What is Interest-Based Activities & How It Supports Learning?

 Children have an innate drive to learn and an intense interest in following their own interests. Because of these characteristics, interest-based learning (IBL) may be an engaging and successful educational approach. In this way, their natural curiosity in the things that interest them may be channeled into a structured routine of questioning, exploring, and gaining understanding. It is essential that they be "directed." IBL isn't only a method for improving one's hobby; it's a technique for increasing curiosity and discovery. With IBL, students are given a greater say in what they learn and how they learn it. They are inspired to learn actively via the use of IBL. IBL makes use of the way children's brains are structured to make associations between what they already know and what they are learning by eliciting curiosity and prompting students to ask questions.

 

Teachers, parents, and Learning Coaches all have new responsibilities as a result. The basis of the concept is teachers' knowledge of their pupils' passions, gained via observation and discussion. It is also essential for motivating and guiding students to maintain a steady concentration on their studies under the guidance of a mentor. Learning that is tailored to these interests and activities may have profound effects.

 

What Do Studies Reveal About Interest-Based Learning? 

 

With a focus on the individual learner, the learning process becomes cyclical, and students are encouraged to draw from a wide variety of authentic resources. As they grasp one topic and get eager about the next, pupils diverge from the traditional learning trajectory of first learning, storing, and then applying new information. Research supports the beneficial effects of the IBL approach, suggesting that the only limit to learning based on children's interests is the children's capacity to ask questions (under the direction of a Learning Coach or instructor).

 

Well-known educationalist and researcher David Yeager discovered compelling evidence that students pursuing their own curiosity areas performed better on standardised tests. Students were more inclined to persevere through difficult homework if they could see how it related to something they were interested in. Passion-driven education is a blueprint for continuous education. Children are more likely to continue their education into high school and college if they find their studies to be relevant to their interests. They become self-motivated to expand their knowledge since studying itself becomes interesting.

 

Since ODM Public School – the best CBSE school in Odisha, firmly believes that no two kids learn in exactly the same way, the school places a premium on empowering parents to tailor their children's educational experiences to their own strengths and interests. Find out what your students are interested in, get them excited about learning more, and then help them figure out how to learn more about it via interest-based learning. When students actively engage in questioning, they "light up" neural networks involved in processing reinforcement, memory, and motivation. Basically, an earnest desire to study may be stimulated by an individual's natural inquisitiveness.