Fostering Curiosity to Support Sustained Learning

Originally published October 30, 2026

As we head into the latter half of the term, small tweaks to teaching can help recapture students’ focus and interest to support their process of learning, especially in content-heavy courses (Beattie 2026; Lang 2021). It can certainly feel like our classes are sometimes filled with distracted students, many of whom might be juggling competing pressures such as finances, social anxiety and other kinds of uncertainties, but they are otherwise present and ready to engage (Rivers 2026).

Even amongst students with competing priorities, research shows that engaging students in activities helps bring their focus into learning. As humans, we are inherently inquisitive and curious about the world around us (Eyler 2018; Lang 2020). Curiosity and focus can take on the form of students excitedly talking to their peers about the content which an instructor has not yet finished delivering (Fasiang 2026). Moreover, “mind-wandering is normal” and can benefit from strategies that help tap into students’ inquisitive nature (Ludwig & Zakrajsek 2026).

Scholars of the science of learning (Lang 2020; Ludwig & Zakrajsek 2026) show that effective learning requires the following: 

1. Foster interest and curiosity: students attend to an item or task such as an idea, fact or experience; 
2. Create opportunity to apply learning: students process or encode new knowledge solve problems, answer questions, expand thinking or actions; 
3. Support retrieval practices: students apply newly learned content in multiple contexts or scenarios. 

Keep reading for instructional strategies that support sustained learning.

Tap into students’ curiosity to engage them

• Utilize cliffhangers and anticipation tactics (Mustafa & Shadan 2024), for example, share a video on a topic that has some but not all the answers, ask students “what is missing” or what perspectives are missing to pique their interest and engagement through lecture components and activities where they have to do the solving. Alternatively, share an image or part of an image at the start of class and see if students can identify it and its connection to that day’s course content.

• Model curiosity. Try a new activity or tool and share with students that you are trying something new. Ask them what they thought of the activity or of the process to signal to students that exploration and discovery are a part of the learning process for you as well (Ludwig & Zakrajsek 2026).

• Ask open-ended questions to spark curiosity and debate. Fact-based questions with strict right answers shut down conversation and leave no room for discussion. While open-ended questions aren’t guaranteed to spark an energized discussion, they provide the opportunity for students to be curious and take chances at guessing answers (Eyler 2018). 

Utilize strategic moments for students to apply their learning

• Identify at what point a student’s focus might begin to fade during your lesson, such as 10-15 minutes into a content-rich lecture. Add-in a 30-60 second re-focusing activity, which could involve asking a question about lecture content or use polling software, such as MS Forms, iClicker or Zoom polling, to gauge whether students are following along. Other refocus activities include peer interaction or independent reflection activities (Rivers 2026).

• Aim to shift between content delivery and engaging activities to support students in processing information through application in diverse ways. Research also shows that students are better able to sustain their interest on lecture components when they come back from an active learning experience (Lang 2020; Ludwig & Zakrajsek 2026).

Support retrieval practices during and beyond class to deepen learning

• Provide multiple contexts for students to apply learning. Applying newly gained knowledge into diverse scenarios enables deep learning as “learning is strengthened through retrieval” (Lang 2020). For example, if students are learning about climate action and the media, ask them to keep a digital or written log throughout the week where they encounter climate-related messaging in their everyday life and then have them complete a reflection or group activity in-class describing their encounters.
• Talk to your students about effective study habits and connect them to university resources. Student Success offers various in-person and virtual workshops that support study skills, such as: “Study Smarter, Not Longer,” “Multiple Choice Mastery,” “Silencing Digital Distractions,” “Optimize Your Brain Power,” and many more. Students may also be eligible for the ASk Certificate for attending workshops and meeting with learning consultants.

One final thought

Ask students to time themselves to see how long they can go before opening a new browser tab, checking their email, or looking at their phone to raise awareness of how long it takes before one’s attention is pulled in another direction and to reflect on why. Challenge yourself to do the same! How long before you turn your attention elsewhere? Self-awareness can support each of us in knowing when and why our attention gets diverted so that we can identify when best to focus our energy on a task for a sustained period and when our minds need to wander or be otherwise engaged.

Let your students know about the upcoming Student Success in-person and virtual workshops on “Silencing Digital Distractions” to help them better understand when and how they might minimize digital distractions to support strong study skills.

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