When we are a teacher, a biggest part of our work is to teach children in such a way that they get interest in studying. Often children believe that what they are learning will only use now, they have no role in the future.Children think that there is no fun in what they are learning, they are learning this only to get good marks but not for their interest. If teachers teach children in a way that they get interest in learning, then they will enjoy learning. And this happens only when teachers teach children with interest. Interest comes from hobbies. I think of it as a hobby mindset. Modelling enthusiasm and making concepts personally relevant can do wonders for student engagement, self-direction, and relationships.
What is a hobby?
A hobby is something we love to do for our pleasure in our free time. Hobbies include collecting themed items and objects, engaging in creative and artistic activities, playing sports, dancing, singing, or pursuing other amusements.
BRING YOUR HOBBIES INTO THE CLASSROOM
No matter what subject you’re teaching, find ways to bring your hobbies into the classroom. For example, I’m a car enthusiast, so when I teach physics, I contextualize concepts with my knowledge about cars. If we’re covering friction, for example, I bring different tires into my classroom so that my students can conduct lab experiments with them to see how friction works in real-life applications. With 2-by-4-inch pieces of tread cut from various tires made of different compounds and then attached to a wooden block, I add an extra layer of interest to traditional friction lab experiments. This extra variable shows students that concepts they’re learning in class have real-world applications and can even connect to their interests.Alex Villalta in Las Vegas, takes this strategy to the next level by creating electives that are rooted in his hobbies and partnering with other teachers to teach them.
Students often enjoy and find inspiration in learning how you landed on your hobby, so share with them how your initial observations led to experimentation. Let children know that something they learn about in passing can become a perfectly healthy obsession, and that it can be incredibly gratifying to spend days exploring the nooks and crannies of a new hobby and practicing the skills it demands.
CULTIVATE STUDENT INTEREST IN THEIR HOBBIES
When a student shows enthusiasm for your hobby or another one seems to resonate, it is a duty of a teacher to introduce them to resources that can help them to explore it more. Any learner needs access to expertise, and if you’re learning a new hobby, you need guidance through pinch points.
Encourage students to poke around on YouTube for videos and online forums as they’re exploring a new hobby, and make sure they know that people learn in various ways and speeds, so they might need time to work through processes and need opportunities to make attempts and iterate. If you can, ask them questions to help guide them or even position yourself as a thought partner.
Be transparent about the fact that learning can be a difficult process, no matter how enjoyable the topic is, and that by taking on that challenge, students can build important skills, like perseverance and knowing how and when to ask for help. There’s also an social and emotional learning component, as there is with most learning: When you learn a new hobby, you often have to learn how to manage your emotions, like excitement and disappointment.
SHARING HOBBIES ALSO BUILDS RELATIONSHIPS with students
When teachers brought their hobbies to classroom, they was focused on how doing so would build engagement and help their students understand concepts clearly.
But Learned that the practice helped teachers to build stronger relationships with students. When I let them see an aspect of my life outside of school, some students who were also interested in cars connected with me more and became more engaged in my courses. They paid more attention in class and wanted to talk with me and connect on a personal level more frequently. Even those who didn’t share that interest with me seemed more engaged once I showed a different side of myself.
What started as an experiment is now more of a philosophy. Even when I’m planning classes, whether they’re electives or required, I tend to think about how I can weave in my hobbies. I find that doing so energizes my instruction, engages my students, and demonstrates to them how abstract concepts play out in the real world. Best of all, my passion for my hobbies seems to inspire them to be passionate about finding their own.
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