The Benefits of Being Curious
Author Bio
My name is Emily Prior, and I am in my final year at Brock University in the Recreation and Leisure Studies program in the Therapeutic Recreation stream. In Fall 2022, I was enrolled in Dr. Corliss Bean’s ‘Recreation and Leisure Services Field Experience’ course, where I completed my fieldwork placement with the Thorold Community Activities Group (TCAG). In this role, I worked alongside a recreation professional to aid in the planning and operation of various events to promote community engagement, as well as planning and facilitating a youth baking program. The Youth Baking Program offers children ages 6 and older to learn skills such as measuring and following instructions while also having fun, socializing with others, and making delicious treats (TCAG, n.d.). This blog was written as part of my coursework for this class.
As part of this course, I reflected on the skills I most developed during my placement experience. My ability to be curious showed the most improvement during my placement. Being curious is defined as a “desire to seek out and act on new ideas, opportunities, and knowledge sources, and the ability to demonstrate curiosity and interest in lifelong learning” (CCEE, n.d, p. 3). Being curious involves continuous learning, being open-minded, and being adaptive. In this blog, I will discuss examples of how I developed these skills and why they are important and relevant for areas beyond my placement.
Continuous Learning
Continuous learning is demonstrated when individuals achieve goals, are willing to learn and grow, learn from their mistakes and successes, and remain current in their field (University of Victoria, n.d.). During my placement, I wanted to implement the Youth Baking program sessions independently and gain the skills and leadership associated with running a community program. By the end of my placement, I had successfully planned and implemented several youth baking sessions independently, which I was very proud of. One session which stood out to me was when youth participants learned to make gingerbread because I got to see them learn new skills in baking, such as separating egg whites and trying new ingredients, like molasses. I enjoyed seeing the wonder and the experience of something new within the children because it made me feel as though the program had given them something new and exciting. Through practice and exposure to the program, I developed the leadership, planning, and facilitation skills to implement these sessions independently. Such skills are integral to my future roles in recreation, where I will be responsible for planning and implementing my own recreation programs. Additionally, my willingness to try new things and continue to learn and grow are important skills in my future role, as there are always new professional development opportunities in the field of Therapeutic Recreation.
Open-Mindedness
Open-mindedness is associated with a willingness to try new tasks and ideas. Going into my placement, I was open-minded in the tasks I was given within the organization. During my time at the TCAG, I was willing to help in different areas and wore many “hats” within my role, including program facilitator, social media content creator, and creative leader in decorating and event planning. Often, this is the reality for recreation professionals—they take on multiple roles within an organization and must be adaptable to meet many different needs. I believe this allows recreation professionals the opportunity to expand their horizons, try new things, and keep an open mind throughout the journey, which can be helpful when working within diverse roles and with diverse people. Being open-minded allows professionals to discover new ideas, experiences, or skills which can help them in their role. This can include participating in courses or training modules which teach skills and information that interest them or apply to a population they support. For example, a recreation professional may enroll in a chair yoga instructing course. The professional can then take the skills and knowledge they gained from this course in their role by implementing a chair yoga class for older adults.
By keeping an open mind during my placement, I was able to take on new tasks which I had not done before, including creating content for a non-profit organization’s social media, facilitating a baking program for children, and aiding in planning events for the organization within the community (e.g., creating decorations and organizing the float for the Santa Claus Parade). These experiences can aid me in my future role as a recreation therapist because I am able to apply the skills and knowledge I gained into my role, as well as carry on my willingness to try new things and continue to learn to better serve the individuals I support.
Adaptability
Adaptability is an important skill in being curious because it allows you to overcome challenges and meet new goals. Being adaptive as a recreation professional is integral to the role. Between adapting programs to meet the needs of the participants and shifting programming if it does not go as planned, professionals must be quick to adapt and create a new plan. During my placement, I was adaptive when implementing a baking program for children. I enjoyed the challenge of adapting the baking program for children and learning the skills associated in facilitating it, such as breaking down the steps or preparing supplies ahead of time. Therefore, this experience gave me an opportunity to be adaptive and try a new skill within my placement. The development of this skill can aid me in my future role as a recreation professional by adapting my programs to meet my clients’ needs and acting quickly when a plan goes differently than expected. I can also continue to ask questions and gain feedback to find areas that need improvement, which can help me adapt the programs and my professional approach to best support my clients.
Why is Curiosity Important to Me?
Being curious has been an important skill for my personal and professional development for multiple reasons. Below I overview five ways my placement challenged me to be curious:
Empowerment– Empowerment allows me to ask questions and build a broader understanding of a topic, making me feel competent and confident in what I do (Rubio, 2016). During my placement, my supervisor provided me with more direction and information to make me feel more confident in implementing the program. With this support and information, I felt empowered to facilitate the Youth Baking classes independently and confidently. I believed that I was capable of implementing this program and overcome any challenges I faced with ease.
Pursue Interests– Pursuing my interests allows me to develop topics and skills that interest me both personally and professionally. During my placement, I was given the opportunity to pursue my interest in recreation and working with children through facilitating the Youth Baking program. This experience allowed me to further my experience in and my passion for the field of Therapeutic Recreation, which I will carry with me following my degree.
Overcome Change– Overcoming change allows me to better adapt to problems by being open-minded and flexible to new things. One challenge I overcame during my placement was when a baking class did not go as planned and was too difficult, so I had to simplify the directions to better adapt to the children’s abilities. This experience allowed me to further develop my problem-solving skills and gain more experience in facing challenges in the role of a recreation professional that I can use in my future roles.
Remain Relevant– Remaining relevant allows me to develop new skills related to my field (Rubio, 2016). I can continue to develop my professional skills during my placement and future role as a recreation professional. For example, as part of my course requirement, I enrolled in a professional development course offered by High Five called Principles of Healthy Aging, which taught me skills in implementing programs for older adults; however, it is also applicable when implementing programs for children. This opportunity allows me to further develop skills and knowledge in my field, which I can use in my future roles as a professional.
Finding New Passions– Finding new passions allows me to try new things to find topics or skills that could spark new interests in my personal or professional life. Through my placement, I have tried new tasks and roles, which have allowed me to broaden my skills and interest in the recreation field. For example, I had not implemented a Youth Baking program before my placement. From this experience, I developed a newfound interest in baking and working with children in the kitchen.
In conclusion, being curious is an essential skill to have as a student, but also as a recreation professional. It allows you to continue learning, try new things, encourages you to be open to new experiences and ideas, and adapt quickly to changing situations.
References
Co-op, Career & Experiential Education (CCEE). (n.d.). Brock University core competencies: Be curious. https://brocku.ca/ccee/wp-content/uploads/sites/68/Brock-Competencies-FULL-VERSION.pdf
Rubio, E. (2016). 6 surprising reasons why curiosity should be a core competency. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/6-surprising-reasons-why-curiosity-should-core-competency-rubio/
TCAG. (n.d.). Youth baking. https://www.thoroldgroup.org/timetable/event/youth-baking-6/
University of Victoria. (n.d.). Using competencies: Continuous learning. https://www.uvic.ca/career-services/build-your-career/using-competencies/index.php?utm_medium=redirect&utm_source=/coopandcareer/career/build-skills/core/index.php&utm_campaign=redirect-usage#ipn-core-competencies