CHICAGO, Dec. 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Encyclopaedia
Britannica, which yesterday marked its 250th anniversary
and 25 years on the Internet, kicked off its second quarter of a
millennium with "Curiosity Day," a new initiative aimed at
strengthening the human mind and inspiring the joy of learning
every day.
In launching the new initiative, the company stated:
"We aspire to help people explore their own minds as well as the
great minds of history. That's why we created the Curiosity
Compass. As part of this experience, our Curiosity Challenge
compels you to dive into the past, present, the self, and the
community through a multi-week email challenge with social
components.
"Have you ever wondered if you share traits with famous people
throughout history or what your unique inquisitive abilities might
be? Discover your Curiosity Type through a series of thought
provoking and engaging questions which will ultimately reveal which
of four profile types (the Artist, Inventor, Explorer,
Scientist) you align with. For those looking to explore their
profile strengths further – visitors can sign up for the
Curiosity Challenge email experience. We encourage those who
are participating to share their experience with their friends
& family and reach out to new connections on social media
through unique hashtags."
Visitors to the Curiosity Day website can also read about The
Science of Curiosity and discover how to improve their own
abilities with 10 Ways to Be More Curious. For those
inspired by stories from real life Britannica has compiled and
categorized Curious People, profiles of some of the most
interesting, creative people throughout history, from its extensive
database.
The initiative was kicked off at two schools near the company's
Chicago headquarters: the Barack
Obama Learning Academy in Markham,
Ill., and the Eisenhower Academy, in Joliet, Ill. There students and teachers took
part in a series of engaging activities designed spark their
curiosity.
"When you're curious about any topic or any subject you'll delve
more into it," said Tonya Scruggs, a
third-grade teacher at the Barack Obama Learning Academy. "It's
like a hook to inspire learning, to inspire their curiosity, to
inspire them to want to learn more about what it is I've presented
to them."
"Curiosity is like the foundation of imagination," said
kindergarten teacher Barbara
Mathews.
The events were made possible by the support of Dr. Sheila Harrison-Williams, Superintendent,
Hazel Crest School District 152½;
and Dr. Theresa Rouse,
Superintendent, Joliet Pubic School District 86.
"Dr. Harrison-Williams and Dr. Rouse are leaders who are pushing
the boundaries of learning and working to inspire the next
generation of superintendents nationally," said Karthik
Krishnan, Britannica's global CEO. "Their districts are on the
cutting edge of education today, exploring new learning models.
We're very grateful for the opportunity to partner with them."
Though the kickoff events were local, the company's ambitions
for the initiative are global. As Krishnan explained, EB plans to
roll out the campaign in its operations around the world, engage
many others, and grow it into a self-sustaining grassroots movement
that will move people to ask questions continually, pursue the
answers, and share what they know and learn with
others.
"Curiosity Day is about tuning into our innate desire to know.
The spark that drives us to explore, discover and later invent. Let
us commit ourselves to proactively triggering our curiosity to
learn something new and share," said Krishnan. "Curiosity drives
learning, and with today's growing trend of misinformation and fake
news, we need everyone engaged in probing and questioning for the
truth to prevail. There is no better immunization against
misinformation than reactivating our curiosity shield."
Krishnan also emphasized that "in an already fast-paced, highly
disruptive world where humans have to compete more and more with
sophisticated machines powered by artificial intelligence,
curiosity helps us preserve learning agility and develop a growth
mindset. This enables us to think, learn and evolve more rapidly
and be prepared no matter what the new world throws at us."
Curiosity Day is every day, said Krishnan, and it's in
everybody's best interest to nurture it in order to shape a
brighter future. Information and activities are available at
curiosity.britannica.com and on YouTube here and here.
About the Encyclopaedia Britannica Group
The
Encyclopaedia Britannica Group is a global knowledge leader
whose flagship products, from Encyclopaedia Britannica, Britannica
Digital Learning, Britannica Knowledge Systems, Merriam-Webster®,
and Melingo®, inspire curiosity and joy of learning on multiple
platforms and devices.
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SOURCE Encyclopaedia Britannica Group