In the article “Schools Kill Curiosity” by Wendy Berliner, it argues that traditional education systems hinders children’s curiosity by prioritizing standardized testing and strict curriculums over curious learning. She states how young children, who are naturally curious and ask numerous questions, begin to ask fewer questions as they progress through school, where environments often discourage questions that interrupt the lesson. Berliner provides evidence showing that 4-year-olds ask an average of 100 questions a day, but this drops as classes tend to tell students to stop asking questions. She also points out how the focus on standardized testing leaves little room for a curiosity type of learning, since students are trained to prioritize knowledge that will be tested rather than exploring their interests. Furthermore, teachers are often constrained by time and the pressure to cover required material. Leading to an unintentional suppression of student’s curiosity, despite wanting to encourage curiosity. Berliner advocates for an educational shift toward encouraging curiosity and critical thinking, rather than a strict curriculum to test preparation.
