What If? | Makesha Gordan | TEDxYouth@FranklinSchoolOfInnovation
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DufD8KQ7rbM Video ID: DufD8KQ7rbM ============================================================ [Applause] how many of you in here play games I bet you're thinking what kind of games is this woman talking about well how bet many of us have either heard or played the games like what if or would you rather or 20 questions now these are games in which random and extreme questions are asked and they're meant to make you think about your decision and why now these games typically are not common which makes them so unique and interesting to ask and answer so let's play a game turn to the person next to you if you will and ask them this question hey what did you for dinner last well if you would ask me I would say that I had yummy chicken noodle soup and chips now did that question feel weird to ask yes and did you get a direct answer did they just stare at you like you're crazy now turn to the other person to your other side and ask them this question would you rather have everything you drew come to life or every thought you had come true good job you guys are doing great awesome was this question easier to ask and if so why do you think so though both questions are indeed random the first one is a bit more peculiar and personal especially want ask by a stranger I mean who thinks about what they had for dinner the night before and better yet who even goes around asking that question it's a little weird right but I've been asking this random and seemingly meaningless question since I was 5 years old but what if I told you that from my experience of asking this question for over 42 years that I have learned a plethora of information not only about myself but about others and this world we live in you know it's crazy to think that you can learn so much from one question that you're genuinely curious about and from allowing myself to continue to boldly ask the what if and the would you rather questions I'm constantly reminded how important and beneficial it is to stay curious no matter how awkward that Journey may seem or how old you or I may be regarding curiosity the American Medical Journal of Medicine States it's one whose benefits extend beyond its own satisfaction in addition according to a professor at the UC Davis Center for neuroscience and psychology curiosity recruits the reward system of our brains and the hippocampus seems to place our brains in a state in which we're more likely to learn and retain information even if that information is not of particular interest or importance so essentially when curiosity is stimulated our brains release dop which is the neurotransmitter and Feelgood hormone you know when I read this it took me to the prehistoric year of 2002 okay I was in college in a marine biology course where my professor was discussing the strong possibility of communicate with dolphins and as he continued to present the most interesting and captivating information I couldn't help but to quickly stand and ask sir this may be a stupid question but to what level will we really be able to have to communicate with dolphins I mean we realize how intelligent they are but what you're sharing today seems to be on a whole another level and you know before I sat back down in my seat and to my surprise he responded in an almost irritated and mocking sounding tone in which he said mcka don't ever start a question with sir this may be a stupid question question and don't ever apologize for being curious or asking questions that you may have no matter how farfetched the idea may be and the only stupid question is the one not asked and you know I remember at that moment feeling a sense of empowering and satisfaction for not only having my question answered but for also feeling encouraged to continue to wonder and ask these questions you see it's not just the what questions that need to be asked sure those are are great but more often they serve as just starting points so they too have a stopping point it's the why and the how and the when questions that help us understand things on a deeper level they help us make connections improve interactions as well as initiate analysis and you know these are the things that I want to see take place in my classroom as an educator I want y'all to think about something for a minute when was the last time any of you in here allows yourself to remain genuinely curious about something that's out of the ordinary or what's commonly expected and you acted upon it and you sought out that explanation as we get older why do we seem to lose this innate gift of Wonder is it because you're too busy maybe you're too stressed maybe you're scared of what someone may say should you go ahead and ask that random question or maybe you just think you know it all m M well with that being said I would say if we're being honest with each other it's probably because of one of these reasons and sadly this Rings true even in classrooms where curiosity is not allowed to flourish and grow according to cognitive scientist and researcher Elizabeth bonowitz curiosity is innate in all humans a sensation much like hunger and thirst curiosity acts as a filter that we put over the world world to help our brains decide what information to attend to she continues to say it's the psychological response that drives action and decision making to help support learning and you know as leaders and Educators focusing on just getting the right answer we can unknowingly stifle a student's curiosity as well as encourage the black and white mindset and we could do this through a variety of ways we could do it through homogenized testing stationary curriculum a lack of differentiated learning opportunities are just having an overall stagnant mindset and you know it's no wonder why research by Susan Engel author of The Hungry mind found that questioning significantly dropped once students started school when her research team logged how many questioned students and an American Suburban Elementary School asked sadly they found that within a 2hour period these students were only asking between two to five questions and what makes matters worse when these students got older questioning stopped all together in one classroom that she observed she watched a student ask this question are there any places on Earth where no one makes art and you know the student stop or the teacher stopped that student in mid SES and responded with hey not now no more questions it's time for learning I mean wow right what kind of learning is this beside teaching that being actively curious or creative is either problematic or burdensome responding with not now or no more questions or we don't have time for that right now only stifles curiosity whether it's in a classroom setting or not and it makes students and adults aik shut down so to encourage curiosity in my room I keep keep a did you know standing whiteboard outside of my classroom with daily written what if did you know or would you rather facts questions and scenarios for those to pass by and read and think about I also keep a my topic Choice board in my room for students to choose an educational topic that they're genuinely curious about and they get to teach the class what they've learned and you know by doing this students are able to expand their thinking and enhance their learning it also opens themselves up to more positive perspectives and experiences not to mention it gives them an opportunity to step outside their comfort zone and take risk one student approached me after presenting his topic and he said Miss Gordon I've always L black holes in space I've always been intrigued by them and I've always wanted to share what I know with others but I've always been so scared that people would make fun of me for that and you know it was obvious that from this student's reaction that he felt a sense of personal accomplishment and pride for Not only would he achieved but better yet he remained curious despite his anxiety and his fear of being made fun of let's Ponder on something for a moment what if the Scottish inventor Alexander didn't invent the first modern flushable toilet I mean that would be pretty crappy don't you think I mean come on let's get real I don't know if you're happy but I'm happy that I have a modern flushable toilet in my home all right what if William Maxon told himself this idea man of mine will never be accepted when he thought of inventing what we now know as the air fryer I mean who would have thought that you can actually bake a chocolate cake in an air fryer but wait I save the best for last ding ding ding ding ding the almighty cell phone I mean what a concept to be able to talk to someone thousands of miles away on a device not connected to a wall I mean who would have thought right well I guess Martin Cooper the inventor of the first cell phone allowed his curiosity to get the best of him because an astonishing 97% of Americans currently own a cell phone now that is worth talking about so you see when curiosity is encouraged and supported life-changing events can and they do unfold fostering curiosity allows us to feel alive and take these risks and also with curiosity it should never be stifled and it should never be ignored because when it is it is so costly so many learning opportunities for growth are missed instead we should actually be looking for learning Pathways that Inspire Innovation and inquiry to help cultivate a growth mindset because if we're not growing then what are we doing we definitely aren't moving forward for sure and you know what we can't do this without championing a curious mindset so tonight I want to leave you all with this challenge let yourself go there go ahead and ask the what if and the would you rather questions and if you're bold enough ask them what did you eat for dinner questions because you never know what you could discover about yourself those around you and this huge world we live in and as Steve Jobs says stay hungry stay foolish I in addition will leave you with stay curious always thank you yeah [Applause]