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...What is Passion?
“Create something that will make the world
awesome.” – Kid President
When I think of passion I think of love, desire, emotion, power, feeling, strength
and belief. Passion is something that comes from the heart and what is strongly
rooted inside of a person. Passion is fire; it is a force that can inspire,
move and strengthen people. As future educators, we need to bring passion into
learning, teaching and everything in between. Passion has the ability to motivate
students in ways that you could have never thought were possible. It enables
students to overcome challenges in order to attain a goal that is meaningful and
desirable to them. Passion-Based Learning
(PBL) requires both the student and
the teacher, where the student takes control over his or her learning which is
led by meaning and is positively guided by the teacher. All students have
something significant to bring to the table, and with the proper guidance and
motivation by teachers, students can feel confident enough to ignite the fire
inside. However, there is a problem. There is an extreme lack of passion-driven
teaching and learning going on in classrooms today.
Reflecting back in elementary school, I could
confidently say there was a strong absence of PBL in almost every classroom I
was taught in, except one. The most memorable learning experience I had as a
child was in sixth grade. I had never been in a classroom with such drive,
motivation and most importantly passion, and my teacher of course was the main
reason for this love of learning. Every lesson he would teach would literally
fall into a life lesson and we would always come out of it learning something significant.
He would make each and every one of his students feel so important by pointing
out positive characteristics about them, freely expressing this in front of the
whole class. What stood out the most about my grade six teacher was his ability
to believe. He strongly believed in not only himself, but in all of us. Many
teachers trust to believe that their students are not self-directed or
independent learners. They often think that the key to learning is strictly
having the teacher telling their students what to do, say and think. We have
trained students into thinking that this way of learning is the only way, but
with skillful teaching it is possible to un-train them.
Retrieved From: http://seanrtech.blogspot.ca/2014/02/the-project-problem-inquiry-passion.html
Professor Lane
discussed two approaches to getting a child passionate about something. First,
you must find out what each child is innately passionate about. By doing this,
you have to get to know your students. Having knowledge about students will
allow teachers to refine lessons, discussions and activities so that they are
more effective learning experiences. References to student backgrounds,
interests and knowledge can set the classroom setting into a more personal
atmosphere while making the material more accessible. Secondly, you must be an
instructor that radiates passion for the topic, and infect your students with
that excitement (Ramirez, 2013). You must show students why you love the topic
by sharing your passion; get excited about what you’re teaching! Even the most
difficult and boring topics can be the most fascinating ones to learn about.
For example, subjects such as math or science might not be the strongest area
of learning for some students, but if they are taught with enthusiasm and
inspiration students will be hooked with desire and curiosity like they never
were before. Teachers must have a beginner’s mindset while teaching,
visualizing how what they are teaching about would look to students if they are
seeing it for the first time (Ramirez, 2013). With this of course, comes
patience and passion. 25 Ways to Institute Passion-Based Learning in the Classroom is an excellent website of how to incite the passion in your own
students.
Retrieved From: http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2016/feb/09/bring-googles-20-time-to-your-classroom-with-passion-based-learning
A love of learning is a
crucial skill to obtain in the 21st century. If you love what you
are learning, chances are that the product of your learning will be more
successful and meaningful. Over the course of the term, I have learned about
the many different 21st century skills and literacies, and how
important they are to incorporate into the curriculum and teaching practices. Critical
literacy is the most significant skill when it comes to PBL as it encourages
students to explore, question, investigate, take action and create.
Independence is a skill that students will grasp and be comfortable with learning
through their own passions and also their teacher’s passion of learning. An
example of this student-centered inquiry that was presented in lecture is “Genius
Hour.” During this hour, students are given free time to follow their passion
as it guides students to inquire, reflect and learn. The students start their
projects by choosing and researching a topic that they find most intriguing and
create a presentation in which they can share the relevant knowledge they
obtained. The assessment is self-assessment and teachers help facilitate the
sessions, while giving feedback throughout the process. Collaboration and communication
is another 21st century skill that is included in Genius Hour where
students are encouraged to support and have valuable discussions with their
peers. Students will actually feel confident sharing their ideas with their
peers because these projects are created from the students themselves which is
something to definitely feel proud of. With PBL also comes self-regulation.
Students who are motivated to achieve a particular goal will participate in
self-regulatory activities they feel will help them reach that goal. Self-regulated
learning includes planning, monitoring, evaluation and ultimately control of
one’s learning in order to maximize it (Gerstein, 2015).
The video displayed
below is “Part 2” of the video Professor Lane presented us in lecture. It is
about students attending Covenant Christian School in Australia who have
created their own passion-based projects over a semester. As you’re watching,
try and see if you can find any 21st century literacies that these
students used to complete their projects.
One project that stood
out to me was the refugee novel. A female student wrote and illustrated a novel
about refugees as this was a topic she wanted people to have a better
understanding of. She wanted the world to see the hardships refugees face.
Multicultural and global literacy are present in this project as her novel
represents refugees from all over the world and what they go through; there is
a major emphasis on global awareness. Moral literacy is also presented in her
project as she wrote in a way where she wants readers to truly empathize and
consider the life of a refugee. Most importantly, critical literacy was used
here as she took the time to brainstorm, research, plan, write and create a
novel. Time management, patience and independence were key in completing a
successful project. Reflecting back, I could safely say I had no idea what my
passion was at all until I entered high school. Even until this day I can confidently
say I have done nothing about my passion. My passion has always been to act. I
took Dramatic Arts for about 3 years in high school and performed in a play.
Other than that, I haven’t acted outside of the school setting. I felt a sense
of control when I acted, that I never felt before. I felt like I could be my
true self, without even actually being “myself.” I felt confident at what I was
doing because I was passionate about
it. However, my true passion has existed with me ever since I was a child, and
that is to teach. The idea of guiding and shaping children to become the best
they can possibly be is something that I have always cherished. As a future educator,
I will definitely incorporate PBL in my classroom as I would hope for all of my
students to show their true passion and be who they truly are.
Thanks for reading!
Miss Le Pera
Retrieved From:
References
Ramirez, A. (2013). Passion-Based Learning. Retrieved March 29, 2016, from
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/passion-
based-learning-ainissa-ramirez
Gerstein, J. (2015). User Generated Education. Retrieved March 29, 2016, from https://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/tag/21st-century-skills/
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