Amelia Pieszczoch
Imagine if your students were as into your lessons as they are into their favorite video game or the latest hit TV series. That kind of engagement would make teaching a joy and help them remember what they’ve learned. But… is it even possible? And if so, how do you get anywhere near that level of interest?
Interest and motivation
Maybe you’ve already given up on this. It’s not uncommon these days for students to seem unmotivated or uninterested in learning. To better understand the factors influencing your students’ behavior, let’s take a look at the learning process from a psychological perspective.
According to Jean Piaget’s theory of constructivism, students learn by actively building new knowledge from the information around them, drawing on what they already know. This takes energy and, of course, motivation.
In psychology, motivation is the driving force behind starting, continuing, and finishing actions. It’s what fuels behavior, and it’s tightly linked to interest. Research has shown that an increase in motivation driven by interest has a positive effect on the learning process and its outcomes (Krapp et al., 1992).
So, if you want to make your lessons more effective, you need to focus on sparking both interest and motivation. The good news is that teachers can significantly influence their students’ motivation levels (Häussler Hoffmann, 2002; Shymansky, Yore, Anderson, 2004; as cited in: Palmer, 2009).
Situational interest
You might think that if students aren’t already interested in your subject, there’s no way to get them engaged. But psychology tells us there are two types of interest: personal and situational. Situational interest is triggered by something happening in the moment—like a fun game or an unexpected experiment during class. Repeatedly sparking situational interest in a particular subject can increase overall interest in that subject, making learning more enjoyable and motivating (Palmer, 2004). While it may not make every student fall in love with your subject, it can definitely make them like it a little more if you approach it right.
How to spark that interest?
There are many factors that can influence situational interest. These include novelty, the ability to make choices, the feeling that the material is personally relevant, surprise, uncertainty, engaging emotions, telling stories, group work—social interaction, opportunities for inquiry and discovery, as well as hands-on or physical activities (Palmer, 2009).
Neuroscience supports the effectiveness of these methods. Many of these activities stimulate the brain’s dopamine production. Dopamine, often referred to as the “feel-good” neurotransmitter, plays a key role in regulating mood and energy, and it’s closely linked to motivation (Niv, 2007; as cited in: Palmer, 2009). Since science backs up these methods, it’s worth incorporating them into your teaching. You don’t have to overhaul your whole lesson plan—just sprinkle in a few attention-grabbing moments to wake up your students’ brains.
Practical examples
The golden rule here is novelty, surprise, and uncertainty. Students won’t get excited about a lesson if it’s the same as every other one. We need something unusual, something that will pull them out of their routine, even for a moment. How can you introduce that? If you usually give lectures, try switching to a multimedia presentation once in a while. Or break up your lecture with a short video to illustrate a point. Bringing in a guest speaker, if you can, or providing extra materials like handouts or props can also help catch their attention.
To boost motivation, try getting students emotionally involved. For example, divide them into groups, assign tasks, and introduce a competitive element. The group that performs the best could receive an extra grade. The added aspect of peer interaction should also have a positive effect.
Another idea: ask your students for feedback. Find out which topics interest them the most and try to incorporate those into your lessons. You can also ask about their favorite activities. After all, they know best what will engage them.
What to avoid?
If you want students to be genuinely interested in your lessons, steer clear of monotony. Show them how what they’re learning can be useful in real life—or at least in future lessons. People don’t like learning things if they don’t see the point. Similarly, they dislike having their autonomy restricted.
Yi-Miau Tsai et al. (2008) focused on this aspect in their research on factors that increase interest in lessons. They found that behaviors such as disrupting students’ natural learning rhythm (imposing pace), using directive commands, and asking controlling questions diminish students’ sense of autonomy and hinder intrinsic motivation, engagement, effort, and persistence. Give them some freedom. Students enjoy making their own decisions. You can use this by allowing groups to choose the topic they want to explore.
Another important point: don’t have them copy notes word-for-word from the textbook. It’s boring! Explain the concept, then let them write their notes in their own words. This forces them to actually think about the material, which helps them understand and remember it better.
When you ask a question in class, don’t be too quick to give the answer. Let them make mistakes and guess a few times. Research has shown that students find lessons more engaging when they don’t get immediate answers (Dietiker et al., 2020). They need time to think things over and process the problem.
Of course, games and quizzes are always welcome to boost interest. Your own engagement and attitude also significantly influence the final outcome. If you’re excited about the lesson and believe these new strategies will work, your students are much more likely to get on board.
Conclusion
There are plenty of ways to capture students’ interest, so let’s recap the key points:
- Novelty, novelty, novelty – mix up your activities to keep things fresh.
- Competition – it’s a great motivator and gets students involved.
- Autonomy and room for mistakes – this will help students feel more comfortable and engaged.
- Ask for their input – they’ll tell you what interests them most.
- Give them time to think – they’ll understand the material better and won’t feel stressed by the time pressure.
- Leverage technology – students enjoy online quizzes or interactive breaks.
And, of course, your own engagement. Use the methods suggested here, modify them, and adapt them to your style. Be creative. Good luck!
Remember, even the most motivated student won’t get much out of a lesson if their motivation isn’t paired with effective teaching strategies. So, what are the best methods, and how can you apply them? Stay tuned for our next article to find out.
Sources:
Dietiker, L., Singh, R., Riling, M., Nieves, H. (2020). What makes a mathematics lesson interesting to students? https://doi.org/10.51272/pmena.42.2020-49 https://doi.org/10.51272/pmena.42.2020-49
Palmer, D.H. (2009), Student interest generated during an inquiry skills lesson. J. Res. Sci. Teach., 46: 147-165. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.20263
Tsai, Y.-M., Kunter, M., Lüdtke, O., Trautwein, U., Ryan, R. M. (2008). What makes lessons interesting? The role of situational and individual factors in three school subjects. Journal of Educational Psychology, 100(2), 460–472. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.100.2.460
