How do you maintain your curiosity in life?
Learn topic-related expressions and join the speaking club to practice them!
I am a certified TEFL instructor and native English teacher with hands-on experience delivering English due to my experience abroad in Hong Kong. I specialize in creating inclusive, judgment-free classrooms that adapt to diverse learners, including SEN students, using CLT and task-based methods, and I am currently pursuing IELTS certification to further strengthen my qualifications. I enjoy connecting with students from all backgrounds and am committed to helping them build confidence and skills through engaging, supportive instruction.
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1-minute overview
Curiosity is the habit of noticing gaps in what we know and wanting to explore them. It can be sustained through small routines: following an unexpected question, speaking with people outside our usual circles, or choosing resources that challenge rather than simply confirm our views. In the related TED conversation, educator Stephen Nobles presents curiosity as a way of seeing students through possibility instead of fixed assumptions.
Yet curiosity is not automatically positive or wise. It can become distraction when we constantly chase novelty, or intrusive when interest ignores another person’s privacy. Learning also brings a practical tension: curiosity may start the process, but patience, critical thinking, and the ability to tolerate uncertainty help us continue when answers are complicated. Intelligence can make learning faster, while curiosity gives learning direction and energy. The deeper question is whether we use new information to become more open-minded—or merely collect facts without changing how we think.
Yet curiosity is not automatically positive or wise. It can become distraction when we constantly chase novelty, or intrusive when interest ignores another person’s privacy. Learning also brings a practical tension: curiosity may start the process, but patience, critical thinking, and the ability to tolerate uncertainty help us continue when answers are complicated. Intelligence can make learning faster, while curiosity gives learning direction and energy. The deeper question is whether we use new information to become more open-minded—or merely collect facts without changing how we think.
Useful vocabulary
Approx. CEFR · Topic relevance
intellectual humility
Awareness that your knowledge may be limited or mistaken.
Intellectual humility helps me ask better questions instead of pretending I already know the answer.
novelty
/ˈnɑvəlti/The quality of being new, unusual, and interesting.
I enjoy novelty, but I try not to confuse it with real learning.
assumption
A belief accepted as true without enough evidence.
Travel has challenged many of my assumptions about everyday life in other countries.
intrusive
/ɪnˈtruːsɪv/Uncomfortably involved in someone’s private life or space.
Curiosity becomes intrusive when people demand personal details they have no right to know.
discernment
/dɪˈsɜrnmənt/The ability to judge carefully and recognize what matters.
With so much information online, curiosity needs discernment.
information overload
A state in which there is too much information to process effectively.
Information overload sometimes makes me less curious because I do not know where to begin.
Useful expressions
What interests me most is not ..., but ...
Use this to shift attention from a surface detail to a deeper issue.
What interests me most is not the answer itself, but why people avoid asking the question.
That depends on what we mean by ...
Use this to clarify an important term before making a claim.
That depends on what we mean by wisdom: having knowledge or using it well.
There is a fine line between ... and ...
Use this to compare two similar things with importantly different effects.
There is a fine line between healthy curiosity and being intrusive.
I would challenge the idea that ...
Use this to disagree thoughtfully and introduce a different perspective.
I would challenge the idea that curiosity always makes people more open-minded.
The value of ... lies in whether ...
Use this to evaluate an idea according to its consequences or purpose.
The value of educational technology lies in whether it encourages active exploration.
Sources & further reading
Question list
- Ice breaking
- Main topic
- Free talk
| Q1. | What’s something simple that makes you feel truly alive? |
|---|---|
| Q2. | What is your favorite sport or physical activity? |
| Q3. | What is a guilty pleasure activity you enjoy without shame? |
| Q4. | What’s the most recent photo you took? |
| Q5. | Think of the worst thing that's happened to you. What did you learn from it? |
| Q6. | When was the last time you cried? Do you cry a lot? |
| Q7. | What’s something in nature that never fails to amaze you? |
| Q8. | What is the most important quality you look for in a friend? |
| Q1. | How do you keep yourself interested in the world around you? |
|---|---|
| Q2. | When was the last time you learned something that surprised you? |
| Q3. | How can parents or educators encourage curiosity? |
| Q4. | What topics do you enjoy learning most about? |
| Q5. | What are your favorite educational resources? |
| Q6. | Can curiosity ever be a bad thing? ("Curiosity killed the cat...") |
| Q7. | Is curiosity more important than intelligence when it comes to learning? |
| Q8. | Does curiosity naturally lead to wisdom, or can it lead to more confusion? |
| Q1. | What helps you stay open to new perspectives during disagreements? |
|---|---|
| Q2. | Some people say happiness is a choice. How do you interpret that idea? |
| Q3. | What makes conflict resolution easier for you? |
| Q4. | What flaws in human nature hold humanity back? |
| Q5. | Describe the first time you recognized the value of emotional intelligence. |
| Q6. | What helps you stay emotionally balanced? |
| Q7. | Imagine you had the ability to change one law in your country. What would you change? |
| Q8. | What makes a conversation memorable for you? |
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