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Particularly in today's world, where technology is hijacking our minds, Curiosity Day is a movement focused on reinvigorating an innate human trait that has helped humankind push boundaries and progress
CHICAGO, Dec. 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Encyclopaedia Britannica, which yesterday marked its 250th anniversary and 25 years on the Internet, kicked off its second quarter of a millennium with "Curiosity Day," a new initiative aimed at strengthening the human mind and inspiring the joy of learning every day.
In launching the new initiative, the company stated:
"We aspire to help people explore their own minds as well as the great minds of history. That's why we created the Curiosity Compass. As part of this experience, our Curiosity Challenge compels you to dive into the past, present, the self, and the community through a multi-week email challenge with social components.
"Have you ever wondered if you share traits with famous people throughout history or what your unique inquisitive abilities might be? Discover your Curiosity Type through a series of thought provoking and engaging questions which will ultimately reveal which of four profile types (the Artist, Inventor, Explorer, Scientist) you align with. For those looking to explore their profile strengths further – visitors can sign up for the Curiosity Challenge email experience. We encourage those who are participating to share their experience with their friends & family and reach out to new connections on social media through unique hashtags."
Visitors to the Curiosity Day website can also read about The Science of Curiosity and discover how to improve their own abilities with 10 Ways to Be More Curious. For those inspired by stories from real life Britannica has compiled and categorized Curious People, profiles of some of the most interesting, creative people throughout history, from its extensive database.
The initiative was kicked off at two schools near the company's Chicago headquarters: the Barack Obama Learning Academy in Markham, Ill., and the Eisenhower Academy, in Joliet, Ill. There students and teachers took part in a series of engaging activities designed spark their curiosity.
"When you're curious about any topic or any subject you'll delve more into it," said Tonya Scruggs, a third-grade teacher at the Barack Obama Learning Academy. "It's like a hook to inspire learning, to inspire their curiosity, to inspire them to want to learn more about what it is I've presented to them."
"Curiosity is like the foundation of imagination," said kindergarten teacher Barbara Mathews.
The events were made possible by the support of Dr. Sheila Harrison-Williams, Superintendent, Hazel Crest School District 152½; and Dr. Theresa Rouse, Superintendent, Joliet Pubic School District 86.
"Dr. Harrison-Williams and Dr. Rouse are leaders who are pushing the boundaries of learning and working to inspire the next generation of superintendents nationally," said Karthik Krishnan, Britannica's global CEO. "Their districts are on the cutting edge of education today, exploring new learning models. We're very grateful for the opportunity to partner with them."
Though the kickoff events were local, the company's ambitions for the initiative are global. As Krishnan explained, EB plans to roll out the campaign in its operations around the world, engage many others, and grow it into a self-sustaining grassroots movement that will move people to ask questions continually, pursue the answers, and share what they know and learn with others.
"Curiosity Day is about tuning into our innate desire to know. The spark that drives us to explore, discover and later invent. Let us commit ourselves to proactively triggering our curiosity to learn something new and share," said Krishnan. "Curiosity drives learning, and with today's growing trend of misinformation and fake news, we need everyone engaged in probing and questioning for the truth to prevail. There is no better immunization against misinformation than reactivating our curiosity shield."
Krishnan also emphasized that "in an already fast-paced, highly disruptive world where humans have to compete more and more with sophisticated machines powered by artificial intelligence, curiosity helps us preserve learning agility and develop a growth mindset. This enables us to think, learn and evolve more rapidly and be prepared no matter what the new world throws at us."
Curiosity Day is every day, said Krishnan, and it's in everybody's best interest to nurture it in order to shape a brighter future. Information and activities are available at curiosity.britannica.com and on YouTube here and here.
About the Encyclopaedia Britannica Group
The Encyclopaedia Britannica Group is a global knowledge leader whose flagship products, from Encyclopaedia Britannica, Britannica Digital Learning, Britannica Knowledge Systems, Merriam-Webster®, and Melingo®, inspire curiosity and joy of learning on multiple platforms and devices.
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