Interest-Based Learning

Career development education has many benefits but can be hard to implement. See how one high school principal is making it work.

By turning a plain old hallway into a destination that every class visits regularly to tinker and play, a school made limited resources go further and saw student enthusiasm soar.

Reminding high school students why they’re in school—so they can become the people they aspire to be—can be a powerful motivator.

How to adapt principles from the famed approach to foster interest-based learning for the youngest students.

Play-based learning helps engage elementary students in their education and has cognitive, physical, social, and emotional benefits.

For young children, play is the primary vehicle for learning, and these ideas will help ensure that they continue to have rich play experiences at home.

Teachers can build rapport with students by starting the year with activities that encourage sharing of interests, and by connecting those interests to curriculum.

A teacher shares what she did and what she learned when she implemented Genius Hour in her fifth-grade class.

Collaboratively designing courses with middle and high school students can lead to deep engagement and transferable knowledge.

By connecting learning to the real world, students begin to see themselves as a catalyst for change within it.

Taking students’ interests into account when designing project-based learning helps ensure that they stay engaged throughout the unit.

When students care about an assignment, they're willing to take greater risks and are more likely to excel in their product.

A fun multiweek project can support the development of the crucial skills that drive academic success for middle school students.

Secondary students can learn to manage assignments and achieve learning goals with teacher support and tools that promote success.

Teachers can boost elementary students’ engagement by exploring their interests and connecting them to units of study.