Interest-led learning is a teaching approach that focuses on a child’s interests as the primary driver of their education. It is an educational approach that allows children to pursue their interests in their learning, rather than having parents or adults actively driving all aspects of their child’s education. Interest-led learning can be applied to any schooling philosophy and can augment any curriculum currently used.
It is a mindset that recognizes that children are whole persons with their own passions and interests. Parents take the time to gently uncover what sparks their child’s interest and use it as a springboard to introduce and build on new knowledge. This approach can be applied to any homeschooling philosophy and can help inspire a love of learning.
Interest-led learning allows for much joy in learning and can help inspire a love of learning. By giving students the chance to choose some things in their studies, you will be amazed at the results. Interest-led learning is the recognition that we learn best when we are interested. Students may choose a topic they want to study in science, a math unit they want to learn first, and the books they want to read.
There is no formula for interest-led learning, but it can be seen as more like a college than a high school. Interest-led homeschooling capitalizes on a child’s interests and uses them as springboards to introduce and build on new knowledge. This approach makes it easy for children to learn what they need to know in all subject areas while following an interest-led learning approach.
📹 How to Follow Your Child’s Lead and IncorporateTheir Interests in Your Homeschool
Let’s chat about following your child’s lead and interests in your homeschool. How we incorporate child led learning into our …
What does based on learner interest mean?
Interest-based learning involves identifying students’ interests, sparking curiosity, and guiding them to satisfy that curiosity. This approach stimulates brain regions associated with reward, memory, and motivation, making curiosity a powerful motivator. Connections Academy can help create a safe, interest-based learning environment for elementary, middle, or high school students by providing eGuides, visiting the Resource Hub, or participating in online information sessions.
What are the two disadvantages of LED?
The use of LED lighting systems presents a number of potential drawbacks. These include higher initial costs, high temperature sensitivity, the potential for blue light hazards, which contribute to what is known as “blue pollution”, and voltage sensitivity, which could result in adverse health effects.
What is LED learning?
Student-led learning is an education style that promotes self-directed learning, creativity, and discovery, rather than rote memorization or traditional lecture-style education. This approach allows students to incorporate their interests into projects within a set of guidelines, freeing up time for teachers to oversee the class and ensure student success. By adopting student-led learning, educators can learn alongside their students in a nurturing, creative environment.
This approach is beneficial for both students and teachers. Students enjoy the creative freedom and empowerment they gain from this style, while teachers have more time to help students individually and ensure the class meets long-term goals. This approach also instills values such as intrinsic motivation, self-discipline, and curiosity. Overall, student-led learning offers a more engaging and effective approach to education, fostering a more inclusive and effective learning environment for all students.
What are the disadvantages of child-led play?
Child-led play may have potential disadvantages. For instance, children may not always push themselves to try new toys or explore new things. Additionally, they may struggle with challenging or confusing skills, such as literacy or mathematics.
What is the child-led theory?
Child-led learning is a teaching approach that encourages children to lead their own learning journey through play. It has become more mainstream in nursery settings over the last five years, and it involves allowing children to choose their own learning activities, such as building with blocks, playing in the sandpit, or painting. Teachers observe how the child approaches the activity and adapts the task to their own direction. For example, a child may change the purpose of a task from building a sandcastle to creating a race track using a toy car.
Once the child is engrossed in the activity, teachers can introduce other aspects to the task, making them more receptive to new ideas. Teachers can encourage children to take a different approach to the task or add additional elements to make the activity more complex, advancing their learning. For example, if a child chooses the paint station as their activity, teachers are there to encourage them to approach it differently, ensuring that the child is engaged and motivated to learn.
What is the child-led learning approach?
Child-led education is a student-centered approach that emphasizes autonomy and self-directed learning. It allows children to learn at their own pace, follow their interests, and take ownership of their learning journey. The teacher acts as a facilitator, providing resources, guidance, and support. The child takes charge of their education, setting their own goals and creating a plan for achieving them. This approach acknowledges that every child is unique and has their own strengths, weaknesses, and learning styles.
In contrast, child-centred education places more emphasis on the teacher’s role in creating an environment that fosters learning. Teachers are responsible for creating a relevant and engaging curriculum, using teaching methods that suit the child’s individual learning styles. Child-led education benefits a child’s well-being and skillset by fostering independence, responsibility, critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills. It also fosters creativity and imagination, encouraging children to think outside the box and approach problems from a unique perspective.
What is an example of child-led parenting?
Attachment parenting involves keeping a baby physically close, feeding on demand, being responsive to their cries, and co-sleeping with them at night. This parenting style is also known as attachment parenting. On the other hand, parent-led parenting encourages their baby to adapt to life by adopting a predictable routine. Research shows that adopting a baby-led approach can reduce crying in babies, but it’s important to remember that inconsolable crying can occur regardless of the parenting style. Both approaches have their advantages and disadvantages.
Does student-led learning work?
Student-led learning is popular among educators due to its ability to help students become more aware of their personal strengths. Teachers may encourage students to ask more questions, provide frequent feedback, research subjects online, and present their findings to the classroom. This approach can lead to long-term benefits like increased soft skills and confidence. However, some educators are skeptical of the benefits of student-led learning, claiming the positive results to be unclear.
Others, however, believe that teacher-led learning is essential for providing a structured approach that children’s brains are yet to develop. Despite these differences, both approaches are considered essential for fostering a more effective learning environment.
What are interest based learning strategies?
The article presents 11 strategies for engaging students in the learning process, including the creation of a reading-friendly environment, the empowerment of the child, the facilitation of open communication, the consideration of students’ interests, the encouragement of diverse learning styles, the sharing of enthusiasm, and the utilization of game-based learning.
What is an example of a child-led activity?
Child-led learning is a method where children are encouraged to explore and create in their environment, based on interesting things. This approach can be beneficial for children’s development, as it allows them to explore and create in their environment. Examples of child-led learning activities include playing with a ball, building with blocks or Legos, giving them toys based on their interests, busy boards, water tables, and arts and crafts.
Montessori-inspired parenting heavily relies on child-led learning. Parents are encouraged to observe their children and let them learn from their environment. Instead of always stepping in to help, they allow the child to problem solve over time and complete tasks independently.
What is the concept of interest in learning?
Interest is a crucial motivational factor that drives learning, guides academic and career paths, and is essential for academic success. It is a psychological state of attention and affect towards a particular topic, with a recurrent predisposition to engage over time. The four-phase model of interest development guides interventions that promote interest and capitalize on existing interests. Four interest-enhancing interventions include attention-getting settings, contexts evoking prior individual interest, problem-based learning, and enhancing utility value. These interventions contribute to a more engaged and motivated learning experience for students.
📹 How Do I Transition to Interest Led Learning- Part 1
In this video I share two scenarios that give you a road map for loosening up and enjoying the transition to interest led learning.
These are very practical tips! A note on Minecraft! This summer we did a beekeeping mini unit and a week or two in I noticed that my 9 and 11 year old had made an entire bee world on Minecraft! They were using terminology in context and had personified the different types of bees (workers, drones, etc.) It was amazing! They essentially provided assessment for me on Minecraft!
This article was extremely helpful. I am finding such value in your website lately. My son is also in fourth grade and I have always been a “I need curriculum” person, but we just haven’t found anything that works (for the most part, he’s obsessed with teaching textbooks). But you have helped me find value in games and activities over a curriculum. These tips were great. He’s obsessed with Lightning McQueen, Disney, Pixar, etc. and i have always blown it off because i didn’t see it as education or have over educated it and took all the fun out. Definitely motivated me to come at it from a different angle
Yes! We love following interest in our homeschool. It’s one of the things I love most about homeschool. It’s a huge advantage that we have as homeschoolers. It supports my mission of creating life long learners. One thing I feel like you could add to the great advice you have is that once you start your children will show more interest. For example you said to answer kids questions. Because we do my kids ask questions all the time. Because they know we follow interest they ask to learn about things all the time. The more you listen to their interest the more they will show it. Another way we do this is I plan our weeks work. I loosely plan what we will do each day but if we need to shift things with in the week it’s fine because we have the week to get everything done. It gives me the flexibility to follow interest but also I know we will get to the things I have planned. It helps me with the fact that my two sides are constantly battling. The side that wants to follow the plan to check the boxes and the side that wants to unschool and follow all the interest.
I use their interests to guide my curriculum choice. My 6 year old loves geology and space (her sister has no preference) so we are doing Earth Science and Astronomy this year. I had spent the summer planning and prepping for American history but two days into it they both said they’d rather be learning about ancient Egyptians and Greeks so we switched. So, I wouldn’t say I’m hugely interested-led but I’m interest-informed. 😊
Wonderful article! I think child led learning is calling me. I need to let go of our “plans” a bit more. We did do a Minecraft science class on outschool once and it was actually very informative! They learned about minerals in the earth and had to build a museum that housed them according to category. It was fun todo. Any ideas on how to do child led learning with Legos? Lol
I do similar to you. I have the LA and math that I want them to do. I ask them what they would like to learn for science and history and I build out from there. They wanted American history this year so all the artists, poets and composers are all American. We are also doing U.S. geography. They usually pick one to two things for science and do the same thing. If something grabs their attention we can take a diversion. I myself like to stick to my plan, so I have to remember it’s about them not me.
Thank you! We are trying to transition from homeschooling to unschooling and I NEVER thought of just gradually letting go of subjects and slowly move towards unschooling a few subjects at a time. This would work for us as a family who likes to have everything scheduled and listed and boxes ticked lol!!. Thanks again we’ll start this tomorrow…gradually 🙂
We’re in the deschooling part of our unschooling journey. We pulled our 11yr old son out of school in October, and started traditionally homeschooling him. After about a month of that I felt that it wasn’t working for us and began looking more into unschooling. Thank you for your articles they’re very helpful. 🙂
I remember perusal another article on this topic of yours a few months back when I first subscribed and I totally understand. I mean, we’re not super strict, but I have to keep in mind that just book work alone isn’t good. I never believed in that, even though with my busy life and no support and little money, homeschoolind 5 young kids isn’t easy. However, it’s easier to just slap a workbook in front of them and let them do their thing. But home economics is our focus now… because the hands on part is always the best part of learning.
i’m pretty laid back to begin with, i’m trying to figure out why my 7 year old has hit a ‘i don’t want school, its boring’. And we follow interest. if she figures out that it can be at all considered school.. she suddenly doesn’t want to do it. its hard to lighten up more then i have. i would almost like it if we were working from transitioning to funschooling from public school.. then what i do would seem fun. any suggestions on how to encourage writing skills?
What were some of the articles you watched? I’m trying to figure out how this would fit for my children. I’ve never been strict or big time academia plus with my health issues it’s been hard to do that anyways. I’ve tried getting them to think of things that they would love to learn about but I just got nothing. I feel like their natural creativeness has been burned out. So, I guess maybe I don’t know how to approach them to find out what is going to spark that natural spark for learning or wanting to pursue something they’re passionate about.