Did you know that the students in China receive the most homework all over the world? In fact, teenagers out there work on homework for a whopping 14 hours a week. As per the data from dosomething.org, 11.07 million children leave school before they complete their primary education in the sub-Saharan. Also, children from rural environments tend to drop out of school more than urban children. All in all, there are several facts related to the field of education that a lot of you may still be unaware of. So, take a look at the eight major truths in education that usually remain under our bed, thereby away from our sights.
1. Science practicals provide little or no learning to children
According to Mr. Samuel, an assignment help expert, science practicals barely make it easier for students to understand scientific concepts. According to a review posted by Justin Dillon from King’s College in London, science practicals aren’t as effective as it may appear. The majority of labs are designed in such a way that students have to follow a list of directions while performing an experiment. That way, you don’t have to exercise or acquire essential critical thinking skills to solve a problem in the field of science.
What are the main purposes of science practicals?
- Teaches the principles of scientific inquiry
- Improves the understanding of theory via practical experience
- Helps you get the hang of specific practical skills like observation and measurement
- Motivates and engages students
Always remember that the main motive of conducting science practicals is to clarify theoretical scientific concepts through appropriate experiments. Instead of handing over a set of instructions to students, teachers should EXPLAIN and TEACH generic skills like problem-solving and teamwork.
2. Gardening motivates children to learn and focus
The Royal Horticulture Society in the UK began a campaign to bring gardening back into the traditional school systems. And why not? Whether you want to learn about nutrition or geography, gardening is the best way to acquire the right knowledge relevant to different subjects. It helps active kids use up their surplus energy productively. From prepping up the soil to providing appropriate nutrition to the plant, the whole process of gardening involves careful planning, hard work and patience. Thus, kids who garden show an enhanced ability to concentrate better.
Impacts of gardening on education:
- According to English essay writers, students’ creativity in poetry and essays expand after working in gardens.
- Students can also overcome their academic fears or challenges through years of dedication and practice. (Gardening teaches you that hard work is the key.)
- Not all students are readers. So, gardening addresses different learning styles and skills for the students who are non-readers.
From math to science, gardening touches different subjects, including English. When kids garden, they get to engage their whole bodies throughout the learning process. This helps them maintain a good heart, mind and a healthy body.
3. Teaching children at a tender age is not a good idea
These days, parents tend to send their kids to schools as early as possible. Learning is a process and there’s a time for that. You can’t expect a three-year-old to even understand, let alone memorise the difference between vowels and consonants. Psychologists have confirmed that early academic learning not only inhibits a child’s creativity but also stunts his/her natural curiosity to know how the world works.
Here’s why early learning doesn’t work out for kids:
- In early academic learning, children are usually trained to study in a controlled environment. That means the child has to follow the instructions set by the teacher.
- That also means the child cannot explore the subject or topic without the influence of direct instructions. And how do you expect them to acquire critical analysis skills if you don’t let them think beyond the normal, regular instructions?
Thus, it is important to teach students when they are capable of exploring a subject or a topic without the need for any instructions. Till then, you can always teach them the basics like names of colours, fruits and different alphabets.
4. The US schooling system is messed up
The K-12 governance model in America is nothing but a mess. After all, the education policy has been crafted by thousands of political, legal and technocratic authorities at the state, deferral and local levels. Education policies in the US are the result of centuries-long battles over federalism, racist policies and taxation. Assignments, exams, coursework and homework, end up making things way complicated for students rather than helping them learn and acquire new skills that will come in handy for the future.
Here’s how to improve the American education system:
- Put less pressure on students
- Use technology as and when required without being completely reliant on it.
- Prepare students for real-life challenges
- A standardized test is the other word for stress. So, eliminating these tests can help students learn and grow without any stress.
As per the Program for International Student Assessment by nytimes.com, the performance of American teenagers has been stagnant since 2000 in reading and math. Other recent studies have revealed that the achievement gap is widening between high and low performers in reading.
5. Students couldn’t recall most of their study materials
Stuffing facts into student’s short-term memories is one of the oldest models of teaching and testing. But, it barely works out since most students tend to forget whatever they had learned after a certain period of time. Moreover, students are made to learn factual material rather than a deeper understanding of ideas. They usually learn through passive absorption like listening to lectures or reading summaries in textbooks and that makes remembering the study materials difficult.
How to improve your memory for studying?
- You need to pay full attention to whatever you learn. That is how you can move the information from your short-term memory to long-term memory.
- Study regularly to remember your study materials with the utmost precision.
- Information is organized in clusters in our memory. So, you can try structuring and organising the materials while studying them.
Changing the traditional way of teaching is not a feasible option right now. But, you can always improve your memory by following the steps mentioned above. Tweak your normal study routine to get more out of your memory.
6. Students are less interested if they are forced
Forcing students to learn or read a specific chapter or topic often leads to negative reactions. Students are more likely to learn the chapters that they find interesting. Forcing them to learn something they don’t like will only make the situation worse. The tasks that intrigue us also increase our curiosity and connect us to the things we care about. It is the same thing for students. And you can ruin their curiosity, interests, or potential skills if you force them to study something they have zero interest in.
Here’s how you can motivate a student to study?
- Get them involved as much as you can
- Offer benefits to make learning fun.
- Get creative while teaching the subjects in class.
Let’s say a student finds mathematics interesting. But, you insist her to pursue a degree in English or write a brilliant essay in English instead of honing his mathematical skills. Outcome? She gets better at none of the subjects, thereby failing to build a fruitful career in the future.
7. Drama and comedy encourages children to listen
Teachers should figure out new and innovative ways to encourage active participation among students. After all, an engaged child is more likely to absorb and process information than the one sitting idle. Thus, it is important to make real-life associations with knowledge through comedy and drama in the classroom.
Here’s how drama and comedy help in education:
- Fosters independent thinking
- Encourages students to ask questions and investigate
- Helps students work in a group or collaborative setting
Laughter is one of the greatest indicators of engagement. It is a vibrancy of emotion that shows a student’s feelings and minds are engaged in the activity. It also offers multiple choices so that students can work on projects, even without supervision.
8. Online learning is gradually becoming the ‘NEW’ normal.
The majority of schools and colleges have shut down due to the impact of the pandemic. But, students can still continue with their education through online learning or e-learning. The Research Institute of America found that e-learning has a memory retention rate of 25% to 60%, which is way more than the retention rates of face-to-face training (8% to 10%). As per the ECAR study, 95% of undergraduate students own a smartphone or a laptop. Students these days rely more on mobile devices than traditional books to look for answers related to their field of interest.
The benefits of online learning are:
- Flexible schedule with no fear of deadlines
- Self-paced learning
- Customisable learning environments
- Unlimited, ready-made resources
There are different types of students in the classroom. Some are slow learners, while others may have other concerns. Online learning caters to each student’s academic requirements and helps them study at their own learning pace.
Wrapping Up,
Education is what our world needs today the most. After all, all of us are trying to build a greener, safer and better environment. And education is the best way to do that. The pointers discussed above aren’t something that people talk about every day. But, talking about these things will really help educators create a suitable learning environment.
