Interest-Based Learning

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

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.

English teachers are wrestling with how to navigate the increasingly contentious terrain between student choice and assigning the classics.

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

When students have the freedom to tinker and explore, their curiosity leads to perseverance—and the mastery of technical tools and skills.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

Watch students take charge of their project-based learning, by creating their own learning goals and identifying resources beyond their teacher.

Educators take on the role of guides and motivate students to direct their own learning.

Student-designed electives put kids' passions at the forefront of their learning.