After spending time observing a jewelry class I found that students often reproduced given ideas but rarely innovated. I also found that when given time to research new ideas they spent most of the time browsing aimlessly and did not make significant changes to their work.
It seems that a majority of student are too used to following instructions and they stay in that mold.
I want to bring more curiosity to my students. Therefore I am going to post different points of interest and culture on my blog along with assignment and handouts. I will also bring artifacts to class. Artifacts can be Hawaiian fish hooks, gold flakes from the mine or pictures of exotic gardens.
I am hoping those small incentives will help develop a sense of curiosity leading to more diverse projects.