When I Grow Up: Strategies for Nurturing Curiosity in Elementary Students

When I Grow Up: Strategies for Nurturing
Curiosity in Elementary Students
Kristy Cunningham
Image Anne Fitten Glenn on Flickr.

Kristy Cunningham
OurPresenterToday
Kristy Cunningham is a user experience designer and former English Language Arts
teacher who specializes in learning experiences. Originally from central Ohio, curiosity,
play and imagination were essential in reinventing the space around her as a child.
Kristy has her Masters degree from Michigan State University in Serious Game Design and
works with Hobsons’ Global User Experience Team to design solutions that connect
learning and life. She is particularly fond of magical stories for children, teenagers, and
adults who never grew up.

I’m looking forward to our chat about curiosity, elementary school, and how you can cultivate
curiosity to increase engagement and get students started exploring postsecondary possibilities.
You’ll walk away with practical suggestions for how keep your students in the Zone of Curiosity.
Welcome

KidsAspire!
“When I grow up I want to
study dinosaur bones!”
“I would like to act in
movies!”
Rising
Kindergartner
Future Paleontologist
Rising First
Grader
Future Actor “I want to be a doctor like
my parents.”
Rising Third Grader
Future Doctor
“I’m going to make auto
drive, get rich, and buy an
NFL team!”
Rising Fifth
Grader
Future Entrepreneur
2 041

Why We’re Here
The School Cliff: Students’ Engagement
Drops Over Time
% Engaged
Elementary
School
Middle
School
High
School
76
61
44
TheElementaryEngagement Peak

Why We’re Here
TheAspirations Gap
Percentage of middle
school students who
aspire to go to college
Percentage of middle
school students who
actually enroll
Percentage of first-time,
full-time students that
complete a 2-year degree
44%
Percentage of first-time,
full-time students that
complete a 4-year degree
93% 31%59%
Source: Educational Policy Improvement Center Source: NCES

Research shows that curiosity is just as important to academic achievement as intelligence.
Curiosity isKey

Engaged students.
Image by Laurie Sullivan on Flickr.

Kristy Cunningham
UX Designer at Hobsons
Clients
and End
Users
User
Experience
Designers
Engineers
and QA
Analysts
Product
Managers
Learning
&
Life

My neighbors.
Image by Oregon State University on Flickr.

Like Belle from Beauty and the Beast, I was always looking for the next book to read.
Image by Disney from Beauty and the Beast.

Books were a great way for me to try out future hats for myself with no risks.
Image by Stephanie Overton on Flickr.

In high school I got access to the world wide web and this was life changing.
Image by VanWest College on Flickr.

I’ll define curiosity and what it
means for elementary students.
I’ll provide an overview of
research that unpacks why
curiosity is important.
I’ll tie that back to specific
life-long benefits for curious
people.
What is curiosity? Why is it important? What are the benefits?
Down the Rabbit
Hole
Image by Duncan Harris on Flickr.

n. The desire to learn or
know more about something
or someone.
Think of Alice from Lewis Carroll’s classic Alice in Wonderland, Jack Skellington in Tim
Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, or the Doctor of Doctor Who fame.
What is curiosity?

Maw and Maw (1964)
Down the Rabbit Hole
CuriosityinElementarySchool Children
"...curiosity is demonstrated by an elementary school child when he: (1) reacts positively to new,
strange, incongruous, or mysterious elements in his environment by moving toward them, by
exploring, or by manipulating them, (2) exhibits a need or a desire to know more about himself
and/or his environment, (3) scans his surroundings seeking new experiences, and (4) persists
in examining and exploring stimuli in order to know more about them."

Marilyn Price Mitchell, Ph. D. places curiosity at the heart of life-long learning.
Image by Lisa L. Wiedmeier on Flickr.

TheImpact ofCuriosity
Learning and curiosity
(Gruber et al, 2014)
Curiosity and intelligence
(von Stumm et al, 2011)
Curiosity and other traits
(Arnone & Small, 1995)
Curiosity and work satisfaction
(Gallup)
Curiosity and motivation
(Day, 1982)
Many studies confirm the
benefits of a curious mind.
Image Courtney Carmody rsity on Flickr.

Change the story with curiosity
% Engaged
Elementary
School
Middle
School
High
School
76
61
44
Stopthedrop!
Image Mads Boker on Flickr.

I’ll define curiosity and what it
means for elementary students.
I’ll provide an overview of
research that unpacks why
curiosity is important.
I’ll tie that back to specific
life-long benefits for curious
people.
Space for Curiosity 6 Core Themes How to Use Them
Growing Up in
Wonderland
Image by Siavash Ghadiri Zahrani on Flickr.

Growing Up in Wonderland
Curiosity
Students with just enough choices
and stimulation become alert and
a ready to be curious (Day, 1982).
Relaxation
If students don’t have enough
stimulation in their
environment, they will be too
relaxed to explore.
Getting it “Just right”
Making the right environment
for each student is where adult
intervention comes into play.
Anxiety
Students who have too much
going on (tasks, choices, etc.)
may have too much anxiety to
be comfortable exploring.
TheZoneof Curiosity
Zone of Curiosity
Exploring
Excited
Interested
Zone of
Relaxation
Bored
Unmotivated
Disinterested
Zone of
Anxiety
Avoiding
Defensive
Disinterested
Very Efficient
Inefficient

Curiosity is fragile.
Image by Christian Schnettelker on Flickr.

Maslow’sHierarchyof Needs
Safety
Students cannot feel as though
they are in emotional or physical
danger if they are going to
explore.
Self-Actualization
Curiosity is most likely part of
self-actualization. This means
students need a lot of support
to stay curious.
Basic Needs
Hydration, sleep, and nutrition
all have key roles to play in
supporting a curious mind.
Competence and Care
Students must feel that they
are capable and have the
respect of others, to feel safe
exploring.
Safety
Love and Belonging
Esteem
Self-Actualization
Physiological

Seeing CuriosityinAction withourPilot
Before launching Naviance for Elementary, Hobsons did a 3 month pilot in 7 districts across the United States, making sure
content and design was aligned to the needs of different teachers, counselors, students, and district challenges.
1st and 5th Grade Classrooms
We had created test activities for our
oldest and youngest elementary students
to see how each approach would vary.
Students with Free/Reduced Lunch
Our pilot schools had high numbers of
students (80%+) facing challenges
associated with poverty.
First Generation Families
Our pilot schools also had high numbers of
students whose parents and guardians did
not have the opportunity to go to college.
7
Unique
Districts
Pilot districts from Maryland, South
Carolina, Mississippi, and Colorado
participated in our pilot. There was a
mixture of urban, suburban and rural
schools.

Student interests, self awareness, and self discovery are at the heart of the elementary
experience. By giving students choices, defined by their interests, students excel. In addition,
autonomy is a psychologically proven intrinsic motivator. When exposing students to new ideas,
schools and institutions can help tie back to individual identities and interests to connect
learning to life.
StartwithStudentInterests
1

Goosebumps books
Image by Nathan on Flickr.

3rd graders exploring books.
Image by K.W. Barrett on Flickr.

Students are very interested in exploring what makes them unique.
Image by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Flickr.

No one is asking, ‘What’s up
with you?’
Don’t let high school college conversations be the first time adults ask students about
their interests. Student interests are a key way to connect learning to life at any age!

Screenshot
Individual Interests in Naviance for Elementary School
Students love to figure out what makes them tick. Because of that, many of our lessons show students how
other people have used their interests to pursue a post secondary pathway that works for them.
Self-Discovery

CarpetConversations
• Ask students about their favorite activities
outside of school.
• Provide students opportunities to tell you about
topics they would like to learn more about.
• Allow students to have a Q and A session with
you – or another adult.
• Create a safe space, then let students talk about
their values and why it matters to them.
Use Circle Time to Casually Invite Curiosity
Image by the U.S. Department of Education on Flickr.

Assessments
• Have students participate in a Clifton based
strengths assessment, like Gallup’s
StrengthsExplorer®.
• Help students learn their personality type
through a personality inventory.
• Conduct an interest inventory.
Help students learn more about themselves
Image by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers on Flickr.

ReportsandResearch
• Assign a project where students explore a
career cluster of interest then write a report,
make a video, or create a presentation to share
with the class.
• Let students pick out books related to career
interests or college interests at the library.
• Create a curated list of web based tools
students can use to learn more about colleges
and careers of interest.
Help Students Dig Deeper
Image by Woodleywonderworks on Flickr.

Show students you care about what makes them curious!
Image by the U.S. Department of Education on Flickr.

Students desire to express themselves from an early age. By providing in-classroom and on-
screen opportunities for expression, students become more engaged. Student expression
ranges from drawing to discussion to writing and more. Foster more expression because the
stronger students become at asking questions about their world and explaining their strengths,
interests, values, and beliefs, the better self-advocates they become.
Encourage Expression
2

Kids of all ages want to express themselves.
Image by Steven Depolo on Flickr.

Expression through
Writing
• Have students keep a journal as they explore
colleges and careers. Ask them to add an entry
every week.
• Have students write letters to professionals
(or to you) telling about their interests.
• Create a “smart phone” worksheet where kids
can write physical texts to self and put them
on your bulletin boards.
• Give students emoji stickers they can use to
show how they feel in their reflections.
Students looked for journaling
opportunities

Expression takes many forms.
Image by Western Arctic National Parkland on Flickr.

Students like to make things.
Image by Steven Depolo on Flickr.

“Take chances! Make
mistakes! Get messy!”
Ms. Frizzle’s motto in the 90s TV series based on The Magic School Bus books by Joanna
Cole is a great way to set a tone ripe for curiosity. Discovery is messy! Expression is messy!
Life is messy! Help students embrace it.

Empathize
Use the knowledge
you’ve gained about
real people to define
the challenge you want
to solve. What do they
need?
Create as many ideas
as possible for how to
solve the challenge.
Think outside the box
and don’t discard any
ideas.
Define Ideate Prototype Test
DesignThinkingandExpression
Talk to real people
about challenges they
face. Learn about how
they feel, what’s
working and not
working, and what they
think could help.
Vote on the best of
your ideas. Then
prototype them. You
want to build just
enough of each idea so
that you can test with
the people you want to
help.
Invite real people to try
out the prototype/s.
Collect feedback. Once
you know what worked
and didn’t work, start
over! Eventually you’ll
have a great solution.

Design thinking helps students test solutions to real world problems using empathy and inquiry.
Image by Jaya Ramchandani on Flickr.

Students of all ages find stories memorable. As they grow up, narrative becomes an important
part of learning and expression. Historically, stories have been leveraged to pass on the
collective wisdom of entire generations. Tell stories to hook students, help them picture
themselves in new roles, and become heroes on the path to a calling they are still discovering.
Tell Stories
3

TheHerowitha
Thousand Faces
“The first popular work to combine the spiritual and
psychological insights of modern psychoanalysis with
the archetypes of world mythology, the book creates a
roadmap for navigating the frustrating path of
contemporary life. Examining heroic myths in the light
of modern psychology, it considers not only the
patterns and stages of mythology but also its
relevance to our lives today--and to the life of any
person seeking a fully realized existence.”
From Good Reads …

TheHero’sJourney
The Hero’s Journey or Monomyth is a story structure repeated
across human history via myths, novels, movies, and more.
o The Ordinary World
o The Call to Adventure
o The Refusal of the Call
o The Meeting with the Mentor
o Crossing the Threshold
o Tests/Allies/Enemies
o The Approach to the Ordeal
o The Ordeal
o The Reward
o The Road Back
o Atonement with the Father/Mother
o The Return to the Ordinary World
The Stages of the Hero’s
Journey
The
Ordinary
World
A return to
the Ordinary
world,
changed by
the reward
The Journey
Home and
Final Battle
A life
changing
ordeal where
a reward is
achieved
A Trail of
Challenges
with many
Meetings
The Call To
Adventure

TheHero’sJourneyinAction
o The Ordinary World: The pleasant land of the Shire.
o The Call to Adventure: Gandalf arrives and invites him to help the
Dwarves reclaim their homeland.
o The Refusal of the Call: Bilbo wants none of it.
o The Meeting with the Mentor: Gandalf convinces him.
o Crossing the Threshold: He chooses to go to Rivendell.
o Tests/Allies/Enemies: They face tests, such as goblins, orcs and the
Gollum.
o The Approach to the Ordeal: Bilbo sneaks into Smaug’s cave.
o The Ordeal: Bilbo must face Smaug.
o The Reward: Bilbo learns the secret to defeating Smaug.
o The Road Back: Bilbo shares his secret with the villagers of Laketown
which saves them from Smaug’s wrath.
o Atonement with the Father/Mother: Bilbo reconciles the dwarves.
o The Return to the Ordinary World: Bilbo returns home, changed by
his time with dwarves, elves, and wizards.
The Hero’s Journey via the Hobbit
The
Ordinary
World
A return to
the Ordinary
world,
changed by
the reward
The Journey
Home and
Final Battle
A life
changing
ordeal where
a reward is
achieved
A Trail of
Challenges
with many
Meetings
The Call To
Adventure

TheHero’sJourneyinthe5StepLessonPlan
The five step lesson plan shares some elements of the hero’s
journey already.
o Warm Up
o Direct Instruction
o Guided Practice
o Independent Practice
o Closing
The Five Step Lesson Plan
The
Ordinary
World
A return to
the Ordinary
world,
changed by
the reward
The Journey
Home and
Final Battle
A life
changing
ordeal where
a reward is
achieved
A Trail of
Challenges
with many
Meetings
The Call To
Adventure

Part of a Naviance for Elementary School 5 step lesson plan

A teacher reading to her students.
Image by Read Across America on Flickr.

BookSuggestions in
OurLessonPlans
Image by North Charleston on Flickr.

Discovering CareersandPathwayswithStories
Naviance for Elementary School
includes many human characters.
Many of these characters have
stories students can uncover such as
what career path they are on, what
college the went to, and why they
made certain postsecondary choices.
We encourage teachers to add
richness by telling their own stories
to students too!
Storytelling

Screenshot
Expression in Naviance for Elementary School
Stories remain one of the age-old ways to help humans make mean. We use stories in our interactive
activities to help make ideas sticky.
Stories

Even the youngest of students understand that they are on a pathway to becoming an adult –
that they are human. They expect college and career content to connect to people. They seek
opportunities to interact with other humans as they make sense of the world and their place
within it. Nurture relationships by linking content to humans and providing moments for
students to connect with peers, educators, their families, and communities so that students
know that they are not in this alone.
Build Relationships
4

Adult relationships are very important to students.
Image by Sonny Abesamis on Flickr.

BuildRelationshipsonIndividualInterests

Family matters to students.
Image by Ryan Polei on Flickr.

AdultsSupport
Curiosity
• Conduct student-led conferences and let
students share their aspirations with you and
family members.
• Help students create a portfolio they can
showcase to adults.
• Have conversations with families about how
they can help their child/ren achieve their
aspirations.
• Help family members with tips from today’s
session they can use to grow curiosity with their
children.
• Involve parents and community members in
school activities that require exploration – like
career days and field trips!
Help Support Relationships
Image by Woodleywonderworks on Flickr.

Students quickly look for relationships with their peers.
Image by Shenandoah National Park on Flickr.

An affinity space is a virtual or
physical space where
informal learning takes place.
Popularized by James Paul Gee, affinity spaces are environments where groups of people
are drawn together by shared interests or engagement in a topic or activity.

Build Friendships with
Affinity Spaces
• Offer students clubs or after school activities
based on different interests.
• Create student groups or projects around
individual interests.
• Let students self organize into groups around
topics of interest.
• Create a private online class forum that you
moderate where students can discuss topics of
interest, like careers. You can even get families
involved!
How to create affinity spaces
Image by Denali National Park on Flickr.

PracticesareTranslatable Between Affinity Spaces
Computer Games
It starts with a
shared interest
in gaming
Graphics Programmer
Benjamin finds he likes writing
code and algorithms that help
virtual objects look textured or
well lit. He joins a professional
organization around graphics
programming.
Computer Science
Benjamin makes the
connection between writing
and computer games in
college. He takes a class in
Computer Science and then
decides to take a lot more.
Writing
Benjamin really liked making
up stories about characters
in Minecraft with some
friends. In middle school he
joins Power of the Pen.
2nd
Grade
Then a more
specific
community
Career
Benjamin loves
computer games. He
joins a group of other
kids that like to play
Minecraft.
Writing stories
becomes
writing code
College
This translates
to writing
6th
Grade

“You are not in this alone.”
Help create an environment that fosters relationships that build social supports for
students as they pursue their interests and the possibilities that connect to them.
Remember, students are only curious when they feel it is safe to explore, and just like in
the game The Legend of Zelda “It is dangerous to go alone.”

Students seek feedback in order to understand where they are at on a given pathway. Positive
and negative feedback is essential to allow students to discover a future that fits them. Provide
feedback that is informative and encouraging, so that students can learn from mistakes and
celebrate successes with you. This helps them develop a feeling of competence and self-
confidence as they try out possibilties.
ProvideFeedback
5

Positive Feedback
Thanks for
being so
thoughtful.
Your folder is
really well
organized
today.
Your essay
was very
persuasive.
Nice job
demonstrating
college and
career
readiness
behavior.
Way to go! That’s 3
perfect spelling
tests in a row!

Negative Feedback
How about
writing your
name at the
top of the
paper instead.
Remember,
crisscross
applesauce.
Shouting is
not a choice.
Now is not the
time for
drawing. Why don’t you
try that one
again?

ThePowerof“Don’t”
Once students see your disapproval they become
more concerned with pleasing you than exploring.
Kids want to make teachers, parents, and other adults
happy!
Be careful with how you frame rules and negative
feedback. Exploration isn’t a paint by numbers
approach. You want to make sure your reinforcement
of rules still allows room for discovery.
Choose a New Phrase
Image by Roland Lakis on Flickr.

No matter how out of this world, help students explore their postsecondary interests. Ask
questions that help students discover related domains. K-5 students have a lot of hats to try
on before they graduate!
Image by Glen Beltz on Flickr.

Feedback inNaviance forElementarySchool
There is no failure in
Naviance for Elementary
School.
When a student makes a
mistake, our host character,
C.C. says, “Oops! Try again,”
to encourage students.
If a student fails to find a
correct response after 3 tries,
the system will highlight a
correct match (character,
object, building, etc) so they
can move on.

Empathize Define Ideate Prototype Test
DesignThinkingBanksonFailuretoSolve
Problems
Testing doesn’t always
go the way you think.
That’s why it is
important to reflect and
go back to empathizing.
Use the knowledge
you’ve gained about
real people to define
the challenge you want
to solve. What do they
need?
Create as many ideas
as possible for how to
solve the challenge.
Think outside the box
and don’t discard any
ideas.
Talk to real people
about challenges they
face. Learn about how
they feel, what’s
working and not
working, and what they
think could help.
Vote on the best of
your ideas. Then
prototype them. You
want to build just
enough of each idea so
that you can test with
the people you want to
help.

Encourage.
Our words and actions have the power to give students the courage to explore.

Students are very conscious of their status as humans. Design the learning experience, from
lesson plans to interactions, to be developmentally appropriate for students without being
perceived as “babyish”. Acknowledge that your elementary students come from diverse
communities that are part of a global majority and respect students’ roots in how you talk about
students, their families, and their world.
GiveRespect
6

Kids need a balance of challenge and fun to feel respected – don’t let fun becoming “babyish.”
Image by Jenny Cu on Flickr.

Activities forK-2
The K-2 experience includes
bright colors, recognizable
characters, and voiceovers to
appeal to an early reading
audience.

Activities forGrades3-5
The 3-5 experience uses color pops
on a neutral background to appear
more mature.
There is no host characters and
students learn through reading
instead of a voiceover.
Teachers can use techniques like
choral reading and pairing to help
readers with low confidence.

Respect for families is critical when supporting a child’s exploration of what’s possible for them.
Image by Jose Ibarra on Flickr.

“A lot of parents aren’t high school
graduates but the program is equitable.
It never puts down their community.”
Our pilot counselors want messaging that respects the devotion students have to their families and
communities. They want to partner with families to help students dream big and empower students
to make their communities even better.

MeetingwithParents,
Families, and
Guardians
• Create community events like dinners and
college fairs to bring parents and families into
the school in a casual environment.
• Hold office hours at non-traditional times.
• Hold virtual office hours for parents and
families who need to connect on the go.
• Send home surveys and newsletters to families
to involve them, even if their schedule keeps
them from being at the school.
Building Respect Starts with Home
Image by Laurie Sullivan on Flickr.

Culturally Responsive
Teaching
• Communicate high standards – tell students
you provide tough feedback because you know
they can achieve.
• Create opportunities for students to learn within
the context of their own culture.
• Reshape your curriculum to better reflect your
student audience. For example, find examples of
great scientists who share a background with
your students.
• Frame families and communities in a positive
light.
• Remember, your experience brings a lot to the
table, but it is not the same experience your
student audience may be bringing to the
classroom.
Build the Community Culture of Your
Students Into Your Class Culture
Image by Jayel Aheram on Flickr.

Culturally responsive techniques are as diverse as your students. Explore what is out there that
might work for your unique students.
Image by Utahwildflowers on Flickr.

We’ll review today’s discussion. You’ll be offered a chance to ask
questions.
Inquisitively go forth and explore
with your students!
Summary Q and A Closing
Curiouser and
Curiouser
Image by Sam Sherratt on Flickr.

I’d love to hear any questions you might have about the content we’ve discussed today.
Questions

“Theimportantthingisto notstopquestioning.
Curiosityhasits ownreasonforexistence.One
cannothelpbutbe inawe whenhe contemplatesthe
mysteriesofeternity,of life,of themarvellous
structureofreality.Itis enoughif onetriesmerelyto
comprehenda little ofthismysteryeveryday.”
Curiouser and Curiouser
- Albert Einstein

When I Grow Up: Strategies for Nurturing Curiosity in Elementary Students

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When I Grow Up: Strategies for Nurturing Curiosity in Elementary Students