In her piece “School Kills Curiosity,” Wendy Berliner makes the case that conventional educational methods frequently suppress kids’ innate curiosity by placing more emphasis on regimented curriculum, standardized testing, and controlled learning than on inquiry and discovery. Berliner emphasizes how young children are naturally curious and full of questions when they first start school, but the educational system eventually stifles their curiosity. She emphasizes how important it is to cultivate curiosity for cognitive growth, problem-solving skills, and lifetime learning. Berliner is a promoter of an approach to education that is more flexible, inquiry-based, and encourages students to be inquisitive, pose questions, and go further into issues. Berliner also makes the point that while schools typically place more emphasis on right answers and rote memorization than on encouraging curiosity, curiosity is a major factor in academic performance, creativity, and innovation. She cites studies that demonstrate how kids become less and less curious as they go through the education system, with many giving up on asking questions out of a fear of being incorrect. Berliner advocates for a change in teaching methods that foster curiosity. Rather of focusing just on helping students achieve requirements set by the outside world, teachers should foster an atmosphere where students feel free to ask questions and explore their interests.
