Curiosity and oracy
Classrooms that invite and celebrate curiosity help to develop active learners who are engaged, motivated and confident – key attributes of success. Importantly, children and young people who know how to ask questions and who follow their curiosity today, will be the lifelong learners, innovators and critical thinkers of tomorrow.
Oracy is a key tool in promoting curiosity. Through active listening, asking relevant questions and discussing these with peers, children and young people take ownership of their learning. Classrooms that give young people space and time to discuss and reflect on their own learning build oracy and help to create the conditions in which curiosity can thrive. Finally, curious classrooms are built upon a culture where uncertainty is valued as much as certainty and asking questions is encouraged as much as giving answers.
Using this resource
This resource is designed to support teachers across the primary and secondary phases to create classrooms that foster curiosity and oracy as interconnected tools for learning and thinking. It outlines a sequence for curiosity which can be utilised flexibly across the curriculum to frame the content you are already teaching in a new way.
The sequence includes five stages which can be used in a single lesson or across a sequence of lessons:
- Spark: ignite interest with hooks, puzzles, problems or prompts
- Wonder: invite initial ideas and ‘wonderings’ based on the prompt
- Question: gather and analyse questions which will drive learning
- Explore: investigate and explore ideas through exploratory talk
- Reflect: consider what has been learned and ask, ‘what next’?
Throughout the sequence, oracy and curiosity support one another by giving children and young people opportunities to share, deepen and hone their curiosity through talk. In addition, each stage includes ‘one small shift’. These adjustments to existing practice can be used within the sequence or incorporated more generally to help support curiosity, oracy and learning. Finally, this resource gives examples of the sequence in action, in both a primary and secondary classroom.