NUGGETS: the curiosity mindset 2022-12-07

What is NUGGETS

NUGGETS stands for 'New undergraduate Gems: Great Educator Tips Shared'.  This is a monthly remote workshop (12-1 pm the first Wednesday of the month) which aims to develop educators. You can claim 1 hour of Educator CPD for your appraisal.

Below you will find a summary of the learning from the 2nd November workshop.


Just a reminder that the fourth Zoom drop-in session of NUGGETS (New Undergraduate Gems: Great Educator Tips Shared) is going ahead 

today from 12pm to 1pm.  

  

The session will be very interactive sharing in small and large groups. Each month will have a different theme and a practical focus.  

 

CPD is worth up to 1 hour.  

  

The theme for this session is 

  

The curiosity mindset: Keeping students engaged and curious through questions  

  

Aim - explore how asking questions enable learning and how we keep curious and enable curiosity of others…  

  

Discovery is predicated on curiosity. The more curious you are, the more willing you will be to engage in each new experience.

The easiest way to tap into your natural curiosity is by asking questions. Tina Seelig 

  

Questions we will think about:  

  

Previous nuggets with loom video  

https://sites.google.com/view/educator-development/notes-and-blog/nuggets-2nd-november?authuser=0 

  

Curiosity.pdf

Notes from the workshop 

Curiosity is an urge to seek knowledge and deeper understanding. 

Curiosity can have benefits for the educator, student and patient. During the workshop, we learnt how it could benefit consultations (think about open questions), clinical reasoning, relationship building and reflective learning. 


Facilitate learners to get curious about patient encounters by asking questions

While observing students talking to patients, you notice that the patient mentions the word migraine while talking about flu-like symptoms. The student brushes over this. Why did the patient mention migraine? What do they mean by migraine?  


Being curious and asking open questions can facilitate consultation skills.

This helps to understand the lived experience of patients, which in turn develops a rapport with other people. 


Being curious about the learner's circumstances, interests and thoughts.

We learnt how this could help to develop a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by students and tailor more personalised support. 


Curiosity is the basis of knowledge and helps you to grow. 

In this sense, a growth mindset helps with the learning process (versus the fixed mindset). 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34410891/ 


Being curious means seeking deeper knowledge is longer lasting

Factual knowledge transactions are short-lived. The deeper learning from a curious line of enquiry leads to a better understanding of the context and the case. It provides multiple perspectives on situations that may appear simple and incorrect. Good questions to ask are those that start with what, why, and how.  Other approaches include; Socratic, heuristic, didactic and counselling questions. 


Being curious helps to transform learning and enables better reflection. 

Doctors need to engage in reflective practice because of the complexity and uncertainty of healthcare. A curious mindset supports this reflection. Educators can help learners to ask questions that make them think about their learning (metacognition or master programme). 


Recognise the emotional space that supports curiosity and enables this

Emotions can reveal insights into areas that need further exploration. Tutors could highlight these moments and create the space for understanding them through respectful curiosity. 


What next