Passion-Based Learning

For our assignment this week, we were to choose three articles on passion-based learning. The first article I choose was, Passion-based Learning in the 21st Century: An interview with Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach.  Before this article, I didn’t have a clear understanding of passion-based learning,  now I understand that it is where we turn our focus on helping our students learn.  Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach stated, “We must help students understand how to synthesize and analyze and to create – to think deeply and become passionate learners.”  She continued and stated to make this happen in the classroom, the students do most of the talking and feel empowered. In addition, the teacher needs to create a classroom that is free from threat and stress and where students feel comfortable to take risks. My favorite was the way she described this learning as a “sense of wonderment” and giving students  more control.  The key take away from this article was that teachers need to help kids know how to learn and help them discover their talents and interests and create a learning environment where they can use those talents to shine and grow.  As educators, we can find ourselves so worried about the content and curriculum that we can forget  about teaching our student how to learn and help them become lifelong learners.

After reading the article on the learning in the 21st century, I wanted to know how can I do this in the classroom and was drawn to two articles. The first article, 25 Ways to Incorporate Passion Based Learning in the Classroom, by Saga Briggs, who stated that “Common sense tells us that students are more likely to learn if they are motivated by and engaged with the curriculum or project at hand.” She stated that if the students are truly engaged in the learning activity, students  will feel in control of their own learning. This article went on to give examples of how this can be done in the classroom. Here are a few of my favorites. One, share your passions with your students and how excited you are about your passion and it will flow into your students and lessons. Second, let your students share their passions with others and help students find others who share the same passion. She stated here that when we share our passions with someone who has the same, if confirms our passion is valued; in the end, it confirms that you are valued as a person.

The third article I choose to read was by Kimberly Vincent, Nine Tenets of Passion-Based Learning. This was another great article for teachers on passion-based learning. One point she made was that passion is infectious. Vincent stated, “Being around passionate people is the best way to become passionate.” We are to be models for our students, show them that we have lives outside of school and that we are well-balanced people. She continued that students will work harder for teachers who show that we matter to our students.  Allowing for students to learn along side of their teacher, she stated will provide for great opportunities for building respect and openness.