A new RSA report, commissioned by British Gas Generation Green, reveals that Britions are experience-hungry, possibly at the expense of gaining depth of knowledge. The report identifies a vital link between curiosity and innovation, so we want to ensure that the next generation of Britons are encouraged to be curious. 

 

Through our Generation Green programme, we’re trying to stimulate innovation and solve future energy challenges and we’re calling on the nation’s children for help. We have launched a nationwide search for 11 of the most curious children, aged between 7 and 14, who have the ‘why factor’. The children will be invited to work with British Gas experts to create new ideas to solve energy challenges and address one of the findings of our RSA report: that Britons lack curiosity about their energy usage. You can nominate a child for the British Gas Generation Green ‘Why Factor’ panel at www.generationgreen.co.uk/curiosity.

 

Kate Lemon, Programme Manager of British Gas Generation Green, said: “We will face big energy challenges over the next few decades, and we know that we need to innovate and help our customers use energy in new ways. This report shows that inspiring curiosity in young people could play a key role in addressing these challenges. That’s why we’re looking to harness the power of curiosity and inspire a new generation of young innovators.”

 

In response to the findings, the RSA and British Gas are calling on schools, parents and learners of all ages to cultivate curiosity by:

• Teaching for competencies and skills, like curiosity, that encourage problem solving.
• Encouraging forms of mental attention that make people reflect on things that might not have been noticed.
• Giving pupils the opportunity to develop a full understanding of a topic, rather than just the answers to exam questions.  
• Allowing the minds of learners to explore and experiment with ideas. 

 

Dr Jonathan Rowson, report author, RSA Social Brain Centre, said: “Our research indicates that curiosity may play an important part in stimulating innovation in ways that we urgently need to meet energy challenges in Britain. Understanding curiosity can help to create more effective feedback on home energy consumption, improve how we communicate environmental messages, and develop more sophisticated strategies to change behaviours that are habitual in nature. We also explore several ways that we could try to build on the natural curiosity of young people in educational settings.”

 

Want to know where you and your children rate on the curiosity-o-meter? Play our online quiz on our Facebook page here.