The Secret to Getting Students Interested in What They're Learning

 A recent survey of over 4,000 high schoolers asked the question: When have you been very excited about or interested in what you learned in school? Why did you feel interested or excited?

The answer with the lowest response—only 4%—said they’ve never felt interested or excited in school.

So what about the rest of the students? What actually sparks their excitement?

The two most common answers tied for first place. The first was, “The topic was something I wanted to learn more about.” The second was, “The teacher made it exciting and interesting.”

That is the magical combination. Students bring intrinsic motivation, the natural, God-given curiosity to want to learn more. On the other side, teachers bring creativity and passion, finding ways to help their students engage. Psychologists call this dynamic emotional contagion, a neurological phenomenon where a teacher’s passion actually becomes their students’ passion.

We have all seen this in action. When an educator takes material that might look dull on paper, or even feels boring at first, and breathes life into it, the information becomes meaningful. Students begin to see how knowledge can make them better, smarter, and more capable. At that point, learning isn’t about compliance, it’s about interest and excitement.

Even Shakespeare Was Made Interesting

I experienced this in my own schooling. I had a teacher named Mrs. Perry who absolutely loved Shakespeare. She didn’t just lecture about the plays, she immersed us in the world Shakespeare wrote for. One time she came to class dressed like an Elizabethan playgoer and spoke in Old English.

And you know what us students thought about this? 

We thought it was ridiculous. 

But we also loved it. We laughed, leaned in, and became curious. That experience made me appreciate Shakespeare more than I ever thought I would.

That’s what great teaching does. Passion and creativity are contagious.

What if more classrooms operated this way? What if more lessons sparked natural curiosity and matched it with contagious passion? Students don’t just remember content, they remember how they felt while learning it. And when those feelings are positive—when they’re excited, curious, and engaged— the learning sticks.

So here’s the challenge. Think about one lesson, one unit, or one piece of content that doesn’t light you up. Maybe you’ve done it enough times to know students are that into it either. Ask yourself: how can I bring more of my passion into this? How can I spark curiosity and excitement in my students?

There are countless ways to do this. But here are 6 practices that consistently help spark excitement in the classroom.

Six Practices to Spark Excitement in Your Lessons

Start with a story.

The human brain is wired for stories. A well-told story captures attention in a way raw information rarely does. A science teacher might begin a unit on ecosystems by describing how wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone and how that single decision transformed the rivers. A math teacher might share the time they ruined a recipe because their ratios were wrong. An English teacher might talk about the book that shifted their perspective forever.

Everyone loves a good story, and sometimes the only transformation a lesson needs is to begin with one. What’s a story you can tell to make a lesson come alive?

Use props or visuals.

Objects make abstract ideas tangible. A basketball can demonstrate arcs and angles in geometry. An old, tattered book can serve as a visual anchor in a literature lesson. In history, newspapers, photos, or replica artifacts can bring the past into the present.

What can you bring into school to illustrate an idea or concept you are teaching? 

Invite student choice.

Motivation often grows when students have options. Even small choices matter. You might let students decide whether to write a poem or create a comic strip to show their understanding. Offer multiple case studies and let them choose one to analyze. Or give them two problems and allow them to pick which one to solve first.

Research shows that students learn deeper and engage more when they are empowered with their learning. Even if it's a small choice, how can you give students the opportunity to make some during a lesson or unit? 

Change the space.

Shifting the physical environment can change the classroom energy. Desks can be rearranged into a circle for discussion. A reading lesson can take place outside. Sometimes involving students in decisions about the classroom design gives them ownership and boosts engagement.

How can you alter the classroom space to reinvigorate students?

Model your own curiosity.

When teachers let students see genuine excitement, it spreads. Say out loud, “This blew my mind when I first learned it.” Wonder openly about questions you don’t know the answers to. Look something up with your students in real time. Curiosity becomes contagious when it is modeled.

What are you excited about as it relates to the content, and how can you relay that excitement?

Connect it to their lives.

Every lesson needs a “why.” Fractions come alive when they relate to pizza slices, paychecks, or TikTok views. Persuasive writing takes on weight when students write to real decision-makers. History feels more relevant when students see its echoes in modern memes, movements, or current events.

Perhaps the best way to get students interested in what you are teaching is to make it relevant to them. So how can you connect your subject matter to your students' lives in some way? 

Creating Student Engagement Doesn’t Require Reinventing Everything

None of these practices require you to reinvent your curriculum. You don’t have to abandon the standards or throw out the content. You’re simply layering passion and creativity onto what is already there.

When you do that, you’re not just teaching material, You’re creating an experience. And experiences are what students carry with them.

So try one of these practices this week. Take a lesson that feels flat and add a spark. Watch how it changes the energy in the room.

If the survey of 4,000 high school students shows us anything, it’s that students want to be excited about learning. When you combine their natural curiosity with your contagious passion, school becomes something worth being interested about.