I enjoyed reading the book “The Surgeon of Crowthorne” by Simon Winchester so I was attracted to his creation “Knowing What We Know” which happened to appear in my Audio Books’ offering.



I downloaded and started listening. I wasn’t disappointed because he has a way with creative thoughts, though what he writes is fairly dense and not really suitable for background noise - it really requires some concentration. I was taken with his thoughts on Curiosity and ‘its resulting increase in Knowledge for the Curious. Naturally my mind journeyed to education and whether over the years I had fostered Curiosity enough. It is so easy to simply tell students or lead them to a conclusion rather than letting them find out for themselves. Obviously experiential learning is very powerful and that can be a reason why Outdoor Ed is so successful with students experiencing the intended lessons. However there are also a heap of other subjects which relate particularly to them.

Science experiments, done well, will also satisfy curiosity as indeed will Social Science activities which may include interviewing, measuring, counting, observing etc. Activities such as cooking, manual arts, sport etc. will also be vital platforms for curiosity. Making friendships in school with other people and indeed being curious about the reaction to behaviour all help to enrich a person’s journey. Being required to make a speech in front of a group will perhaps result in the belief, “I thought I couldn’t but I can” which is wonderful knowledge to have.

Yes, I’m confident that in Australia we are promoting Curiosity and Understandable Knowledge is flowing in a reasonable stream. However it is good to be aware of the relationship and as teachers take whatever possibilities we have to promote it. Recently St Philips completed an exciting new building called the “Discovery Centre” where students can satisfy their curiosity by exploring ideas with the assistance of a range of stimuli .Outside are the College experimental gardens complimented by chooks and three goats.

I haven’t had much to do with goats but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed meeting these, particularly the little male with his proud set of horns and mischievous eyes. His name is Geoffrey. I was curious as to how he would accept the name ,but he seems to love it.

It is always interesting observing how students tackle a climbing wall or raw rock climbing. Their curiosity will often relate to fear and at what level they feel they will be able to cope.

Obviously there is plenty of room for “don’ts” in order to keep kids safe, and perhaps smooth part of their journey, but it should not be all don’ts. Experiential learning is so valuable. I recall the story about Kurt Hahn, a champion of experiential learning. He was addressing a student who had broken a rule. His normal punishment was for a student to have to walk to the next village and back again, about 10 Km. He would deliver the task with the statement, “I’m not going to check as to whether you complete this task. If you do, you will learn something; if you don’t you will learn nothing. It’s up to you.”

I can recall my brother and I leading a group of 29 youth group members through Cradle Mountain National Park in the early 70’s. Some students were strong walkers and some weren’t. One girl really struggled, going from one button grass clump to another and the stopping. I spent much of my time as the last person (Tail End Charlie). Instead of being frustrated with the girl I found the experience filled me with admiration. Yes, she was painfully slow, but didn’t give up. She would have been 16 then and it was wonderful to meet her at a reunion a few years ago when she would have been 63. She had approached life with courage and made a success of it. Maybe the Cradle Mountain Journey played some part in her realising that if she did keep going she would succeed.

Yes, perhaps Curiosity didn’t necessarily ‘Kill the Cat’ and schools can be pleased with the opportunities provided with Curiosity and its powerful journey into Knowledge. But sadly, an oppressive school filled with don’ts and often fear will successfully short change a child’s education.