Summary: Influences on Classroom Interest
"A key aspect of
fostering the acquisition and nurturance of appreciation for learning is
catching the interest of students and holding it." This article goes on to
give a definition of interest saying it "describes preferences for objects."
I think those statements above give us a great start on trying to grasp
interest. Another factor to point out is the two different types of interests
described in this article.
Individual approach: person centered, this approach asks what preferences
people hold, or what enduring preferences they have for certain activities of
knowledge. Tries to get at what would be most interesting to this individual.
The definition of individual interest is described as "positive
feelings".
Situational approach: asks can one predict what things will be interesting
to most people? This approach can be manipulable by educators, at least in
short-term encounters
This article goes on to tell
us that it is important to recognize that personal or individual factors always
interact with situational factors to create interest. We must be able to use
both types together to warrant the best outcome possible. One way to create
interest is exposure, by putting something out there for people to see gives it
the potential to have interest. Along with exposure is freedom to choose study
topics that interest the individual.
1. Culture value
2. Identification
3. Social support
4. Emotions
5. Competence
6. Utility- Goal Relevance
7. Background Knowledge
1. Hands on
2. Discrepancy
3. Novelty
4. Food
5. Social Interaction
6. Modeling
7. Games
8. Content
9. Humor
This
article goes on to conclude that we as future teachers need to consider
individual factors when planning instruction so that the instruction can
coincide with existing interests. It also goes on to mention that us teachers
should try to change individual factors where possible.