Dr. Martin Odudukudu’s ‘Interest & Learning’ bucks traditional education trends and teaching attitudes to rewrite the rules about how to engage students with learning tasks. Calling on authoritative research and the author’s own original frameworks, educators are urged to point students in the right direction for optimal learning according to Dewey’s (1934) theory of interest – using the influence of students’ positive concerns for and consideration of themselves as guide to secure an advantage.

Roosevelt, NY -- (SBWire) -- 12/05/2014 --The connection between student interest and their actual learning tasks is a vital link in the education chain, yet one often misunderstood or ignored by industry professionals. Dewey (1934) developed his game-changing 'Theory of Interest', which is now the premise of a compelling new book by Dr. Martin Odudukudu of The Center for Development of Interest In Learning.

'Interest and Learning' reviews relevant theories and literature about concepts of interest, developing a comprehensive definition of interest and clarifying tendencies that students express when influenced by the advantage of the objects the students seek to determine and/or secure.

Synopsis:

In Interest and Learning, we advance a theory of interest which says interest is neither about allowing students to do what they like nor about imposing tasks upon students. Rather, we point out that interest is about facilitating students to see advantage in relevant tasks. We define interest not in terms of tendencies students express when a student sees an object and seeks to secure it; rather, we define interest in terms of tendencies a student expresses when he finds self in the midst of objects/events, and student seeks advantage among events. Thus, we define interest in accordance with original conceptions back of the word interest which has its roots in the Latin or old French language. In other words, we define interest based upon what the French were thinking when they coined the word, interest. In French, the original word is inter esse, meaning to be in the midst/center of one's objects or problems. What a reader of this book will find is that one in the midst of object/events, without thinking, is more or less like another object, with little or no knowledge of the events. Rather, in the midst of objects, one seeks to extricate self from objects/problems, therefore, one thinks.

One begins to differentiate/characterize objects and to reclaim self from objects. Differentiating and/or characterizing objects in order to extricate self from them is properly captured in Descartes popular phrase "I think, therefore, I am." In this book, the reader will find that thinking not only differentiates self from objects, but also that thinking helps to defines relationship among object. In other words, thinking that differentiates self from objects (relates to interest) is not the same as thinking that defines relationships among object (relates to desire). The former seeks to determine advantage through concepts but the latter seeks to secure an advantage through objects. Grasping concepts of interest defined as due to efforts to extricate self from objects/problems is difficult especially because most empiricists believe that human beings are essentially objects; empiricists cannot see how an object thinks and to thus differentiate itself from other objects. The result is that a correct and functional definition of interest has been obscured. Many empiricists do not believe that human thinking is unique and/or is different from contingent occurrences. In this book, we expound a theory of thinking that point out that thinking that relates to interest differs from thinking that relates to desire. In the former, in interest, one determines advantage through concepts, but in the latter, in desire, one secures a determined advantage through objects.

"One of the biggest problems in our education system, confirmed by John Dewey, is that many students fail as they don't learn to learn. Equally, many educators fail to develop a method to help align student efforts with students' interests and/or address any disconnects. The misbalance understanding between internal and external objects is addressed in the book, and will help any educator foster a culture where learning takes place through genuine interest with the right intentions."

Continuing, "I'm bringing all available research, as well as my own additions, into one volume so that educators don't have to spend hundreds of hours trawling for answers. I've done that for them and, after reading this book, the lifelong success of their students will be boundless."

'Interest and Learning', from Xlibris, is available now: http://www.cdoil.org/PublicationsaboutCDOIL.html (receive 30% discount) and/or make any contribution (in cash or in kind) and receive Thinking and Learning free

You may also find the books at http://amzn.to/1yHrHPC

For more information on The Center for Development of Interest In Learning, visit: http://www.cdoil.org

About CDOIL
The Center for Development of Interest In Learning (CDOIL) is an organization of seasoned researchers; our goal is to transform teaching and learning methods, and help students develop increased interest in learning.

The mission of Center for Development of Interest in Learning is to research students' conscious and unconsciousness needs to excel, and inform them up-front how school learning is in their best interest. We are dedicated to research Goal and Task Thinking Methods of learning, point out advantages in understanding and in helping students to highlight and explore these differences.