George Lucas Educational Foundation

Interest-Based Learning

Discover how students can drive their own learning through Genius Hour, 20% Time, personalized PBL, and other passion-based strategies facilitating student voice and choice.

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  • A School Leader’s Approach to Career Education

    Career development education has many benefits but can be hard to implement. See how one high school principal is making it work.
    Brittany R. Collins
    253
  • Dedicating Space for Curiosity and Exploration

    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.
    3.2k
  • Helping Teens Tap Into the Power of the Future Self

    Reminding high school students why they’re in school—so they can become the people they aspire to be—can be a powerful motivator.
    336
  • 7 Ideas From Reggio Emilia That Any Early Childhood Teacher Can Use

    How to adapt principles from the famed approach to foster interest-based learning for the youngest students.
    6.4k
  • How to Use Play for Learning

    Play-based learning helps engage elementary students in their education and has cognitive, physical, social, and emotional benefits.
    6.7k
  • Emphasizing the Importance of Play During Distance Learning

    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.
    4.5k
  • 6 Ways to Get to Know Your Students and Build a Classroom Community

    Teachers can build rapport with students by starting the year with activities that encourage sharing of interests, and by connecting those interests to curriculum.
    1.7k
  • Genius Hour in Elementary School

    A teacher shares what she did and what she learned when she implemented Genius Hour in her fifth-grade class.
    7.9k
  • The Benefits of Cocreating a Course With Students

    Collaboratively designing courses with middle and high school students can lead to deep engagement and transferable knowledge.
    453
  • Students Excel When They Find Purpose—So How Do We Help Them?

    By connecting learning to the real world, students begin to see themselves as a catalyst for change within it.
    3.4k
  • 5 Steps to Keep Engagement High During Project-Based Learning

    Taking students’ interests into account when designing project-based learning helps ensure that they stay engaged throughout the unit.
    909
  • Learner Interest Matters: Strategies for Empowering Student Choice

    When students care about an assignment, they're willing to take greater risks and are more likely to excel in their product.
    10.3k
  • Encouraging Executive Functioning Skill Development in Middle School

    A fun multiweek project can support the development of the crucial skills that drive academic success for middle school students.
    687
  • Guiding Students to Sustain Effort in School

    Secondary students can learn to manage assignments and achieve learning goals with teacher support and tools that promote success.
    1.3k
  • ‘But What About the Polar Bears?’ Centering Student Interests in Place-Based Learning

    Teachers can boost elementary students’ engagement by exploring their interests and connecting them to units of study.
    251

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George Lucas Educational Foundation

Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.
Edutopia® and Lucas Education Research™ are trademarks or registered trademarks of the George Lucas Educational Foundation in the U.S. and other countries.