Technology and communication have an important impact in society and education. That is why professional development is so important nowadays, not only because of technology as a tool, but also because last innovations like Artificial Intelligence have made necessary important reflection about methods and practices in Education. Fortunately, technology also has made Online Courses available for free, besides of the huge amount of information on the Internet. This way, the current technological development make professional development and lifelong learning an issue of time organization and motivation mainly.
Cultivating curiosity and lifelong learning as a creative professional involves a blend of mindset, habits, and environmental factors that encourage continuous growth and exploration. Here are several strategies to help nurture these qualities:
1. Adopt a Growth Mindset
Embrace Challenges: View challenges as opportunities to grow rather than obstacles to avoid.
Learn from Criticism: See feedback as a source of valuable insights, not as a personal attack.
Celebrate Effort: Focus on the process of learning and creating, not just the end results.
2. Stay Curious
Ask Questions: Cultivate the habit of asking questions about how things work, why they are the way they are, and how they can be improved.
Explore Broadly: Dive into subjects outside your immediate field of expertise. Interdisciplinary knowledge can spark innovative ideas.
3. Set Learning Goals
Personal Projects: Work on projects outside of your professional obligations that allow you to explore new tools, techniques, and concepts.
Continuous Education: Enroll in courses, attend workshops, and participate in webinars that can expand your skill set and understanding.
4. Read Widely
Diverse Genres: Include a mix of fiction, non-fiction, industry publications, and even materials not directly related to your field to inspire new ideas and perspectives.
Research Papers and Articles: Stay updated with the latest research and trends in your field and related areas.
5. Network and Collaborate
Join Communities: Engage with professional networks, online forums, and social media groups related to your field and interests.
Collaborate: Work on projects with peers and mentors. Collaboration can expose you to different viewpoints and techniques.
6. Practice Reflection
Journaling: Keep a journal of your thoughts, learnings, and experiences. Reflecting on your progress can help you understand your growth paths and areas needing attention.
Feedback Loops: Seek and reflect on feedback regularly. Use it as a tool to guide your learning and creative processes.
7. Embrace Failure as a Learning Tool
Fail Forward: View failures as stepping stones towards mastery. Analyze what went wrong and what can be learned from each experience.
I cultivate my curiosity throughout reading, traveling and meditating. Sometime, visiting gallery of art, inspire me too. I believe we could cultivate our curiosity by exploring different matters and fields whit the desire of understanding. Meditation help to growth mindset for curiosity is a good tool because it helps seriously to go over fear and anxiety. Sometimes, discovering news information could generate some fear or anxiety because the new information differs with our knowledge and conviction. Meditation leads us to observe it quietly without attachment. This manner, your curiosity leads you to explore something that you were affraid at the begginning.
As we see the skill set is upgrading in all profession, it is mandatory to enhance one's mindsets, as well as skill necessary, according to changing trend due to advance technology. At present scenario, active reading, listening to the motivating professionals, discussions, development program, and finally the zeal to change oneself with confidence and upgrade as per the new position and situation at all walk of life ... may help to boost the curiosity for successful and creative professional .
Los alumnos aprenden más con lo que hacen, y ese aprendizaje es a largo plazo. La curiosidad se les despierta mediante la investigación que realizan ellos mismos, las actividades donde emplean la imaginación, la reflexión, el análisis y la lectura e incluso de los materiales que acompañan su aprendizaje. Sin dejar a un lado el uso de la tecnología.
Staying in touch with the nature and constantly reading articles, taking continuing education online courses and expanding my knowledge in different areas of my interest is my way.
Curiousity, to me, is the WHY and the SO WHAT behind the WHAT. Anyone can teach the WHAT. Many of us can teach the WHY. But those of us who are passionate about what we do and why we do it inspire the SO WHAT in others. People will not engage in learning until they see the benefits of doing so or the consequences of failing to do so. Give them both. Inspire the SO WHAT, and you will plant the seeds of curiousity that lead to lifelong learning as a natural by-product.
My approach to this is "How will this provide a practical solution." Even when I find a way of doing something I then look to how can I do that better, or faster, or get better results? I even took out 5 months recently to revisit my work and had a small team with two others where they questioned every aspect of my work whilst redesigning a website and the training I provide. This forced me, not to defend my position, but to explain it in detail to 2 people who don't know what I know and weren't on that journey of discovery. By explaining complex issues I had to get better at explaining it simply and effectively. This lead to an incredible amount of self learning and clarity of purpose and practice. I was really fired up before by what I do, but this really intensified it to a level I wouldn't have dreamed of just a few months ago. So my summary is about; have a destination in mind and remember to enjoy the journey as we never really arrive.