Interest-driven Instruction
Making Contemporary Issues centered around your interests!
What is Interest-driven Instruction?
Helps develop your Metacognition Skills!
Linked to our understanding of how students learn....
Vygotsky
The theories of Lev Vygotsky regarding social development and learning in the Zone of Proximal Development are both addressed in interest-driven learning. Vygotsky's social development theory emphasizes "the fundamental role of social interaction in the development of cognition” and the Zone of Proximal Development theory emphasizes that children learn best when given a foundational support, but are allowed to use the foundation to develop cognition (McLeod, 2014). Each of these coincide with the basic reasons for providing interest-driven learning opportunities in education . In Contemporary Issues, you will be able to choose your own learning path based on your interests, however, these learning opportunities will be things that push you to learn new information, but will not be "too hard nor too easy to understand" (Murphy Paul, 2013). With interest-based learning we will take into account your readiness and your interests, which will allow you to do "work at a respectable complexity level with the familiarity of a topic" you can relate to" (McCarthy, 2014). You will also collaborate and work cooperatively with your peers, other teachers and community members that will help you to answer questions you are interested in learning more about.
Erikson
Carey
Retrieval strength, is “how easily a nugget of information comes to mind” and if we do not continue to reinforce our learning “drops of quickly, and its capacity is relatively small” (Carey, 2014, p. 36). Hopefully, this will not happen if we use interest-driven learning in our Contemporary Issues class. While you are solving interest-driven questions, you may also run into some difficulties. Overcoming these difficulties will also motivate you to learn more, which Carey believes will increase your learning by opening up your creative ways of thinking (Carey, 2014, p. 109). I hope to use interest-driven learning to "encourage students to generate their own connections and discover for themselves the relevance of academic subject matter to their lives" (Murphy Paul, 2013).
Why in Contemporary Issues?
Why your interests matter...
References
Boeree, C. G. (2006). Erik Erikson. Retrieved from http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/erikson.html
Carey, B. (2014). How we learn: The surprising truth about when, where, and why it happens. New York: Random House.
[Cognitive digital image]. (2011). Retrieved from http://undergroundhealthreporter.com/cognitive-abilities/#axzz456Lv33iN
[Cooperative Learning Groups]. (2015, January 17). Retrieved from http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/cooperative-learning- structures-and-deep-learning/
Branch, J., & Oberg, D. (2004). Focus on inquiry. Alberta Learning. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov.cupdx.idm.oclc.org/fulltext/ED491498.pdf
Ely, R., Ainley, M., & Pearce, J. (2013, Spring). More than enjoyment: Identifying the positive affect component of interest that supports student engagement and achievement. Middle Grades Research Journal, 8(1), 13. Retrieved April 3, 2016, from Educators Reference Complete.
[Interest-driven curricula]. (2011, May 18). Retrieved from http://simplehomeschool.net/interest-driven-curricula-and-an-open-mind/
McCarthy, J. (2014, August 25). Learner interest matters: Strategies for empowering student choice. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/differentiated-instruction-learner-interest-matters-john-mccarthy
McLeod, S. (2014). Lev Vygotsky. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/vygotsky.html
Murphy Paul, A. (2013, November 4). How the power of interest drives learning. Retrieved from http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/11/04/how-the-power-of-interest-drives-learning/
Rheingold, H. (2014, June 23). Learner interest-driven curriculum. Retrieved from http://dmlcentral.net/learner-interest-driven-curriculum/