Why Not Change the World? Curiousity

“You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives.” ~  Clay P. Bedford

Several years ago I found this quote on curiosity and used it as part of my 'signature' for email.  I loved the notion of creating curiosity as part of the learning process. It also aligns with the adage of give a man a fish and he eats for a day but teach him to fish and he eats for a lifetime. Both capture the essence of engaging the learner in an activity that is meaningful, interactive, dynamic, and purposeful to the life of the learner.  These are not 'new' or radical thoughts - the fish quote is reputed to be an ancient Chinese proverb or words of Confucius.  

My own curiosity was piqued and I wanted to know a bit more about Bedford.  A quick search lead me to the Rensselaer Poly Technical Institute web page. The Institute was founded in 1824 in New York. Their motto: "Why not change the world?"

Clay Patrick Bedford

Class of 1924
Industrialist, Engineer, Manager
1903 - 1991

In his distinguished career with Kaiser Industries, with which he rose to become a corporate director and president of Kaiser Aerospace & Electronics Corp., Bedford was manager for a host of large-scale construction projects, including: chief engineer for the construction of Central Highway in Cuba; transportation superintendent for construction of Boulder Dam; and general superintendent for construction for the Grand Coulee and Bonneville dams.

His reputation as an efficiency expert soared after he supervised the construction of a World War II Liberty Ship in four days and 15 minutes.

In five years, he oversaw the production of 727 ships, which directly contributed to the winning of the war.

In the Korean War era, he was called to Washington as special assistant to the Director of Defense Mobilization, and later became assistant to the Secretary of Defense for production.

He was an advocate of the application of technology to classroom instruction at Rensselaer where he spearheaded the development of the Communications Center.

Here's to curiosity, innovation and a bit of play!

 

"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better" -- Albert Einstein