Getting dramatic during an online improv session late in Term 1 All this makes young people less willing to do the mental work • Ask good questions. Curiosity and interest are sparked when of following through when something makes them curious. parents and teachers frame intriguing and provocative questions. Simple, closed-response questions like,How many legs does an So, at Newington, we want to encourage our boys to follow through insect have? are not effective. ‘The best books, documentaries, when they’re curious or interested. and speakers engineer things to captivate the viewer by asking For parents, we have three suggestions: good questions, so that by the time the question is posed, the audience is intrigued to know the answer.’ • Modelit. Our boys will notice if adults show genuine curiosity and Further reading: Making Students More Curious interest in something. by Daniel Willingham: •Distinguish between short-term curiosity and long-term cf.linnbenton.edu/artcom/english/schmidm/upload/Making%20 interest. It is normal for your son to be intrigued by something Students%20More%20Curious.pdf and not turn it into a long-term passion. Indulging our curiosity is never a waste of time. That perspective implies we should honour Mr Ben Barrington-Higgs curiosity in our boys wherever we find it, however trivial its object Head of Prep Schools may appear to us. Long-term interests, ideas and inventions have often come from such humble curiosity. Curiosity | News Autumn 2022 | Prep Schools | 35