a mountain lion earlier that year on campus!!! Before we walk by it I would stop the students and then explain to them there has been a murder mystery, we had to figure out what was killed and what killed it! I would tell them that we will walk silently up to the carcass and when we get there form a circle around it and not say anything. At this point all they were to do was to spend some time making observations! It taught about all sorts of observations they would be making, and I would "just record the facts ma'am."  I told them about observations big and small, location, and surroundings. Then, I would have them go around one by one and tell me what sort of observations they saw and write it down on a white board. I would look for key observations and if a student didn't say it then I would write it down for them when it was "my turn" after this, then I would have students start making inferences! and ask them, "what do you think this is?" and then go around once again answering one by one. Usually there would be lots of repeats! And i loved it when a student came really close to make it more challenging. when it came to my turn, I would usually throw a really crazy one in there like it's and alligator! When this is said and done I tell them that we must eliminate all the incorrect inferences. But who wants to start first and defend their choice. At this point we would discuss why or why not it couldn't be what it was (peer review). I would often tell them that scientists instead of trying to prove that something is right, instead try to prove that it isn't wrong. eventually 95% of the time we eliminate the carcass down to two species: a deer and a baby elk. most of the time the students are very smart and will figure out that it was a deer. Sometimes the were stumped. So I would tell them them the truth! After this exercise I told them they were now certified citizen scientists! and could participate in the weeks activities.

I think it is important to present students with phenomena, whether it is a demonstration, a picture, a challenge to create something, how does this work or just about anything that cause them to ask questions and explore. When we let students explore and ask questions they become even more curious and this causes them to explore even deeper causing them to ask even more questions.  Sometimes students just want to be told the answer, because it is easier, several have told me that.  But when we leave something open ended it truly causes them to go their own direction which creates long term learning and they can't memorize it for a test later. They actually have to learn it.

I like to challenge kids to stump me by asking questions until I don't know the answer. They get excited to ask more questions, and soon they forget that the goal was to stump me and just end up asking question after question after question to learn more, as if they're quenching a thirst they didn't know they had. One of the most important things I've learned as an educator is how to say, "I don't know," and use that as a jumping off point rather than the end of the discussion. I try to provide as many hands-on opportunities as possible for students to explore in a tactile way. It's common to hear adults say that we rely too much on technology, but it's also important to see how helpful apps like Merlin/Audubon/BirdNet/Song Sleuth/iNaturalist/Seek/etc. can be in creating bridges between questions and answers, which leads to more questions. I like the idea of an "I Wonder" board, but sometimes questions just can't wait to be answered!

I try to give students time to explore an area and come up with their own questions. For example,  at other environmental education jobs, I would let give students tools to look for macroinvertebrates including nets and buckets and them give them free time to explore the area. Kids will as questions like "what creature is this?" This give me a chance to show them how to use keys to discover answers on their own. Giving students time to explore is crucial because they are naturally curious.  I can inspire deeper observational questions like " Why are we only finding one type of macro invertebrate?" "Will a different part of the creek have different ones?"

1) Provide time for their own observations/interactions/processing/thinking before planting/leading/modelling questions. By allowing open-ended and repetitive opportunities for observation/interaction, students are able to explore and consider their understandings of the object of their focus. 2) Allow tangential thinking. Sometimes students become distracted from the subject we are trying to "teach". For example, if we are introducing students to feeder bird identification but they are more interested in the plants that are growing beneath the feeder, allow them opportunities to explore that. Some great lines of inquiry could be generated by the student and still fall within the parameters of the curriculum. 3) Provide students with nature journals, writing/art supplies, tablets, cameras, etc. Documentation of their observations in the field lets them revisit the images later for detailed study and sharing and discussion. These discussions may result in comparing and contrasting species and generating whole new lines of inquiry. 4) Outdoor Field-guides/Apps. Reference materials and media= info at our fingertips. Learning how to quickly identify (answer the "what is that?" type questions) develops strong referencing skills to find information quickly which leaves more time for deeper, probing lines of observation & questioning. 5) Pre-field visit brainstorming. Before we head out we can brainstorm what we might see/encounter and the probability of doing so and the reasons for that probability. For example, if it is a cool overcast rainy day, there may be many earthworms out. If the earthworms are out, what birds might we see? Considering the weather, location and time of year, students can hypothesize about the flora/fauna in their environs and predict some of the behaviours/stages of life-cycle they may find. A short brainstorming sessions gets the synapses firing and intellectual curiosity primed before we head out. 6) Model our own curiosity and LACK of knowledge. Don't be afraid of not knowing the answer. Be curious along with your students and celebrate the facts and discoveries you make together. Model making mistakes re: identification. Model trying/failing/trying again with a sense of wonder. Demonstrate a sense of bewilderment and curiosity when experiment results do not support your hypothesis. Show how more discovery is made when things do not go as planned- generate a whole new batch of questions and show persistence to redesign and redo experiments to gather more data.  (Photo used with parental permission). Two of my mini-mycolgists. These two guys pilfered through my outdoor field-guide books on their own accord and found my mushroom guides. They told me they wanted to go on a mushroom hunt. After a quick safety reminder, off they went with their books. They are grade one pre-readers who used the photos for reference. Ontario's Science curriculum strand "Life Sciences" for grade one focuses on the "characteristics of living things" and the requirements of flora/fauna to maintain life. They met all of the curriculum requirements of that strand by exploring and questioning on their own followed by shared discussion and me reading the entries of their guidebooks that matched the pictures they found. Together, we picked a shaggy cap mushroom for closer study. This generated many more questions, especially when the "inky goo" began to seep from the mushroom cap!

I always think that the best way to spark curiosity and questions is by starting with a blank slate. Often times, the first meetings with my group we go on a nature walk. We will stop along the way and do some activities or I will point out some cool things to them, but most of the time I let the students lead. We walk and when they see something they ask about it. I respond to their question with other questions that really get them thinking. Sometimes they will point at holes in the ground and ask "what lives there?" I'll ask them "how do we find out?" Naturally, all the other students are intrigued and gather around and start looking into the hole, guessing what could have made it by the size. Some will grab sticks and insert them to see how deep the hole is. Students are naturally curious and by stepping back, we allow them to ask questions on their own. To inspire them deeper into thinking about observational and experimental questions, I like to play games or use scenarios to really get their mind thinking. If one students says "I think a squirrel lives in that hole" I'll respond by saying "how can you find out for sure?" Asking these types of questions allows them the opportunity to think critically and be able to come up with ideas to answer their questions. They may start looking for tracks or food around.

What strategies or tools do you use to encourage curiosity and questions? On hands observations and ask one question that leads the kids to ask additional questions. How do you inspire deeper observational and experimental questions? Creating specific projects within the program.

I have used 'Wonder walls' for students to record their questions on a topic at the beginning of a topic, and as we learn, we record answers to the questions on the Wonder wall. This is a great display to have of student's growing knowledge. I also aim to have a culture that asking questions is positive, and the best way to learn - no one knows everything, including me as the teacher!

I encourage students to ask questions during class time and during group work. At the beginning of the year, students do an activity on defining life by observing many different specimens. Students have lots of questions as they look at the specimens and helps them know I encourage their questions and curiosity.

My students are provided a list of questions that can be answered by conducting an experiment. I ask the students to identify the experimental and dependent variables in each question. At the top of the page I have provided notes that state that the experimental variable is the variable that can be manipulated or changed and the dependent variable is the variable that you will measure the effects upon. Once the students have been able to identify the variables correctly in class I ask the students to flip it over and write their own investigative questions and then identify another student's experimental and dependent variables in each of those questions.

I encourage students by allowing them to openly roam within a designated area for a certain amount of time with a closed notebook and pencil. Then when the whistle is blown students are to write down things they have observed, I wonder questions, things they want to know more about, and how about or what-if questions in their notebook.

I try to encourage my students to ask as many questions as possible, and remind them that there are no stupid questions and that we should all support each other in the learning process. I also like to ask open-ended questions, and will try to answer a question with a question. I encourage my students to ask questions of each other as much as possible or to look their questions up before coming to me so it helps them get in the habit of doing their own research.

I think the most important way to facilitate curiosity and observation is to give students the time to do so.  Most often our cookie cutter labs give one answer and that's it.  My biodegradable plastics inquiry lab allows students to design their first prototype and see what it turns out to be before making a second.  Then students talk in their groups and research what the problem was and what they need to add or take out of their recipe to solve it.

I begin by sharing my own "I wonder..." moments and topics, and scaffolding student learning topics as the year progresses.  With the gifted learners I meet with daily I start the year with a topic and series of activities of my choice.  Very guided unit which encompases several topics and projects.  The next quarter students help me select the topics for projects.  The students make a list of possible topics to explore and help me narrow down the list.  Then I create the projects and experiences.  We work our way through student selected topics.  Within reason of course.  The next quarter students select topics and projects.  They write proposals for which standard they will study, how they will present their learning, and what assessment they will take (does not need to be pen and paper).  Then working in small groups they work their way through the projects with my support.  I do warn them in advance that I have the right to reject a proposal or request changes.  I have found that letting students share their interests combined with sharing my excitement about different subjects often leads to even more curiousity.  My philosophy is science is two fold: My attitude is "I don't know let's try it!" and "If you haven't made a mess you might not have done science."

I encourage students to ask questions and try to come up with hypothesis whenever possible.

I like to encourage curiosity by answering my students' (or my own children's) questions with questions of my own. A few years ago, I learned that this is called Socratic seminar, a teaching method in which the teacher asks open-ended questions in order to prompt students to think critically, articulate their thoughts, and consider viewpoints of other students through discussion based on their interests and ideas rather than the teacher's. This is useful for the students in my program, because I find that most of their general education classes typically rely on the teacher conveying much of the information as facts to the students rather than allowing them time to explore and investigate on their own. Many of my questions begin with "Why?" or "How?" and I have found this method to be equally effective in discussing science, math, reading, and social studies concepts.