Shaping the interests of students as a challenge of the present and future education

Abstract

The concept of interest is present throughout a persons entire life, therefore in conjunction with dynamic transformations of the modern world, including education, the reinterpretation of the essence, especially types and factors of development of interests seems necessary. Inadequate to the present day seem to be answers to the questions of what are interests, what is the order of their occurrence, who and/or what determines their occurrence and what is the role of schools and teachers in the process of their formation. The article attempts to outline the theoretical foundations of these issues in a specific systemic insight, in accordance with the idea that a whole is more than a simple sum of its parts, which means vertically and horizontally coherent system of components of the essence of interest, and methodology of their formation. And so the overall definition of interest can be replaced today with over additive one, according to which the interests are created not only combined, but also in relations incorporated of three components - cognitive, emotional and active. Similarly, the methodology of interest development is not a simple consonance of their components, it is created of vertical and horizontal system of objectives and contents, rules and forms as well as methods and means of education and teaching. The source of shaping the interest is not only the teaching program and its high or author's recommendations, but also opportunities, activities and needs of students, parents, teachers as well as socio-cultural resources of the school environment. Furthermore, the development of interests shall take place during various forms of school activities as well as extracurricular activities. In addition, the planning and realisation of the assumptions of system totality requires from the teacher the scrupulousness and perseverance, attention to mutual relations between the components of the process of formation of interest. In conclusion, we can say that the development of student's interest through the use of assumptions of system totality is a challenge of modern education and it is not an easy task - laborious, requiring a thorough effort and attention, but worthy of completion due to higher (deeper and wider) results of cognition.