Student Interest

Link to the Survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/create/?sm=WUR1Wc0Se63KNf_2FvDoXREoBGAKD_2FoR
yX5fwlYT4etow_3D
Questions
Differentiation based on student interests entails capitalizing on the things that a learner
cares about as a way of facilitating learning. After I get results from the survey, I will have a
clear understanding of my students’ interests. Thus, I will attach important content to the
interests of the students. By so doing, I will be able to “build bridges between the student’s
interests and critical skills, knowledge, and understanding”( Sousa & Tomlinson, 2011). I will
support learning by creating an environment where each learner feels safe, challenged,
supported, and affirmed. I will do this by giving examples that are related to a learner’s interest,
and then connect that to the content being delivered during the lesson. That way, learners will
learn to make sense of the content in the curriculum, and they will understand more since they
will be able to relate to what is being learned in the classroom. Further, according to Sousa &
Tomlinson (2011), “an environment that is rich in learning materials and opportunities—another
likely attribute of a classroom that addresses student interests as one facet of differentiation—
supports academic, emotional, and social growth”. Thus, I will also incorporate learning
materials and instructional methods that will address the interests of the learners. For example, I
will incorporate technology, make use of real objects, and use projects and collaborative
learning, if that is what will support learning and is aligned to the interest of my learners.

If during the survey, a student stated that they loved football, and did not like
mathematics, then I would make an effort to reconcile the two and ensure that the interest in
football is transferred to mathematics. First, I would help the student come to “own” and make
sense of the knowledge by weaving a narrative that will help the student start to develop an
interest in mathematics, the same way they understand football. According to Levy (1996), “it is
important to steer the currents of student enthusiasm to the shores of the required content”
(Sousa & Tomlinson, 2011). Therefore, during mathematics, lessons I will use examples related
to football so that I can ignite the student’s interest and help them understand that the two are can
be related.
I remember a time when I was given an assignment that involved creating a poem. The
assignment was an individual project, and I did not like imaginative writing. Moreso, I preferred
working in groups as opposed to individual projects. I could understand more when assignments
were to be completed in groups. However, my teacher changed my mindset. She helped me
navigate through the assignment by first explaining to me that she too had a problem with
individual assignments. She made me realize that my case was not an isolated one. Eventually, I
completed the assignment individually and started to do better in individual projects the same
way I thrived in group projects. The teacher differentiated this activity in a manner that relates to
the seven themes of addressing student interest, as explained by Sousa & Tomlinson (2011).
Specifically, the teacher used the theme, “I see myself in this subject”. She explained how she
saw herself in my situation and this made me “own” my weaknesses and work on them to
become a better student.

References

Sousa, D. A. & Tomlinson, C. A. (2011). Differentiation and the brain: How neuroscience
supports the learner-friendly classroom. Retrieved from https://www.vitalsource.com/