Are littles/middles as inquisitive as children?

[Liamo]

Children are naturally inquisitive, If they are allowed to be themselves, they usually ask a lot of questions. They are curious and ask why all the time. So it got me thinking, are littles/middles the same? What has your experience been? 

Since curiosity = intelligence, if littles/middles are as curious as kids, then, that would make them a smarter bunch than the average. And yes, studies have shown that before they start school, the majority of kids are quite smart. Then we send them to school, they get educated, and we kill their creativity and curiosity., and they become a not so smart average adult. 

[.คℓ𝐞ﾒเᏰααα .ᐟ]

Well, this explains why I'm constantly Googgleing useless information.  🙃

[Little kaiya]

I would be interested in references to the studies you mentioned in your initial post. As a paid strategist and data person I'm always curious to read a good study to see what methodology they used. Education leading to lower intellectual incomes contradicts the existing body of research so hearing there are contradictory studies piques my interest in reading them.

[Princess snuggles]

I’m would be fascinated to read these studies due to my profession. I mean child-led learning is a key part of early education so it doesn’t make sense why that would stop inquisitiveness though there are loads wrong with education systems often researches (UK and states though this isn’t always, Finland is also often studied and has arguably one of the best in the world. This also wasn’t my point 😂) 

On to my point I am quite inquisitive I would say I like understanding and want to understand and know and I question most things. Whether I’m in little space or not. I do think that is one of my biggest strengths though, I wouldn’t say people who don’t question things are less intelligent though and they often have strengths I don’t have. But, I’m an inquisitive person and never really lost that though, I doubt that’s the same for all Littles because we’re all different. 

[Liamo]

5 hours ago, Little kaiya said:

I would be interested in references to the studies you mentioned in your initial post. As a paid strategist and data person I'm always curious to read a good study to see what methodology they used. Education leading to lower intellectual incomes contradicts the existing body of research so hearing there are contradictory studies piques my interest in reading them.

As an educator myself, I see it everyday. Kids have no more creativity. Sure, they can do hire math, learn a new language etc., and this is intellectual development, but here I specifically talked about creativity, curiosity. 

Sir Ken Robinson was a highly respected authority in the field of education. Here is one of his talks on the subject:

And here is a quick article. 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/creative-insights/202108/how-education-quashed-your-creativity-0

 

[Princess snuggles]

5 minutes ago, Liamo said:

As an educator myself, I see it everyday. Kids have no more creativity. Sure, they can do hire math, learn a new language etc., and this is intellectual development, but here I specifically talked about creativity, curiosity. 

Sir Ken Robinson was a highly respected authority in the field of education. Here is one of his talks on the subject:

And here is a quick article. 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/creative-insights/202108/how-education-quashed-your-creativity-0

 

I have seen this ted talk and I agree with it. But I do have the question and I mean no offence but I often offend colleagues (I’m a fellow educator) but is it really education as the problem or the education systems and the educators in said systems? I’m generally curious on your take on this and am in no way trying to be rude. 

[Liamo]

Educators are fantastic. Honestly, I have seen and worked with so many dedicated extremely good professionals. It is not education that is the problem. Ofcourse not, it is the education system. As a kid, I was bored to death in primary school. I was labelled slow. They got me tested twice for hearing impairment. They fought I could not hear, but it is just because I was in my dreams thinking of nature, and more important stuff than grammar. (In my mind). Then I moved to 6th grade. In France this is the year we get 1 teacher per subject. The level of complexity dramatically increases. I LOVED it. I excelled. Each kid is different, and we should not treat them all the same as if on a conveyor belt. 

We really need to do a better job at fostering creativity. Just look at Steve Job. If he had not taken a class on calligraphies just for fun, he would have never developed his Word software with all those possible fonts. 

As I am growing as a Daddy, always thriving to be the best I can be, along my personal growth path, I think I am drawn to the curiosity littles express. It renders them so endearing to me.

[Princess snuggles]

1 hour ago, Liamo said:

Educators are fantastic. Honestly, I have seen and worked with so many dedicated extremely good professionals. It is not education that is the problem. Ofcourse not, it is the education system. As a kid, I was bored to death in primary school. I was labelled slow. They got me tested twice for hearing impairment. They fought I could not hear, but it is just because I was in my dreams thinking of nature, and more important stuff than grammar. (In my mind). Then I moved to 6th grade. In France this is the year we get 1 teacher per subject. The level of complexity dramatically increases. I LOVED it. I excelled. Each kid is different, and we should not treat them all the same as if on a conveyor belt. 

We really need to do a better job at fostering creativity. Just look at Steve Job. If he had not taken a class on calligraphies just for fun, he would have never developed his Word software with all those possible fonts. 

As I am growing as a Daddy, always thriving to be the best I can be, along my personal growth path, I think I am drawn to the curiosity littles express. It renders them so endearing to me.

I think you might be surprised how many people are curious deep down, I don’t necessarily think schools or the education systems encourage this much though. I do think littles and kiddos don’t always feel the need to filter their curiosity as much, but even then it can be squashed when the focus is on obedience instead of understanding.

I think your understanding that “Educators are fantastic” is a beautiful thought and I think educators want to do their best but I don’t think that’s always the case from my research and experience. Many teachers enforce obedience over creativity or curiosity because it’s easier to control. The system encourages and makes this approach easier but I’d say educators often play into it, too. Why would kiddos or littles feel safe asking questions when they get told off for being rude or not listening? It makes curiosity feel wrong, and I feel that’s part of the problem.

Maybe my perspective is different because I’m autistic with a PDA profile, but I’ve always felt lots of education systems and many educators expect compliance above all else. I feel It’s hard to allow yourself to be creative or curious in such a space, wouldn’t you say?

But I guess that’s why I like a CGs who accept my endless questions 😂 

[ohyeahmetoo]

My little lives in another country and speaks English as a second language. We use some of our virtual time together to work on her English by her reading to me.  She asks questions constantly about what she's reading and I am always happy to answer them. Her curiosity and intelligence gives me opportunities to learn more about her, both big and little. It's a very satisfying arrangement for me as her CG.

[MissNMTX]

Well, I did have a teacher tell us once, that education was meant to make us all "behave the same". So, limits on creativity seems reasonable. The nice thing about a forum such as this one s all the different countries, cultures, and systems represented.

I'm definitely a middle and consider myself to be intelligent I've also been told I'm intelligent. I think the coriousity remains, but is channeled in different, more specific directions.

[DaddyABQ]

It's my understanding, though I never really did dig into this in any comprehensive way, that one of the primary reasons for the establishment of the first school systems were to provide a baseline of education and to socialize children so that there was a kind of uniformity across the population. Cynically put, schools are there to push everyone into the same boring mold. I don't think most teachers think or act that way, but I always felt it was incumbent on me to make sure my kids were still weird and did things their own way.

[Daddylunababy]

When my submissive wife-little is regressed, she’ll sometimes get caught in a “why? loop.”  😂

Edited February 8 by Daddylunababy

[daddy.skitten]

I think that depends a lot, I'm incredibly curious and I always ask about everything but I don't regress 🤔 

I highly believe that school kills creativity, especially keeping in mind how they measure success and all that

Edited February 9 by daddy.skitten

[beanbean]

Yes I think it depends on the the little some are very curious indeed and ask many questions 

[SaltyChindit]

I'm very much a 'D' type and have to temper myself on guided tours. Curiosity isn't restricted to littles and middles.

[Baby Manda]

I, too am an educator, specifically preschool inclusive classroom (severe and profound behavioral needs students join the general education classroom). I co-teach with special education and we see everything from kids reading and doing 3 digit math problems at age 4 to students destroying classroom in fits of disregulation, non-verbal autism,  Down Syndrome, developmental delays, hearing and vision impairments, even kids in gate walkers. Our goal is always to teach kids how to think (they have years to learn facts, but we lay the foundation for how they think). Most kids come in as 4 year olds and do not know how to be curious or think creatively.  If they have been in daycare settings their whole life, they already know how to sit on their spot, stand in line, use the bathroom,  and wait for everyone to finish eating, but they don't know how to play! We start with giving them a few blocks and model how to make a tower, then it falls over and everyone visibly freezes, and some kids say, "I didn't knock it over!" At age 4 they are pointing fingers and passing off blame already! So we model "That's ok. Maybe I need a new plan. I wonder what I could do differently so the tower stays up?" Then we try their ideas to see if it works! (Chil-led learning) We do this daily, for weeks and months on end.

The students who are strongest in creative thinking skills have strong family support and spend time doing things with their family.  They are not just kids who are taken care of, but active members of their family, who are included in family activities and responsibilities. Yes, school changes children, but families are important, too. I strongly believe everything can be taught through play, but first children need to be taught how to play. 

Healing happens through play, too. Kids are able to work though whatever issues they're having through play. It's amazing to watch, and as a little it crazy to experience how play can even heal adults! No professional needed! Just some play-doh, a safe surface to build and a Little. You can work out all kinds of emotions with play-doh! Plus they make sparkly ones now, too! 

I personally borrow the doll house in preschool or my daughter's old Weebles and Little People whenever I really need a play break! 

Another activity is mini red solo cups... stack them upside down into elaborate buildings then see how fast you can collapse the building without dropping a cup! I think we have over a hundred cups in a bin in the classroom I love challenging the kids!

As far as intelligence goes.  I believe if you use it, it grows, if you don't use it you lose it. Not sure if I can find a study, but it's my experience.  

[BrassyBabyGirl]

I was raised in a household where we were not allowed to ask questions. This gave me a feeling that knowledge is rebelling. Study as an act of peaceful demonstration. It has served me well. I learned to store questions and then seek out information. I still do it. I have degrees in subjects I may never use because I love to learn. I study archaic subjects like the reformation and play multiple instruments. It is a part of my little structure to continue to learn and practice, a part of my play. The down side is that as an adult, I ask a billion questions. I WANT TO KNOW. I have learned to preface with "I know it's not in my lane buttttttt"...... I want to know all the stuff and I know it bugs people (if I am being trained or working out a relationship issue).

I have taught adults and always made time for questions no matter how off the subject they may be (as long as it is at question time). I have seen that people (grown folks in particular) use questions as a form of manipulation. To control the flow of information or smokescreen. Because of my childhood, I have learned to weigh question and look at the motivation behind them. I knew that if I was going to risk a negative to ask a question in my home, it had to have maximum importance to me. That the gain was worth the risk. I have learned not every question deserves an answer. Some deserve a polite deflection but acknowledgement. I guess you could say I hold knowledge dear and if you ask me a question I am going to answer, if you are seeking some kind of knowledge from me, be ready for an epic, long, twisting and rambling answer. I am still seeking knowledge, digging, while I answer. I am still very inquisitive and love sharing what I know with those in my circle. I call them at odd hours with something I just read or saw on a doc. Now that I am thinking on it, my close friend is the only other person I know that is as inquisitive as I am at this age. He does not wear the title of little but is a 10 year old trapped in a middle-aged man's body lol.  He is capable of entering imaginative play with me in little state and seeking out knowledge for fun. Huh, never really looked at that until this question.