Dear Miranda,

as a student, I have to say that what you wrote is, unfortunately, correct.

We, students of all around the world, lost our natural curiosity and in step with the studies I'm doing with a medicine-team, I can tell you that the average age of this loss is between 13 and 15.

We tried to answer your (our) question and we find out some motivation that can explain it. Of course, maybe one of these is the correct one, or probably it's a "meltin pot" of everything.

1) the end of game-age. There is a mutual relationship with playing, gaming, using fantasy etc and curiosity.

of course, nowadays with all this playstations, smartphones.. fantasy is not so far used by teenagers.

If you think about the bestsellers games: GTA, The Sims, Assassins, Halo, all games where the player can immedesimate himself in another world, and this world is the "fantasy" of a creator, not of a child.

2) the start of sex-age. Perhaps, sexuality is involved in the thirst for knowledge ; the expansion of premature sex experiences(internet, pornography, lack of morality and the list could be so far long) can be a cause of our problem.

3) internet. Well, stop and think just a moment about what a "curiosity" is. we made a questionnaire about it:

-it's when you want to know something (14%)

-it's when you would like to know something (24%)

-it's when you read for your personale knowledge (12%)

-it's when you search the reason of something (30%)

-others (20%)

So, we interpretate the word "SEARCH" as a KEY word. And thinking about the meaning of this, we can just say that: searching is not the same of 20-30 years ago. Internet could give us an answer in 30 seconds, and most of times we read the answer in 29 seconds, and close the page. This is substantially different from the past, when you have to "try" to read 3,4, maybe 8 books or papers, journals, encyclopedias, before having a satisfactory answer.

Good marks and parental pressure are not a very modern external reasons, as I think. By the way, maybe we could add these 2 thinks in the other list.

the really hard question is "How can we help to re-awake the natural curiosity of our students?"

Well, here I can give you a personal answer as a student: reward every student that demonstrate to learn from something that is not the school-book, reward every activity, passion, "curiosity" of something that is not only the studying program and learning material.

In my university, there are teachers that increase my notes only because I don't just read the book as everyone does. Using this method from elementary and high school, maybe the "heads" of new generation of teenagers can be modified. Maybe.

Tell me what you think

Samin Sedghi Zadeh

I agree with your observations, which coincide with mine. As soon a child goes to pre-school (kindergarten or nursery school), the child is one of many demanding attention. The teacher says "BE QUIET" and "STOP ASKING QUESTIONS, Johnny" So sadly, Johnny is quiet and stops asking questions.

My mother awakened my curiosity by asking questions as we walked together: "I wonder ..."; my father (a self-taught man) took me to the public library; my teachers set research tasks outside the syllabus; my manager said "That's strange..." and they all kept my curiosity going.

In spite of today's university students knowing many facts, they are not explicitly taught how to learn or how to become lifelong learners. Yet beneath that veneer there is still a myriad of unanswered questions that they can pose. In my research classes, even the 'slowest' students were able to generate candidate questions for research. On the topic of "How can we help to re-awake the natural curiosity of our students?", you may find my paper on this topic useful: "Research in Construction Engineering: the nature of questions asked". See my full list of publications on RG.

Curiosity of a child is the innocent quest for knowledge in the formative year's of life. As the child grows up and goes through the process of school and further college education, he /she is bound by the frame work of school / college educational system, which tends to recognize achievement through the assessment process which puts much weight on academic achievements only. The rigid system fails to explore the child's natural inclination towards a particular field in which he / she may be more creative. Further the parental pressure sometimes may hinder the child's natural bend of mind. Since I am not an expert in this field, I can only express my feeling.

My loose impressions follow:

a) As population becomes bigger, the competition for the scarce resources becomes more pronounced. This puts pressures on parents to work more and dedicate less quality time to their children. Also as classrooms becomes more crowded the time to engage students becomes less

b) The structure of our education system which is based in modules that the children must digest and our rigid evaluation system does not leave much space for inquisitive exploration. Sadly, the education system is becoming a business and not a forum of learning.

c)What I have seen is that as technology becomes more pervasive and available with emphasis on mobile devices, the technology is becoming the Nanny of children. Due to the nature of human beings that take the path of least resistance, they are becoming passive consumers of information instead of active searchers of information.

I do share Your experience at all, but every September it is worse comparing to a previous enrolled generation!

Do you know, the curiosity you talking about is still exists in low-income countries, while tاhe students curiosity is no longer exist in high-income countries.

It is a push-button age. No need to make your own toys in a high-income country, or chance have quality time with Dad. I have often been tempted to write WDTSF? on the blackboard as I start a lecture and see how many students ask me what does that stands for at the end of the lecture! Please report on your findings.

WDTSF, and I thought that was something indecent. @Ian, think, they may have looked it up on their smart phone. My experience, and I admit I don't use a blackboard, because there isn't any at my place, is that.curiosity comes in many aspects. Not all of them are face2face - clouds and crowds, you name it.

Dear Miranda,

as a student, I have to say that what you wrote is, unfortunately, correct.

We, students of all around the world, lost our natural curiosity and in step with the studies I'm doing with a medicine-team, I can tell you that the average age of this loss is between 13 and 15.

We tried to answer your (our) question and we find out some motivation that can explain it. Of course, maybe one of these is the correct one, or probably it's a "meltin pot" of everything.

1) the end of game-age. There is a mutual relationship with playing, gaming, using fantasy etc and curiosity.

of course, nowadays with all this playstations, smartphones.. fantasy is not so far used by teenagers.

If you think about the bestsellers games: GTA, The Sims, Assassins, Halo, all games where the player can immedesimate himself in another world, and this world is the "fantasy" of a creator, not of a child.

2) the start of sex-age. Perhaps, sexuality is involved in the thirst for knowledge ; the expansion of premature sex experiences(internet, pornography, lack of morality and the list could be so far long) can be a cause of our problem.

3) internet. Well, stop and think just a moment about what a "curiosity" is. we made a questionnaire about it:

-it's when you want to know something (14%)

-it's when you would like to know something (24%)

-it's when you read for your personale knowledge (12%)

-it's when you search the reason of something (30%)

-others (20%)

So, we interpretate the word "SEARCH" as a KEY word. And thinking about the meaning of this, we can just say that: searching is not the same of 20-30 years ago. Internet could give us an answer in 30 seconds, and most of times we read the answer in 29 seconds, and close the page. This is substantially different from the past, when you have to "try" to read 3,4, maybe 8 books or papers, journals, encyclopedias, before having a satisfactory answer.

Good marks and parental pressure are not a very modern external reasons, as I think. By the way, maybe we could add these 2 thinks in the other list.

the really hard question is "How can we help to re-awake the natural curiosity of our students?"

Well, here I can give you a personal answer as a student: reward every student that demonstrate to learn from something that is not the school-book, reward every activity, passion, "curiosity" of something that is not only the studying program and learning material.

In my university, there are teachers that increase my notes only because I don't just read the book as everyone does. Using this method from elementary and high school, maybe the "heads" of new generation of teenagers can be modified. Maybe.

Tell me what you think

Samin Sedghi Zadeh

Thanks all of you. Actually, I have nothing against external reasons for students to perform well. But I wish that students still continue to have this natural curiosity and have not 'outgrown' it.

So far, there are no comments from our RG friends in Taiwan and Singapore. (Your students have been performing so well in TIMMS and PISA, am I right? Keep it up!) I hope to hear from you as well.

Samin, very interesting thoughts. But please help me understand your definition of curiosity.The first two appear to be reflecting a desire/motivation to do something whereas the third and fourth one appear to be actions taken to satisfy such desire.

Isn't the loss of curiosity precisely reflected in a lack of this transition from a desire to taking action? My son for example is very curious, he asks a million questions about all sorts of things and will listen to the answers. But not for the life of him would he take action beyond that such as looking it up on his smart phone or god forbid ever read a book or conduct any other research on the topic.

I would be really interested (curious) whether we are actually losing our curiosity....or whether we are simply losing the motivation or opportunity to satisfy the curiosity.

At the same time I think it is crucial to differentiate if we want to find the true causes of what we are observing.

I have no expertise in this, however do have some theories.

Is it possible that once the students reach a certain age, early teen years, they, for the most part, loose interest in the book learning because they really don't see any "fruits of their labor"? other than their marks of course.

To me, it seems the younger children are taught more experientally, through doing...experimenting, seeing how a volcano erupts sort of thing. It once was that at age approx. 14 children would already have a trade or future picked out, be it following the family tradition, becoming a carpenter, stone mason, doctor. They did their learning more on a hands on basis observing cause and effect, finding solutions to problems without the use of book theories, using their mind to find solutions and feeling the effects of achievement. Are their minds becoming too filled with the written word instead of them using their own creativity to find answers and solutions and experimenting with possibilities?

When I've been reading a lot, my mind gets tired in an attempt to process all that is written. Information overload and no way to relate the written with reality or personal achievement? Blah, blah, blah as one would say. What do you think?

Hi Ian, Ljubomir and others, I shall write 'WS, WL?' on the whiteboard. I will see what responses I get with this batch of pre-university students, and I will let you all know very soon.

I have time at least until April 2014, to change them. Then in September, they will go to university. Hopefully, lecturers like Ljubomir, will get a pleasant surprise! Will keep you updated on my efforts.

Willing Student, Will Learn??

Dear Achim, for me PERSONALLY, curiosity is both the desire of knowing something and how to reach the knowledge. But in our questionnaire, only one answer was possible and (I never thought so before results) most of people said that for them, curiosity is "the way to find out" and not the real "curiosity" that maybe you and me think.

Samin, I still believe if we want to understand the causes we need to differentiate because a possible loss of desire probably has completely different, possibly biologic causes, while a loss of drive to satisfy the desire has completely different drivers. At the same time we have to realize that the means to satisfy our curiosity have changed significantly in recent years, with google and wikipedia almost taking he adventure of the quest out of the game which in turn makes the game boring. If we grow up believing that the answer to every question we have is available to us at our fingertips,....where is the fun in that? Which in turn raises the question, can this generation generate researchers who to a degree seem to find part of their satisfaction in the journey.

I recognize both forms of curiosity in myself at different times, though the curiosity to solve a problem is far stronger than the simple curiosity to know.

With respect to Samin's point about improving curiosity in teens by rewarding learning other than that which they need for a test, I agree wholeheartedly! I am a secondary school teacher and for a few years I conducted an experiment in the way I assessed students so that I could value any evidence of learning, not just the learning that was currently needed for the test. The processes I used are too complex to explain here, however I found EXACTLY what Samin suggested. By explicitly valuing everything, I slowly increased student interest in a much wider range of topics. My conclusion is that it is the process of schooling and assessment that is a significant part of the loss of curiosity up to the teen years.

There is a good movie called Stand and Deliver. It is on high school students in an inner city school in Los Angeles. Mr. Escalante did what others believed was impossible. Here are two links:

Part one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3G41yupvhg

Part two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI6y-uRLSiE

Based on a true story, this teacher awoke in his kids a feeling of curiosity and they obtained high schores in their SATs in the United States. But discrimination led to a lot of problems. Watch it and don't miss out on it. In conclusion, teachers and professors do make a difference. Give it a go.

Dear Miranda,

We confuse schooling with education. Schooling, because of its relation to the social and economic system, is designed to sort shepherds from the sheep. It is not designed to sustain or enhance curiosity, creativity, or anything of the sort. Just ask yourself, "Why is it that we have so few curious, creative leaders in the world?" The educational system has the answer to that. Real money and power does not need or want curious, creative "leaders;" it only needs functionaries to keep the sheep in fold.

Though this is a cynical answer, just look around the world, think, and consider.

Quite the opposite with education. Education does happen, sometimes, within the educational system, but it is a too rare happenstance due to gifted teachers who cannot help themselves. They sustain the natural curiosity of the young, prevent dogmatic habits, and re-awaken the minds of those sinking away

Would that it were otherwise.

See my paper "Creativity and the Educational System."

Aloha,

David Ericson

David's interesting paper correctly points out "... in a tight system that grants schools and students no room to explore questions and subjects, creativity cannot possibly gain a foothold..."

Every student thinks to do something new but without efforts or try.

Some students though have only one good thing. schools where creativety can be fostered. Yet some schools anihilate innovation.

Everyone,

Do you think the problem to be ultimately traced to information overload? How much of it can be linked to extreme access to information as opposed to other social factors?

Also: Are we are imposing a trend that is unsustainable with respect to the demands that we are putting on newer generations on learning more in the same amount of time?

Thanks all of you. You have given me many things to ponder and reflect. Please go on, I would not be able to come up with so many ideas on my own!

Me to I'm really happy, Miranda... for our research we're doing in Italy, I read a lot ok ideas and interesting opinion! thank you really much!

(this RG is a really good invention)

Thanks Samin. I agree that RG serves as a great platform for us (educators/ researchers) to share and learn from one another.

Now when we upload our article or conference proceeding on our RG page, it can reach the whole community of researchers and students. And when we meet with a particular problem, our RG friends are willing to help with their experience and expertise! [Thanks to the RG Team!]

One of the major reason is lack of guidance... So many student wants to different things.. but they didn't get guidance... although internet, literature are available, but still a proper guidance is very necessary which is very difficult to get...

My experience (within schools in my country) has been that students are spoon fed information, and asked to regurgitate information given from text books. Our learners are not given the room to critically analyze and reflect on topics or issues and their analytical skills seem to get stunted. When you teach children not to think, not to question, only to obey what they are told, automatically, their passion for knowledge and their curiosity diminishes. This is a serious problem in my country, where we cling tightly to a fifty year old, traditionalist teaching system, that doesn't allow for curiosity,creativity or critical thinking. The result is that we suffer, not only at primary levels, but this inability to crave more information is taken to tertiary levels as well.

Thanks Sunita. If you didn't say it, I wouldn't be able to guess that is happening in UK. Sheffield is UK, right?

Let me tell you briefly what happened in my pre-univ college. A previous batch of students (2011/12) revealed in a questionnaire, that they mainly study by memorizing, and they regurgitate the info during exams. This practice is not acceptable in my college that is supposed to be a Center of Excellence for Teaching.

So I just do whatever is within my ability as an individual lecturer. Besides, I was given a slot to talk to students on any topic I chose, during Orientation Week (June 2013). So I discussed concerning Independent Learning and Life-long Learning.

I discussed with them concerning Bloom's Taxonomy, comparing the current with the previous. I emphasized the importance of creativity and innovation in our present world, with its dwindling resources and many needs.

I emphasized the need to be info-literate, to search for info, adapt the info, communicate the info and reflect/review the whole process. I told the students that info-literacy is the basis of independent learning and life-long learning; and CURIOSITY is the internal motive to learn. For a child, curiosity is the reason to explore the environment. I told the students, when all external reasons (good grades etc) are gone, CURIOSITY is the reason to pursue learning (life-long learning).

I am indebted to all the researchers who have gone before me and investigated these areas!

with the advent of an overwhelming increase in standardized testing, real learning has in many cases has become moot.

One major factor that has not been discussed is the extra curricula activities. More specifically, the Scouting movement. Today, I stand in class and ask who is a "Scout"?, in a class of 35 students one will raise his/her hand.

Learning by doing is something that kids, and younger generation are lacking. Even worst, some countries are transforming the scouting activities (the very active programs) into lazy and waste of time activities which has hit badly the creativity of the boys and girls to come up with solutions, leadership, etc...

Indeed, we are living in an age of high tech and sophistication but with almost zero comradship and collaboration. To say the worse, almost zero creativity.

Hi everyone, last week I wrote ' WS,WL?' on the board. It's the abbreviation for 'Why study, why learn? A student was asked to give just 3 reasons. Here's what I found:

100% of students included reasons of social mobility (better future, status etc)

100% included reasons of financial gain (dream house, cars etc)

70% stated that they wanted to gain knowledge

20% wanted to make their parents proud of them

None stated that they just wanted to learn because they were curious or just had to know! The closest was the desire to gain knowledge!

Just go into retirement I may reflect this topic from my own experience in learning and teaching.

1. curiosity is with everyone - also students

2. the direction of teaching and the direction of students curiosity fail sometimes

3. basic knowledge, actual interest and goal for the life sometimes is not in line for the students - they don't know why, what and how to learn

4. teachers are mostly fare away from their students, they are not leading and guiding for learning

5. Good teaching catch their interest, fascinate them on the topic and lead to an shiny goal for life (who is able to do so?)

.

My experience with teaching show the necessity to go in close touch with the students to find out how to catch their interest. Give them practical examples with their own experience and show them how it feels to have knowledge (Teaching them the longing for the sea, not how to build ships)

.

Miranda - a girl from Malaysia tell me some about her learning and failing at examinations. She reflect exact your feeling about actual teaching.

School don't teach me - but life was always so interesting and curiosity came up every day.

Enjoy your life, love your students and you won't fail in successful teaching.

What do you feel about my old fashion thinking?

What comes to my mind when I read Guenter's ideas is the film about the Indian boy, the slumdog millionaire!

Beside life's teachings, teachers have to have empathy with their students.

We, the teachers, professors, lecturers...etc really should have emphaty with our students and, moreover, we should not forget that we were students!

So true, @Ljubomir and @Hussin. May I add that curiosity could very well be a characteristic of culture - I actually would like to know more about this being a German (which markets itself as the 'Land of Ideas') in Thailand (famous as the "Land of Smiles').

i have learned a lot from this discussion. it is very interesting question Miranda ask the students. it is to confirm that students natural curiosity fads as they grow older.

Thanks everyone for your contribution.

My second question is 'How can we re-awaken the natural curiosity of our students?' I have gleaned a few things from your comments. Keep coming with your great ideas. They will be most appreciated!

One way is to challenge them to challenge you. That is, I make it clear in class for students that they will get credit if they are able to challenge me in class. A fact that motivates them to go beyond the lectures and do some research on the topics in discussion and come up with really excellent questions which adds "the special touch" to creativity.

I think teachers should always innovate. One element that sparks curiosity is the newness of a thing. Curiosity is in the "sleep mode" if the students are bored, routinized, and if they are not challenged (Hussin). In order for students to be creative, teachers must be creative first and must guide their students' creativity.

I agree Elmer. This takes us to what type of teachers are in class, self-motivated with proactive spirit to evolve and create evolution around them or externally motivated waiting for rewards for them to go to the next level and reacting to the students' initiatives!

Thanks, Elmer and Hussin. I'm looking forward to hear from other RG friends.

I think the school environment plays a major role in "diminishing" the natural curiosity of children.

The standard situation and scenario is the following: every children is seatting looking forward to the teacher. The children are not allowed to talk to each other under the lesson. There is a limited time frame for the lesson. The teacher has to teach several things in a relative short time. Usually there is not time for 45 questions from 25 or 30 students in the classroom so the premise is: "keep quiet while the teacher is talking" (otherwise there would not be time for the whole lesson as planned by the ministry of education).

If you (the scholar system, actually) let the student lesson after lesson keep quiet while the teacher speaks, then, the childen will at large understand that the best is keeping quiet, because that is the impression the children get from the teachers and the educational system: "the chiledren must listen, remember, learn and repeat the right answer orally or in written". There are not time for a lot of questions and the children finally understand and accept this.

That is the difference with the time a children ask things to the mother: the mother have time for every question and has not a schedule of things to teach and the children feels not pressure

I remember I was a very curios children, and when I asked questions to the teacher at the end of the lesson the teacher could think that I got a good point and the teacher could give us extra homework based on my questions. The other students could be very angry of this, and I learned to keep quiet in order to "survive" the day.

Other children go to the school looking forward the school brake in order to play and participate in the social contact between other children rather than listening to the teacher and then get some homework.

I think the school system nowadays is dealed like: "a lot of information in a time unit (lesson) where there is not much time for a lot of questions from the students".

My own curiosity was stimulated for my mother, the rest of the family and for all the interestings books we had at home.

As a child you feel free to ask all the questions you want. As a student you are not longer free to that. Neither the teachers nor the other students want your ask "too many" questions. And you learn that too.

Thanks Gino, I appreciate your frank answer. One or two other respondents have also mentioned that children have been conditioned and trained to keep quiet. In the Malaysian schools, I observe the same.

While it is good for students to watch and listen (using their eyes and ears), they must also speak up and ask. Then only their thinking is visible to the teacher.

As far as education is concerned, the natural curiosity of our students remained to them. I think the role of the teacher is to guide the teacher to wake such mental activity and give our pupils challenging questions or task or activity that will trigger them.

Thanks Maree and Boyet. You have contributed some good ideas for me to reflect upon:) Keep coming with such ideas, thanks.

Dear Miranda, the question you raised is of general concern in the Indian Universities and even in the 'highly accredited' technical institutes. "Where have all those thinkers gone?" is a common lamentation. Under the credit based evaluation, very few students fail and perhaps it was correctly assessed that no individuals should be 'judged' by his/her areas of weakness. Students were expected to pursue their curiosity with higher level of confidence. But that is not happening. We are trying different possibilities like instead of putting certain questions, why not the students are asked to put questions and based on the merits of the questions they can be marked! But the problem must be having much more fundamental origin. In neo colonial societies like India, where the consumerism is highly dominating, managers are in great demand and technocrats are confused routinely with scientists, the overall environment discourages thinking. However, the great recession is forcing some of the intelligent minds to question every norm, routine, belief, every thing that is supposed to be incontestable in the day-to-day make believe world of 'great accomplishments' and the so called achievements. A small minority community, growing in number very fast, hopes for a scientific resurgence, return of those curious eyes, more mature and more vibrant with the promise to make life more beautiful!

Thanks Siddhartha. Once a while, I get the privilege of having these rare students that you describe. Teaching them is really a wonderful experience. But on the whole, students that I meet seem to be more interested to get good grades for external reasons, for material gain.

So, I started telling them that if they would pursue knowledge and wisdom, all those distinctions and financial rewards (at least some) would come along as well!

@ Miranda: On that note "majority of students are just interested in getting good grades for material gain.." I agree. But is it not our motivation to our students? However curiosity as an inner motivation should suppose to be a more powerful motivator to our students but when it diminish from them, then we resort to external factors. But even in developed countries generally, students are still motivated through externally. So what happens to the natural curiosity of our students? Maybe we need to check also if our young people still do ask / curious about anything. Given the wonders of technology, knowledge is just "one click" away.

Let us look at this holistically.... i.e. involving care of whole body and mind.

We as grownups know very well that as kids -

We never enjoyed education even though we were told that education is good for us;

We treated it like an exercise or health food though we were constantly told by our teachers that KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

Today when we have passed that age and look back we feel if teachers give knowledge …. then in the process teachers learn many more things.

Today education is generally treated as a uniform and sequential activity — like training, providing identical skills and conveying programmed information.

First standard followed by second, third…tenth exams, plus-two and then preparing for college admissions…

The focus should be on the content and pedagogy of education

This anecdote is based on a real life incident.

Teachers in a school found a seven-year-old boy quite odd. Though he was well mannered and never got into fights, his answers were often seen as “different”. So the teachers tried their best to “educate” him.

Teacher: What does the cow give us?

Boy: The cow gives us cow dung.

Teacher: That’s not a good answer. You should say “the cow gives us milk”.

Boy: But why, Teacher? Does the cow not give us dung?

Teacher: Stop acting over-smart! Why can’t you be like a normal child? I will send a note to your parents! You are the fellow who drew an amoeba in art class, right?

Boy: Yes, Miss. We were asked to draw an animal. I picked an amoeba that my elder sister told me about! I liked it because it has no fixed shape! And it moves about using pretend feet…

Teacher: Enough! Why do I get these oddballs in my class!?

Examinations and standardized testing techniques tend to incentivise homogeneity and undermine creativity.

That does not, of course, mean that standardized testing has no value. In the medical field, for example, standardized tests can be very useful. Such tests can provide information on whether your red blood corpuscles count is within the normal range or not or whether your body mass index,(BMI), is within acceptable limits.

However, the problem arises when doing well on a standardized test becomes the ultimate aim of learning.

Teachers and parents should further not just knowledge about the subject, but also nurture divergent thinking, many different angles and answers to a question.

Here is another example of a little girl in class two and her art teacher.

Teacher: What are you doing?

Girl: Making a picture of God.

Teacher: But no one knows what God looks like!

Girl: They will, in five minutes…as soon as I am done.

Now, do we really want to discourage this little girl? And the little boy ?

REMEMBER:

TODAY - The game of learning is marks-examination game

There is a sense of hollowness

NEVER KILL CREATIVITY(a by-product of natural curiosity)

Excellence always creates success

Success is the by-product

Thanks for the points you raised and Welcome to Research Gate. Many of us are scientists/ researchers with lots of humour!

Let us also remember our role as parents while we challenge teachers. While we should encourage achievement in school as a means to admission to institutions of higher education, we should equally encourage creativity, oddball thinking and excursions into areas we well know will be fruitless, they are part of the learning process.

Dear All,

This question is a challenge for educators but the solution is independent of us.

Amin has had 3 points in his arguing. The first 2 were always characteristic for the process of growing up. The third one, the possibility of internet use is a totally new element. Besides, I mention in some countries internet use cannot be an option because of poverty. Internet can be fascinating and its visual opportunity has an enormous impact on people mainly for children and younger generation. Unfortunately, many internet sources are junk and unreliable and distribute untrue, falsified and virtual things, events and explications. The trouble is that this impact is gigantic for youth who are “fed” with worthless media products. Certainly, this is not accidental. Media moguls and their bosses need an uncultivated and standardised human mass. A low standard of life is provided in many countries and people can get still an artificial virtual reality which cannot be even the nirvana but a simple nothing.

Another reason is the general commercialization at each area of life including education and human relationships. Indisputably, commercialization and media impacts have the same roots

About 30 years ago a high rate, even 20 or 30% of students were really talented. Now, this can be maximum 5 or 10% or rather less these days. This is because the general educational level of elementary and high schools is much lower than earlier and the number of high-school graduates is very high. This means that universities operate like industrial manufactures and their aim is to get more and more profit and so the teaching standard is a collateral thing.

Summarising, untalented, bored, internet tied mass of young people forms the average population which decreases the level and integrity of the more talented group who has difficulties to find the right way and desperately try to fit in with the average.

In addition, value crisis (practically all human values (manly morality) are in danger) and high unemployment among young people contribute to the general decrease of curiosity (for knowledge, science and real life).

Thus, we must formulate the question: What has happened to our life (style)?

@Andras, You have contributed a nice analysis. So, I do agree that reformulated question is well stated! Thanks! @Miranda, do You agree?

Dear Ljubomir,

Many thanks for your kind opinion. Now, let us see the reaction of others. Although, opinion of some people cannot change the dominant attitudes.

Ljubomir and Andras, I agree very well with what Andras has described concerning value crisis. Having grown up in a church that holds to the Bible as the revelation of God's purpose for man, I surely agree.

But I also listen to contrary views and try to understand the reasons for those views. Even though I teach Biology, that uses Evolution as its basis, and not Creation, I emphasize moral values. I'm thankful that my superiors do not have a problem with my actions.

Dear Miranda,

Certainly, one tries to do her/his best. God has given us the free will, the ability to assess consequences of our deeds and to make difference between good and bad. I think one of the worst things is when somebody lies herself or himself in order to gain a bit more benefit.

I repeat: opinion of some people cannot change the dominant attitudes which destroy our world.

András, your analysis above is excellent! I completely second it. It is encouraging to see that in this world of total manipulation there are still real thinking people...

Yes Andras, Cyril, Ljubomir and friends; I have re-formulated the question accordingly. It's in the Psychology, Philosophy, Education 'silos' :)

Dear Ljubomir and friends,

Unfortunately, this morning when I checked the question was 'deleted by an editor'.

My re-formulated question was 'What has happened to our life-style in the 21st century?

Never mind, when I interact with my many students and we meet up with many problems, I will still have to ask questions. You, Ian, Arturo, cyril, Micheal and Andras are among the WISE people who suggest (supply) solutions!

Dear All,

Miranda experiece shows that even opnions and a very starting understanding of a tiny group of people can be dangerous from point of view of bosses.

Brave new world.

Big brother, do you follow each of our movements?

Dear All and Miranda,

10 minutes ago I asked a question which was delated by an editor after 5 minutes. I think it was a good question: How to get a high RG score? It was an ephemer question but I deal with lacewings. Of course, I have been aware of the future of this question. It was only a test. Bingo!

If somebody is interested I can send it in an e-mail letter.

I like so much democracy.

Dear Andras,

For me, if there's any question of mine that RG wants to delete, it's ok. I will have many more questions (and answer other people's) , and I must go on to be a better Questioner :)

"The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrat​es. The great teacher inspires." --William Arthur Ward

Instilling curiosity in students encourages their desire to learn. When students are magnetized by a new idea or a new situation and are compelled to explore further, regardless of external rewards, they can be said to be truly motivated. In each new project, they discover seeds for a future project or a new question to examine.

www.naturalcuriosity.ca/pdf/BranchISection.pdf‎

Great quote, Mohammad!

@Mohammad, it is nice resource for teachers. Thanks! Since the pdf link You gave, do not work, I am going to post the home link for our colleagues. Regards

http://www.naturalcuriosity.ca/

@Andras, please send me. My mail is [email protected]

Thanks!

@ Ljubomir Jacić

I read your work / web link.

Really, very nice.

Very much adorable.

Thanks, Ljubomir, for the link. I have just downloaded the file, this weekend, I will find time to enjoy reading it :)

Dear Friends, Thanks for your contributions. Yesterday, the students were given their results but I was busy the whole day. I received this email. Please allow me to share my happiness as well as my questions :)

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1/?shva=1#inbox/142c0a16f52e38d1

@Miranda, this link brings me to my Gmail inbox!!! I would like to share Your happiness!

Maybe You will find another way to present it to question followers! Good luck,

Ljubomir

Dear Ljubomir and friends, I hope you can view now. Thanks.

@Miranda, congratulations! I have seen also that ResearchGate is Your first bookmark in CHROMA bookmarks bar! Yes!

Dear friends, I thank all of you for your support and for bearing with me and my occasional errors. I also thank the RG people who work behind the scenes. I love knowledge, learning and teaching. To continue to learn, I must stay humble and teachable.

There's not much use to think of rewards and awards. The true achievement is what I can do for my students, colleagues, country and our global village. Thanks again, YOU are the BEST :)