Interest, in my view, can start with something very small. Situational interest, based on my readings, happens when there is something stimulating in the immediate environment. It might be a question, an activity, a surprising fact, a picture, a story, or something else that catches the attention. But is situational interest restricted to these examples only?
Could situational interest also arise in the event of an urgent need? The need itself is not situational interest, but perhaps the spark happens at the moment you find a possible solution to a problem you’re facing. Imagine being stuck on the side of a countryside road with an engine problem and you suddenly find a solution online. Would you feel that spark? I personally think I would feel a rush, and I would be focused on the solution and motivated to resolve the issue. Is that the spark of interest we’ve heard so much about? Is that the same kind of spark mentioned in the definition of situational interest?
I remember a kind professor telling the class about a situation where he faced an issue with the toilet, and he had no recourse but to resolve it himself. And as he scoured the vast database of YouTube videos, he came across a video that targeted the exact problem. And even though said video was in Russian(!), he watched it (presumably more than once) and managed to resolve the issue. I wonder if there was a spark of interest in that situation. Maybe that’s also a form of situational interest? Because frankly, if I were in such a situation, I would feel a rush of excitement and an upsurge in energy when I finally find what I am looking for, especially when in need. So, situational interest, in my view, is that temporary spark; that excitement of finding what you need; and that wow factor that may cause you to become more focused, motivated, and engaged with the situation.
Moreover, while preparing our presentation on interest, I thought of a question that stayed with me: Do students always need to begin a lesson with a vested interest in the topic? And if somebody does not like the topic at all or “hates” it, what is it that a teacher should do?
In my view, a student may not like the topic of a lesson initially, but if that student continues to have positive experiences with said topic, I believe that the student can gradually develop interest. Perhaps the teacher can create an experience that helps spark situational interest? And if such positive experiences continue, the student’s situational interest can gradually grow into a stronger type of interest, namely individual interest. This made me think about how often students may say things like, “I hate math,” “Science is boring,” or “I’m just not interested in reading.” As teachers, it would be easy to assume that some students simply do not like certain subjects. But maybe that is not always the full story. Maybe they just have not had the right experience yet, and it is up to the teacher to take on this challenge and help develop the student’s interest.
I also read that when
interest is present, students are more motivated to learn, while disinterest
can make learning much more difficult. My readings also described interest as
something fragile that can appear and disappear quickly. I think that this aspect
alone makes the teacher’s role very important. A teacher might not be able to
force a student to become interested, but we can create opportunities for
interest to develop. For example, a student who does not care much about
science might become curious after looking through a telescope or watching an
experiment. That one moment may not turn into a lifelong interest, but it can
be a starting point.
As a future teacher, I want to remember to look for those small moments
of curiosity and those little sparks of interest. And then, instead of merely
asking, “How do I teach this lesson?” I sure hope to think of other useful
questions too, like: “What could make a student want to know more?” or “what
could pique the students’ interest in the topic of my lesson?”
Perhaps that small spark is enough to motivate the learning!
IjazA@OTU
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