Curiosity, the cat and what got it back.

“Curiosity killed the cat ” a well-known idiom is said to have originated from the William Shakespeare novel / play -Much Ado about Nothing, which is set in the years 1598-99. In Much Ado, Claudio says, ‘What, courage man! what though care killed a cat, thou hast mettle enough in thee to kill care.’ The first reference of the modern usage with the word “curiosity” however dates back to 1873, when it was incorporated in A handbook of proverbs: by James Allan Mair.

There is a different impetus around the word “ curiosity now a days, with students encouraged to be curious and forming an important part of education. In fact curiosity is key part of learning and one of the intangibles in pedagogy like STEM Education. Studies has shown that when students are curious about subjects, they are more likely to retain and remember information about those topics. Steve Jobs once said “ Much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity an intuition turned out to be priceless later on.

”STEM Education are natural curiosity hubs and the program is designed for learning around curiosity. Curiosity and STEM feed into each other and help each other to emerge and succeed. In fact a successful STEM career and education and a questioning / curious and creative mind are also wonderfully aligned.

Anne Jolly has put it wonderfully when she writes “ Curiosity is a magical state of mind that supercharges learning. Children enter the world filled with curiosity and constantly asking questions. They keenly observe the world around them and connect ideas. They build things, take things apart, constantly explore, and try new things. In a nutshell, children are great natural learners — just the kind of learners we need for successful STEM work (or any work, for that matter).The onus on educators to make classrooms curiosity hubs has never been more important in the years of technology driven programs and modules where attention spans have been diminishing. With practical learning and push of STEM programs this becomes if not easier, at least more interesting for the students.

And the poem got completed - ― Tamora Pierce , Trickster's Choice“Curiosity killed the cat,” Fesgao remarked, his dark eyes unreadable.

Aly rolled her eyes. Why did everyone say that to her? “People always forget the rest of the saying,” she complained. “‘And satisfaction brought it back.

”Some good reads for educators on making vibrant classrooms

https://blog.pearsoninternationalschools.com/how-to-promote-curiosity-in-your-students-when-learning-from-home/

https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/20/11/curious-mind

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/8-pathways-curiosity-hungry-mind-marilyn-price-mitchell