Habit of Mind: Curiosity and its role in academic writing

This essay delves into curiosity as a habit of mind, defining it as the eagerness to learn and explore. It highlights the importance of raising questions, forming hypotheses, and conducting in-depth research to gain knowledge. The essay discusses the benefits of curiosity, including improved memory retention, enhanced learning through interest, and making challenging subjects more accessible. It also outlines a five-step process for cultivating curiosity: questioning, investigation, hypothesis creation, discussion, and reflection, emphasizing the continuous cycle of inquiry. The essay concludes that fostering curiosity is an effective teaching method and a valuable characteristic for students, with significant benefits for academic writing and scientific exploration. Desklib offers a platform for students to access similar essays and study resources.

Running head: HABIT OF MIND: CURIOSITY
HABIT OF MIND: CURIOSITY
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

1HABIT OF MIND: CURIOSITY
Dispositions that are skillful with the presence of mind implemented are called Habits of
mind. These are often the characteristic of intelligent and successful people. One of the critical
habits of mind is Curiosity. The aim of the essay is to explore one of the habit of mind. The essay
focuses on curiosity as a habit of mind.
Curiosity can be defined in simple term is the eagerness to know or learn more about
something and someone (Axelrod, Cooper & Warriner, 1993). The primary characteristic of
curiosity is to possess the desire of raising questions, create a hypothesis and go into more in-
depth research in search of more knowledge. For example, asking the students regarding the
needs to submit assignments on time will force them to understand that the assignments have to
start early. Another example is asking students to finishing assignment within a short span of
time. The second example is merely ordering students to finish the task within time however, in
the first example it is encouraging the students to be curious and think how to finish the
assignments on time.
Interest is one of the critical factors that helps students learn and come up with innovative
ideas. Curious students not only raise questions but also seek for the answers. The first benefit of
the curiosity is that human brains tend to remember those things for more extended period which
are the subject matter intrigued by the brain (Charles, 2014). The second benefit of curiosity is
that the subject matter that is learned well for the interests generated by the curiosity and with the
will of the mind. Curiosity place the brain in a state that allows to acquire and retain information
of any kind. Sometimes children are naturally curious by nature or inhabit the curious trait, and
often it is the teacher’s responsibility to develop the student’s curiosity about the subject matter
to motivate them to learn naturally (Fang & Coatoam, 2013). Lastly, the thirds benefit of

2HABIT OF MIND: CURIOSITY
curiosity is developing curiosity helps student’s learning in a better and easy way which could be
difficult or monotonous.
Science uses curiosity as a way to manifest behavior and emotions. Curiosity helps in
keeping the excitement and push towards new bounds to the world around. The steps involved in
the process of curiosity can be segregated into five subdivisions. Firstly, a curious mind is struck
with a question regarding a subject matter. Secondly, it is followed by an investigation to seek
the answers. Thirdly, a hypothesis is created by the mind which is followed by the fourth step
that is the discussion. It is discussed with teachers, peers or other knowledgeable persons
followed by the last step that is the reflection. The most significant part of the process begins
with the first step. (Pigg, 2014). Also, it is important to mention that there is no stopping in the
cycle. The inquiry continues as questions leading to investigation and knowledge creation which
is then discussed and reflected.
In the end of the essay it can be concluded that developing curiosity is one of the best
method of teaching and for the students to learn. Encouraging students to think, learn and choose
will develop the characteristic of curiosity. By above discussions it is a vivid perspective that
curiosity is a habit of mind has several benefits. It is indeed an important habit of mind for its
beneficial factors and for its ability to change the approach of learning. Therefore, it is a
significant part of academic writing and in the science.

3HABIT OF MIND: CURIOSITY
References:
Axelrod, R. B., Cooper, C. R., & Warriner, A. M. (1993). Reading critically, writing well: A
reader and guide. St. Martin's Press.
Charles, M. (2014). Getting the corpus habit: EAP students’ long-term use of personal
corpora. English for Specific Purposes, 35, 30-40.
Fang, Z., & Coatoam, S. (2013). Disciplinary literacy: What you want to know about it. Journal
of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 56(8), 627-632.
Pigg, S. (2014). Emplacing mobile composing habits: A study of academic writing in networked
social spaces. College Composition and Communication, 250-275.