This document discusses the importance of discovering students' passions and interests to drive engagement and achievement. It suggests that teachers need to help students understand their passions and connect classroom learning to those passions. Knowing students' interests in detail allows teachers to create individualized and meaningful learning experiences that will stick with students and be valuable in their lives. When instruction is organized around students' passions, they become more active participants and display greater motivation, effort, and positive emotions during learning.

1. THINK PEOPLE AND PASSIONS RATHER THAN CLASSES AND CONTENT EDUC 518 Harriet Greaney Marilupe Rodriguez Wenjie Wang

2. A key aspect of “partnering” education is discovering and utilizing students’ interests. Today’s teachers need to help students discover, understand, and develop their passions. PARTNERING + PASSIONS

3. While partnering, it is important to know students’ passions in detail. Passion provides a source of energy that inspires learners to make an effort and determines how long they will be willing to endure an activity, how hard they will pursue it, and how much they learn. LEARN ABOUT STUDENTS’ INTERESTS AND PASSIONS

4. “Passion” means a person’s central focus, what the learner cares about most, or what inspires him or her emotionally. A student need not become passionate about learning English in order to succeed in English class. Rather, the student needs connect English learning to his passionate interests. Today’s students expect individualized treatment. WHY LEARN ABOUT STUDENTS’ PASSIONS?

5. Educators must discover the passions of individual students—the things that truly interest them—and use them as the drivers of student engagement and achievement. By accessing students’ passions, we can create individual learning that will stick in students’ minds, be valuable in their lives, and make them want to know more. PASSIONS DRIVE STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

6. Educators can learn from their students by helping them find their passions and by organizing class activities around the theme of self-expression. To discover students’ passions, educators can use various methods--personalized tasks, idea journals, speaking circles, or interactive questionnaires. INDIVIDUALIZE INTRUCTION

7. To build respect and tolerance for individuality. To inspire more variety in our lessons. To allow us to create meaningful guiding questions. To encourage us to get and give constant feedback. HOW CAN WE USE PASSIONS?

8. New teacher and student roles lead to improved mutual respect. Students become more active and equal participants in the learning process. Adjusting to new roles takes time, so patience is important at the beginning. PARTNERING=NEW ROLES FOR TEACHERS & STUDENTS

9. Coach Guide Instructional expert Designer Questioner Context setter Rigor provider Quality assurer TEACHERS’ ROLES

10. Researcher Technology expert Thinker World changer Self- teacher “Professional” STUDENTS’ ROLES

11. Encourage variations in team work and peer- to- peer learning. Address slacker-free group work. Hold class discussions. “Circle the Chairs” Use students as assistants. MORE IDEAS

12. Students with clearly identified passions are more engaged in the learning process. They are motivated, and display more effort and concentration. They also reveal positive emotions such as excitement, enthusiasm, interest, and optimism during learning. CONCLUSIONS

13. Prensky, M. (2010). Teaching digital natives: Partnering for real learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin a Sage Company. REFERENCE