Yet the latest American research suggests we should be encouraging questions, because curious children do better. Reading, maths and behaviour were then checked in kindergarten (the first year of school), where they found that the most curious children performed best. In a finding critical to tackling the stubborn achievement gap between poorer and richer children, disadvantaged children had the strongest connection between curiosity and performance. In 2007, researchers logging questions asked by children aged 14 months to five years found they asked an average of 107 questions an hour. “Children should be prompted and encouraged to ask questions even though that can be challenging for the teacher,” he says.

Source: The Guardian January 28, 2020 07:07 UTC