Part 1: MLA Citation
Berliner, Wendy. “‘Schools Are Killing Curiosity’: Why We Need to Stop Telling Children to Shut up and Learn.” The Guardian, 28 Jan. 2020. The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/jan/28/schools-killing-curiosity-learn.
Part 2: Summary
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 uses researchers to show and give evidence how curiosity is extremely important to a child’s development. For example, researchers asked by children aged 14 months to five years found they asked an average of 107 questions an hour. Berliner also 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 and leave no space for a curiosity type of learning, since students are taught 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. Which causes an accidental 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.
Part 3: Rhetorical Analysis
“Schools Kill Curiosity” is a feature piece, created by the author Wendy Berliner. Her writing style is clear, informative, and supported by research. The article also gives a persuasive and serious tone to her claims. Berliner uses logos by providing statistics and studies to support her argument, such as the decline in children’s questioning as they enter into higher education. The intended audience is likely educators, policymakers, and parents, as her purpose is to advocate for a shift in educational learning to better foster curiosity in children. The article appears to respond to ongoing debates about education reform, most likely the emphasis on standardized testing. Wendy Berliner is a very credible source, with a background in educational journalism. She also uses Ethos and mentions that she wrote a book based on research of a longitudinal study. The article is published by The Guardian, a credible source that is known for its thoughtful coverage of education and societal issue, and The Guardian also has won many British press awards and Prizes. The article’s timing is current, since it was made in 2020. It also shows the increasing importance of how education systems can better prepare students for a rapidly changing world.
Part 4: Notable Quotes
“Promoting curiosity in children, especially those from environments of economic disadvantage, may be an important, under-recognised way to address the achievement gap. Promoting curiosity is a foundation for early learning that we should be emphasising more when we look at academic achievement.” (Berliner)
“a ninth grader raised her hand to ask if there were any places in the world where no one made art. The teacher stopped her mid-sentence with, ‘Zoe, no questions now, please; it’s time for learning.’” (Berliner)
““Children should be prompted and encouraged to ask questions even though that can be challenging for the teacher,” he says. “We do need to find some time for questions during the day. There is not enough time in schools for creativity and following up on curiosity.”” (Berliner)
