Have you ever wondered if there is a relationship between brain development and questioning??
We do know that a child’s brain develops more than any other time in his life. The brain is the command center of the human body. A baby has all of the brain cells (neurons) they’ll have for the rest of their life, but it’s the connections between these cells that really make the brain work.
Children are curious by nature. They are born with the art of questioning. They want to question things more than answer. Is it because they know less? Well, I would say, it is because they want to know more. This is one way that helps them make connections.
Little children have a natural desire to learn, which seem to reduce and drop as they grow older. It is because they are expected to stop questioning and start learning. Learning without having a curious mind filled with questions is incomplete learning. Learning without having the opportunities to pour out their questions and inquire is inappropriate learning. Asking questions plays an important role in cognitive development. Having a mind full of questions puts the child on a trajectory to inquiry and learning.
As parents and as teachers, we want our students to learn. We need to make sure to provide an environment and make conscious efforts to provide them with opportunities to make inquiries. It is undeniable that children’s questions can get overwhelming for any parent or child. You may end up being asked more than 300 questions per day.
As a mother, I have many times told my 10 year old daughter to ask Google instead of me because either I may not have had the answer or the time. Today , I do realise that at that moment, I killed her instinct to know more and took away her opportunity to make connections. I put a stop to her imaginations. Well, I may not have all the answers, but it is my responsibility to keep her fire of inquiry going. Is it possible for me to attend to her almost always immediately? Of course not. My daughter and I came up with a solution to maintain a book called, MY BOOK OF PERSONAL INQUIRIES. She now writes down her questions in her book and we look for answers at our convenient time every day.
I have now started taking interest in finding answers to her questions, along with her. I now show enthusiasm to her questions. I invite her questions with admiration for her thoughts and astonishment for her imagination. In a nutshell, I appreciate her for asking questions and convey how her questions help me learn to. We brainstorm even more questions and exchange wonderings.
This change in my approach towards her questions has not only encouraged her to be more imaginative, and a curious learner but has transformed our relationship.
By Mamta Motwani
