WEBVTT 00:00:00.050 --> 00:00:02.779 Hello and welcome to another episode of Blooming Curious. 00:00:02.990 --> 00:00:06.050 If you've been teaching for longer than five minutes, you agree and 00:00:06.050 --> 00:00:07.730 know the children have changed. 00:00:08.270 --> 00:00:12.139 Kids are just more easily distracted, they're less calm, 00:00:12.440 --> 00:00:14.420 and they struggle to focus. 00:00:14.870 --> 00:00:19.250 We can argue the million and one reasons for it, but ultimately, no 00:00:19.250 --> 00:00:23.960 matter which way we slice and dice it, the fact remains the children 00:00:24.290 --> 00:00:29.780 are less curious, but what if you could completely shift the 00:00:29.780 --> 00:00:35.135 energy in your classroom or homeroom space without throwing out 00:00:35.135 --> 00:00:36.935 everything you are already doing? 00:00:37.625 --> 00:00:43.175 What if engaging students didn't mean reinventing the wheel, but simply 00:00:43.175 --> 00:00:45.305 looking at it from a different angle? 00:00:46.385 --> 00:00:50.345 Hi, my name is Edwina and I'm here today to tell you about something 00:00:50.345 --> 00:00:55.025 that's made all the difference in my teaching and in children's learning. 00:00:55.655 --> 00:00:58.115 But first, let me tell you where all this began. 00:00:59.269 --> 00:01:04.340 Years ago during my practicum, I spent time in a school where the entire teaching 00:01:04.340 --> 00:01:06.679 approach was based on direct instruction. 00:01:07.460 --> 00:01:11.630 This was a school that was hell bent on great NAPLAN scores. 00:01:12.050 --> 00:01:16.460 NAPLAN is the national standardized assessment here in Australia for 00:01:16.460 --> 00:01:19.399 students in years 3, 5, 7, and nine, 00:01:19.490 --> 00:01:22.280 and it tests literacy and numeracy skills. 00:01:22.820 --> 00:01:26.720 And in this particular school, yes, it did help them with their scores, 00:01:26.720 --> 00:01:30.800 but there was no creativity, no exploration, and no room for curiosity, 00:01:30.800 --> 00:01:32.960 and definitely no creative expression. 00:01:33.380 --> 00:01:34.520 Children sat still. 00:01:34.520 --> 00:01:37.310 They followed commands and completed worksheets. 00:01:37.730 --> 00:01:40.130 Behavior was managed through humiliation. 00:01:40.835 --> 00:01:44.865 Think about sending kids out to spend time in a different classroom, a traffic light 00:01:44.885 --> 00:01:50.795 system where at the end of each day a behavior diary was sent home, and children 00:01:50.855 --> 00:01:55.175 that had three warnings that day had to stand in front of the class, in front of 00:01:55.175 --> 00:01:57.275 their peers and explain their behavior. 00:01:57.545 --> 00:01:59.495 And these were four or five year olds. 00:02:00.335 --> 00:02:02.915 This environment was lifeless. 00:02:03.400 --> 00:02:04.300 You could feel it. 00:02:05.160 --> 00:02:07.985 You could also feel the tension in the air. 00:02:08.735 --> 00:02:11.795 The kids were there, but they weren't present. 00:02:12.515 --> 00:02:16.685 They weren't alive with questions and wonder or ideas. 00:02:17.075 --> 00:02:20.555 They were just complying, surviving each day. 00:02:21.245 --> 00:02:26.585 I was miserable, and I remember thinking, this cannot be what 00:02:26.585 --> 00:02:28.030 teaching is meant to feel like. 00:02:28.835 --> 00:02:34.355 So when I had my own classroom, I made a decision I would do it differently. 00:02:34.925 --> 00:02:36.515 I didn't have a perfect plan. 00:02:36.935 --> 00:02:42.815 I didn't have flashy resources or endless time, but I had one clear goal, and that 00:02:42.815 --> 00:02:48.605 was to make sure that my classroom was a place where children felt curious, 00:02:49.145 --> 00:02:53.435 where they were happy to come to school and where they wanted to learn. 00:02:53.585 --> 00:02:54.395 That's all I wanted. 00:02:55.265 --> 00:02:56.585 And so I started small. 00:02:56.825 --> 00:03:00.785 I used my intuition as a mother, and I taught the way I had been 00:03:00.785 --> 00:03:02.825 teaching my own children at home. 00:03:03.425 --> 00:03:04.895 I invited questions. 00:03:04.925 --> 00:03:06.665 I invited students to wonder. 00:03:06.965 --> 00:03:11.395 I asked open-ended prompts, and I let learning unfold through 00:03:11.395 --> 00:03:13.735 creativity and problem solving. 00:03:14.305 --> 00:03:16.165 We explored topics deeply. 00:03:16.435 --> 00:03:20.485 We made room for hands-on projects, and I encouraged the 00:03:20.485 --> 00:03:23.005 children to think for themselves. 00:03:23.035 --> 00:03:24.955 I wasn't quick to answer questions. 00:03:24.955 --> 00:03:31.525 They had to explore to some extent, to follow the thread of their own interests. 00:03:31.705 --> 00:03:34.525 And of course, it helped tremendously when I started following 00:03:34.525 --> 00:03:36.265 Claire Warden and Kath Murdoch. 00:03:36.325 --> 00:03:38.485 And then I knew I was onto something. 00:03:39.485 --> 00:03:41.345 And here's the unexpected bonus. 00:03:41.765 --> 00:03:46.625 I rarely had behavioral problems because the kids were engaged. 00:03:47.255 --> 00:03:51.815 I can probably count on one hand the children that were difficult, 00:03:52.355 --> 00:03:55.475 and it was usually because they came with serious issues of their 00:03:55.505 --> 00:03:57.575 own and their own difficulties. 00:03:58.204 --> 00:04:01.475 But for the most part, children were learning. 00:04:01.894 --> 00:04:04.625 They were seen, they had agency. 00:04:05.240 --> 00:04:09.680 Curiosity did more than just create interesting lessons. 00:04:10.160 --> 00:04:12.410 It created a culture. 00:04:13.115 --> 00:04:19.295 A culture of energy and creativity and connection because my own curiosity 00:04:19.655 --> 00:04:21.935 gave children permission to be curious. 00:04:22.205 --> 00:04:26.165 And in case you're wondering, I am also a huge proponent of 00:04:26.165 --> 00:04:28.445 explicit instruction and phonics. 00:04:28.865 --> 00:04:32.975 And so I still had my explicit lessons and in fact, explicit 00:04:32.975 --> 00:04:36.395 instruction and inquiry-based learning dovetail each other. 00:04:37.060 --> 00:04:41.800 You need both in a successful classroom learning environment. 00:04:42.430 --> 00:04:45.550 So don't think of it as an either or situation. 00:04:45.880 --> 00:04:48.280 It's more like both and more. 00:04:48.280 --> 00:04:49.660 As Jessica Vance says. 00:04:50.680 --> 00:04:55.570 Now, this methodology that I was using just came quite naturally to 00:04:55.630 --> 00:05:00.700 me and to my teaching, but I didn't know at the time that it had a name. 00:05:01.400 --> 00:05:06.080 But after years and seeing so many educators and homeschool educators even, 00:05:06.320 --> 00:05:10.520 needing a little structure to inject this type of learning into their own 00:05:10.520 --> 00:05:17.600 practice, I've bundled this approach into something simple and supportive. 00:05:17.850 --> 00:05:23.160 And easy for you to use no matter what kind of school curriculum you are in. 00:05:23.580 --> 00:05:29.370 And I'm calling it the Curiosity Toolkit, and it's designed for educators just like 00:05:29.370 --> 00:05:34.530 you who want to inject curiosity into your classroom or homeschool environment 00:05:34.770 --> 00:05:36.930 without having to redo everything. 00:05:37.635 --> 00:05:42.105 This isn't a program that asks you to overall your whole planning or 00:05:42.105 --> 00:05:43.845 to throw out all your strategies. 00:05:44.235 --> 00:05:46.425 It's just a little mindset shift. 00:05:46.845 --> 00:05:51.405 It's a collection of powerful, doable tweaks, the kind that can 00:05:51.405 --> 00:05:56.940 transform the culture of your classroom in small, consistent ways. 00:05:57.450 --> 00:06:02.100 The toolkit gives you clear strategies, it gives you guiding questions, gives 00:06:02.100 --> 00:06:07.350 you curiosity prompts, and ready to use examples that you can apply whether you 00:06:07.350 --> 00:06:12.450 are in early years or primary years, or even in your own homeschool environment. 00:06:13.240 --> 00:06:18.100 If you've ever thought, I want my students to be more engaged, but 00:06:18.100 --> 00:06:23.110 I don't have time to start from scratch, then this is for you. 00:06:23.620 --> 00:06:27.970 If you've ever wished for fewer behavior battles and more meaningful 00:06:27.970 --> 00:06:31.030 conversations, then this is for you. 00:06:31.240 --> 00:06:34.360 And if you've ever wanted to build a classroom culture 00:06:34.630 --> 00:06:37.030 where learning feels alive. 00:06:37.430 --> 00:06:40.250 Then this is definitely for you. 00:06:41.030 --> 00:06:45.229 You can grab the curiosity toolkit right now via the link that I'll post in the 00:06:45.229 --> 00:06:48.260 show notes and start using it tomorrow. 00:06:48.530 --> 00:06:50.510 Yes, literally tomorrow. 00:06:50.929 --> 00:06:55.905 Because once you unlock the power of curiosity, everything changes. 00:06:56.535 --> 00:07:01.515 So no matter what the outside influences are, you can help children 00:07:01.515 --> 00:07:06.795 come alive again in your space with one small shift at a time. 00:07:07.365 --> 00:07:11.925 So get your curiosity toolkit in the show notes and also while I'm at 00:07:11.925 --> 00:07:14.475 it, can I ask you a massive favor? 00:07:14.625 --> 00:07:16.155 Well, actually it's quite a small favor. 00:07:16.755 --> 00:07:23.405 If you find any of the episodes here, interesting or valuable, please click that 00:07:23.405 --> 00:07:27.424 share button and share it with a friend or colleague that you think might find 00:07:27.424 --> 00:07:29.854 this type of content interesting too. 00:07:30.484 --> 00:07:33.784 So thanks so much for helping the show grow by sharing it. 00:07:34.174 --> 00:07:35.194 Thanks for listening. 00:07:35.194 --> 00:07:39.604 I know that you can listen to a million podcasts, but you chose this 00:07:39.604 --> 00:07:41.465 one, and for that, I'm so grateful. 00:07:42.424 --> 00:07:46.624 And until next week, stay blooming, curious, and take care of yourself.