Responding with Wonderment and Awe

What does it mean?

Recognise and celebrate the beauty and wonder of the world you live in. Allow the amazing parts of life to inspire you. Let your mind be intrigued by the mystery of the things you cannot yet understand. Responding with Wonderment and Awe is the Habit that makes us ask big questions, that inspires us to achieve great things. 

Why does it matter?

Wonderment and Awe are the feelings you have when you recognise that something is amazing. Wanting to experience these feelings is what makes you strive to achieve great things, to set and work towards BIG goals. 

When should you use it?

Every time you encounter something that is amazing, BUT more importantly when you don't see the incredible in the every day object you have started to take for granted. Stop and think what about this experience might be worthy of wonderment and awe.

An example:

The Croods have never experienced the world outside the cave they call home. But when their rocky shelter is destroyed the family of six set out on an adventure of a lifetime. As they trek across an awe-inspiring landscape in search of safety, the Croods discover a brave new world, full or wonderful and dangerous creatures that will leave them questioning if they could ever return to the dark confines of a cave? The trailer captures the moment when they first encounter this new world.

5 Top Strategies:

1. Let yourself feel wonder and awe and then show it, get excited.
2. Look for opportunities every day
3. Imagine you are new to a place, force yourself to view your daily life through new eyes
4. Finish this sentence - This is amazing because . . .
5. Share your sense of wonder with others, it is contagious and don't let others spoil your moment with their uninspired world view

5 Questions to ask about your thinking:

1. What am I missing? Assume you are missing something wonderful and then seek it out.
2. Contemplate how things work, what makes the little light come on? How far away is that star?
3. How can I use my feelings of wonderment to help me understand?
4. Go past wonder and awe by describing what it is that has caused you to feel this way?
5. How can I add some awesome to my ideas?

 Thinking Routines for Responding with Wonderment and Awe

1. I see, I think, I wonder - Open your senses to the experience and describe it, give voice to your thoughts as you explore with your senses, finish by asking questions that share your wonderment
2. Headlines - Write a headline as you find on a newspaper that shows your understanding of an experience now and when you first encountered it. What has changed from these two moments in time? Has your sense of wonder and awe increased or decreased and why?
3. Create thought provoking questions - Brainstorm a list of at least 12 questions and then highlight those that will engage your sense of wonderment and awe in the chosen topic. Share and discuss these questions with other learners.
4. Options Explosion - Begin by listing the obvious solutions or options. Now brainstorm all the other options, generate as many options as you can, combine ideas to create more, allow your creativity to run wild and tap into your sense of wonderment and awe. Review the list of options and identify the ones that are most intriguing. Use the ideas generated to consider new possibilities and new solutions.
5. I used to think, now I think - When you are reviewing a topic take time to include this simple routine. Start with 'I used to think . . . ' then move on to 'Now I think . . .'. Add power by combining with 'What makes me say that'. Has your sense of wonderment and awe for the topic changed with a deeper understanding?

Thinking Routines adapted from Harvard's 'Visible Thinking Resource Book'