I have a confession to make. I'm an incorrigible
science junkie. I fell in love with science in senior high school. My first
real introduction to the world of science was through the elegant and
exquisitely shaped molecule called DNA. It was Circa 1984 when my Science
Teacher showed us a model of DNA. It was love at first sight and by the time I
finished school, I had maniacally devoured most of the back editions of the
venerable Popular Science (just to inform readers who were born into
the Age of Internet, this magazine was a must-read for every nerd in
school and college, between the 1960s and 80s) and even managed to make sense
of the more abstruse Scientific American. This addiction had its pleasant
consequences (I could show off my newly acquired knowledge to girls in school)
and unpleasant ones too (my science teachers weren't too impressed with my
new-found passion and 'down-graded' me for not sticking to the syllabus!).
Nevertheless, I was hooked to science and had begun a life-long affair, with a
particular fetish for molecules and sub-atomic particles. I remember collecting
pictures of molecules and particles, the way kids collect pictures of
cricketers. I was fascinated by Hemoglobins, Collagens, RNAs, Bosons (not
the least because it was named after an Indian) and Neutrinos.
But, as is almost always the case, there was a hitch...I was
terrible in Mathematics and still break into a cold sweat even when my son (a
strapping young lad with no fear of the subject) has to appear for a Math exam.
The disappointment notwithstanding, throughout my adult life I have been able
to sustain my curiosity and interest in all aspects of science. I chose Biology
in College because I thought it would help me to delve deep into science,
without the constricting Math handicap. It was the best decision I ever took.
The next best decision I took was to become a teacher, in my early Thirties,
which was actuated partially due to this insatiable curiosity of the unknown.
This curiosity soon spilled over to other equally vast and exciting areas of
knowledge in the field of Literature, Social sciences, philosophy and even
mysticism. I realized, quite early in life, that all knowledge had to converge
somewhere and fields and specializations are merely human constructs created
for convenience. This perceptiveness of the unity of knowledge or 'Consilience',
(to borrow E.O. Wilson's title of his book by the same name) has a made this
journey a joyous one.
My long journey of "pursuit of knowledge for its own
sake and not for any further goal," (an Aristotelian ideal) has
been a roller-coaster ride, experiencing wonderful insights alternating with
intellectually demanding but ultimately futile dead-ends. No subject was too
remote, untouchable or impregnable and this relentless quest for knowledge,
bordering on unrestrained 'infovory' (rhymes well with carnivory!) One
has spent many a holiday enjoying works ranging from how Stalinist Russia
exploited viruses for treating bacterial infections during World War II to
studying about paranormal investigations, conducted almost a century ago, in The
Theosophical Society on the "extrasensory perception of subatomic
particles." I have traversed through some of the highways, the streets and
even the dark, narrow, shadowy by-lanes of knowledge. One has been entertained,
amused, tickled, provoked, introspected, reflected, amazed and even blinded by
the genius and brilliance of great minds of the past and their timeless
contribution to the inexorable march of knowledge, only to be completely
flummoxed by a core tenet in Indian philosophy which maintains that the pursuit
of knowledge and philosophy is irrelevant and may actually be a serious
hindrance to attaining Moksha (total knowledge). Paradoxes
galore!
This leaves the seeker of knowledge with the question...what
next? Is this state of thirst for knowledge, ultimately, no different from
the condition of a drug addict waiting to get his next fix? Does the
"knowledge junkie" undergo stresses and strains to understand a
difficult concept...losing sleep over it but once he gets it, feels on top of
the world...till the next problem comes along? Prof. Biederman, a
Neuroscientist with the USC College of Arts and Sciences, Southern
California , seems to acknowledge this when he says " The
brain's craving for a fix motivates humans to maximize the rate at which they
absorb knowledge."
Teaching for curiosity - The evidence
I have no special talents. I'm only passionately curious. -
Albert Einstein
As a self-confessed knowledge junkie, I have serious
philosophical and existential questions on the limitations and at times, the
futility of pursuing knowledge. But, as a teacher of young people,I have no
doubts whatsoever, on my function. I see my role as one who creates the right
conditions for curiosity to be triggered and expanded in young minds. I'm a
father of two and after watching kids closely for many years, am convinced that
curiosity is an innate quality expressed by all children. It is as fundamental
as thirst for water or hunger for food. It is a truism that this quality in
human beings is the engine for all growth and growth of civilizations. The greatest minds have all had high levels of curiosity.
And it is little wonder that people with high levels of curiosity also exhibit
intelligence and knowledge of the world.
I thought about it for years and wondered whether
curiosity, the thirst for knowledge and intelligence were somehow related. The
connections were obvious and seemed intuitively true but I hadn't come across
any evidence. The evidence came to me from an unlikely source....Molecules! I
had subscribed to "Molecule of the Month" from online scientific
magazines and one such molecule, the almost unknown Neuronal Calcium
Sensor 1 or NCS-1 landed in my mail. Scientists from University of Toronto
This was the clinching evidence I was looking for! The study
concluded that the molecules in the brain that controlled learning and memory
also controlled curiosity. From a teacher's point of view, the study directly
implies that if a teacher is able to foster curiosity in children, he will
automatically foster intelligence and vice versa. More research needs to be
done but here is something to start working on.
Teachers, almost all over the world, at times, feel harassed by the
incessant questioning of students of young minds. But some of us have the
courage to answer these questions and provoke them to ask even more questions.
The trick is not to dampen their curiosity but fire up their minds with ideas,
images, thoughts. It doesn't matter if one is not able to teach everything in a
particular topic...just make sure that you have fueled their curiosity enough
to enable them to carry on the inquiry. Research has shown that delivering
content to kids without context or generating inquiry, demotivates students,
dulls curiosity, seriously affecting learning. Authentic learning doesn't seem
to happen without curiosity. So, it goes without saying that generating and
sustaining curiosity in students is crucial to learning and curiosity is killed
when teachers instill fear. Fear is key to control of students but kills all
freedom of thought and curiosity. Fear kills all teaching-learning
processes. It is up to each one of us to rescue and revive the natural
curiosity lying dormant in all our kids.
Now, what are we doing to our kids?
