Passion First

Passion-Based Learning. It sounds so intriguing and exciting and that’s because it is. A person’s passion can be anything. Everyone may have a different passion and that’s okay. It helps define who we are and make us each unique in our own way.

It’s clear to see that when a student is passionate about a specific subject that they are enjoying what they are learning. This is why Passion-Based Learning needs to be incorporated into classrooms all across the world. The first article I read by Saga Briggs was 25 ways to Institute Passion-Based Learning in the Classroom. As I read through all 25, a few stuck out to me. Share your passions with your students was the first one. I absolutely love this because I feel like once you share, your students could either relate to you or feel comfortable sharing their passion. When I was a senior in high school, we began a program called the 7 Mindsets. The 7 mindsets is a program teachers can work through with their classes to help encourage students to believe in themselves and their goals. One of the 7 mindsets that always spoke to me was Passion First. This is where each student in my class got the chance to share their passion with their classmates. Once we shared our passions we wrote down five people that would help us achieve our passions and our goals. I loved this project so much!

One thing that came to mind while reading Nine Tenets of Passion-Based Learning was how teachers can engage in every student’s passion. I started to think about smaller schools and how they differ from big schools. I came from a very small school (47 kids 9^th-12^th grade) so I knew every kid in the halls. When I think about teachers focusing on Passion-Based Learning I think it may be hard to focus on each students passion when the class sizes are bigger. The teacher doesn’t have as much time to engage with each student about their individual passions. What are your thoughts on class sizes affecting Passion-Based Learning?

Another idea that popped into my head while reading 25 ways to Institute Passion-Based Learning in the Classroom was letting students take control. This section talks about letting students pick classes that interest them. Coming from a small school, choices where slim to none. We didn’t really get to choose classes unless you were a student who was advanced. In bigger schools, students may get the opportunity to select a class they are more passionate about! Which I think is amazing!

One more question that I thought of while reading Nine Tenets of Passion-Based Learning was teacher-student relationships on social media. When I was in high school, I had a few teachers who were my friend on Facebook, and a few who said they wouldn’t be until I graduated. I have mixed feelings about this topic. Some teachers may have pictures of items on their Facebook that are inappropriate to share with students, but also some teachers have nothing to hide because they post clean appropriate things. What are your thoughts on being friends with your students on social media? Does it matter what grade they are in? If you post clean appropriate things is it okay? Let me know your thoughts!

Passions matter! Encourage your students to let their passions lead them, and once they find their passion they need to lead with passion!