The article analyzes the place and role of the teacher in activating the cognitive activity of higher education students. It is stated that the teacher is a key figure in activating the cognitive activity of higher education students. The emphasis of his work should shift not to the transfer of accumulated knowledge at the moment, but to the formation of learning motivation. The analysis shows that most researchers in their work focus on cognitive and didactic and methodological areas of activation of cognitive activity. Issues directly related to the transformation of cognitive needs of higher education students through the optimization of pedagogical interaction have been little studied. The authors consider the task of intensifying educational activities through the use in pedagogical communication of didactic and psychological patterns and principles of educational interaction. The emphasis in such subject-subject interaction should be on, in particular, the formation of a hierarchy of personal needs necessary for higher education students. The article presents in graphical form the structure of the need-motivational sphere of higher education seekers with different strengths of learning motivation. Only positive emotion can restructure the hierarchy of needs of a person with low learning motivation. This thesis is confirmed by the result of the study of the correlation between the average score of higher education students for 5 years and the level of satisfaction of their basic needs (according to A. Maslow). It is proposed to use, first of all, the technology of creating a situation of success in learning, active teaching methods, in particular, the method of projects, for the formation of internal motives for learning. The basis of the process of activating the cognitive activity of higher education teachers is his communicative repertoire: a set of communicative techniques, methods and technologies that provide him with the opportunity to form cognitive needs. The article presents such communicative skills that provide an opportunity to intensify the educational activities of higher education students during classes. In general, the article reveals the technological and motivational levels of the teacher's teaching activity, taking into account which he can more effectively manage the cognitive activity of higher education students.