| Children often have
interests outside of the classroom that will not
ordinarily come to light in the course of
everyday classroom life. Some children may have
interests that, for one reason or another, they
do not share openly. |
| Non-negotiable areas of
curriculum can be made more exciting for students
when approached through their interests. |
| For example, fifth graders
must study the War for American Independence. It
is a non-negotiable. However, within such topics
are areas of interest that teachers can utilize
to facilitate student learning of the required
curriculum. Students with an interest in fashion
may choose to research clothing of the period
while those with an interest in music may
research what instruments and composers were
popular during that time period. How was food
prepared? What sports and games did people enjoy?
The subject matter can come alive by augmenting
it with topics of interest to the students.
Students will get to share their interests and
feel as though they are contributing to the
learning experience. |
| This approach will have
the added benefit of providing a more complete
and accurate study of the topic at hand from
multiple perspectives once students share the
results of their work. |
| Surveying students'
interests in the beginning of the school year
will give teachers direction in planning
activities that will "get students on board"
from the start. Surveying again at key points
during the year will inform teachers of new
interests that develop as their students grow. By
keeping in tune and working with student
interests, activities throughout the year can
continue to target students directly. |
| Independent studies,
learning and interest centers, anchor activities,
and supplemental materials will be more effective
if student interests are considered in their
planning and implementation. |
| Studies have shown that
allowing a student who is working below grade
level to participate in an interest-based project
may restore damaged self-esteem and improve his
or her attitude toward learning in general.
Research also suggests that these benefits may,
in turn, improve the child's academic performance.
|
| When working with younger
children, teachers may wish to ask parents to
complete an interest survey with their children. |
| The sample surveys linked
below can be used as-is or customized for
classroom use. |
| |
| Interest survey
ideas for older students (from Winebrenner, 2001) |
| Interest survey
ideas for elementary and middle grade students |
| Interest survey
for younger children
(including cover letter to parents) from the
University of Connecticut |
| |
