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Have you checked your assumptions about student learning at the door? People in general, hold onto beliefs that are shaped by early experiences, the media, and faulty influences. The following list is a compilation of research that may surprise you. Video games, ebooks, playtime, and music are all a part of an educators repertoire. Read on, and be prepared to put your traditional beliefs aside as science points to innovative methods that indicate future success.
1. Playing scary and violent video games help children master their fears in real life.
Until recently, studies done with regards to children and video games usually centered on the negative impacts and consequences of prolonged use. But a study done by Cheryl K. Olson that appeared in the Review of General Psychology suggests that there are a lot of psychological benefits to video games. She recognized several social motivations for playing video games including competition, a reason to hang out and casually converse with friends, and teaching peers how to play a game. The psychological motivations for video games are even more profound. In boys who struggle with stress, fear, and anger- negative emotions that can have violent consequences- video games acted as a safe alternative for the release of pent up emotion. There were other findings as well, comprising the fun of unreality- experimenting with a world where natural laws are suspended- plus the fun of challenge, mastery, and playing with different identities. These findings reveal that video games can be an alternate way to release negative emotion, and help children alleviate their innate desire for risk and adventure.
2. Video games can lessen disruptive behaviors and enhance positive development in ADHD children
The Australian Journal of Educational & Developmental Psychology published a study about the use of video games to help children with ADHD. The sample of children was small, so more research is needed. But the results of this study indicated that the video game (designed to teach kids how to control their heart rate and breathing) had a significant impact on behavior. This finding flies in the face of popular remarks such as, Video games make my child hyper, and ADHD is a disease that inflicts this generation because of video games. These beliefs are not backed by scientific study, and in some cases, it is these very biases that slow down inquisitive minds that might dare to think otherwise.
In an attempt to enrich learning, science curriculums often have practical work or labs that teach the science concepts learned in the textbook. However, an in-depth review by Justin Dillon from Kings College in London, found that practical work isnt always as effective as it may appear on the surface. A lot of labs are designed so that students follow a recipe or list of directions that dont exercise critical thinking skills. A lot of labs are designed so that students follow a recipe or list of directions that dont exercise critical thinking skills. In fact, using other mediums like technology to master scientific principles can give students more time to reflect on important concepts, without wasting time and resources on a poorly developed lab. There is no question that scientific curriculum needs to be enhanced in some way, but typical lab work may no longer be the way to go. Of course, more research is needed, but it is unwise to assume that simply because a class has a hands on experiment- that they are learning the crucial necessary skills.
Teachers who are in charge of children with mental and physical disabilities can also benefit from chess. It is a game that does not discriminate, and no matter what level you learn to play, it helps children to understand that losing the game is as valuable as winning.
Gardening helped use up surplus energy in active kids. The process of growing something from seed to fruit helps teach children responsibility and managing a living organism. Some students learned valuable math skills as they sold their produce to the town for a profit. Getting in touch with the dirt and bugs, helped some young students overcome their fears. An English teacher found her students creativity in poetry expanded after working in the garden.
Gardening touches on so many different school subjects, from the science of photosynthesis, to nutrition, math, and even English. Kids who garden show a better ability to concentrate, whether it is because they have an opportunity to engage their whole bodies in the learning process, or simply because learning in the outdoors is good for the mind, heart, and body.
This is because research shows that children who have ample opportunity to play and manipulate the environment creatively, will be the most innovative and original thinkers as adults.
8. Music and movement augment childrens language capabilities during the preschool years
Music has a calming effect on children and adults alike. Though much of modern education focuses primarily on visual sight for learning, the auditory processes are critically important for language acquisition. The younger the child, the more important music becomes. Children who engage in music from a young age have a more finely tuned ability to speak and communicate For example, when children learn nursery rhymes that are set to a steady beat; they learn to appreciate the pacing of words and how to speak more clearly. Songs that are taught for the purposes of remembering routines (like cleaning up or going to bed) activate the part of the memory that is used when memorizing sight words and other rote principles. Research shows that children who engage in music from a young age have a more finely tuned ability to speak and communicate. Music must continue to be a part of a young childs learning environment.
How important is it for children to play and interact with the great outdoors? Does it really make a difference in the educational process? The research says yes. Not only is it critical for children to have time to play outside, but the type of outdoor environment is important as well. Research documented in Colorado Universitys Journal of Children, Youth, and Environments noted that students who were given access to green woodlands, ponds, and other natural habitats had an increase in social cooperation and creativity, as opposed to the children who were given an asphalt yard with a jungle gym. Not only did the students enjoy the environment more, but the teachers also incorporated the outdoor area into their formalized curriculum. It became a place to learn about ecosystems, science, gardening, and preserving the Earth. The more natural and open the environment, the greater the invitation for discovery through curiosity.
10. Drama and comedy in the classroom encourage children to listen and participate
Teachers are constantly thinking about new and innovative ways to encourage active participation with their students. An engaged child is one who is more likely to absorb information, retain it, and make real-life associations with the knowledge. In order to engage students, several activities or processes need to be present. In Beyond the Journal, authors and educators Judy R. Jablon and Michael Wilkinson outline the following:
Some prior understanding or knowledge of the material An environment that fosters questions and investigation The ability to work in a group or collaborative setting
Offering multiple choices so students can be self-directed Independent thinking Games, drama, and humor
It might not come as a surprise, but laughter is a great indicator of engagement. Just like tears or anger, it is a vibrancy of emotion that shows a students entire mind and feelings are engaged in the activity.
11. Children who construct their own video games experience increased cognitive and social growth
In a primitive society, children learned necessary survival skills by mimicking their elders. It was essentially, learning in action. In modern times, academics are often taught rather than shownremoving this type of opportunity from the educational process. However, research outlined in the Lookstein Online Journal indicates that children show cognitive growth when they are given the task of creating their own video game. In order to develop such a game, students must use prior knowledge, create links between scenes, and take control of their learning through trial and error. In essence, it is another way to create and active learning environment similar to ancient history. Children must use logic, survival skills, and generate new ideas and solutions in order to complete the game.
12. Interest areas in the classroom promote a childs autonomy and choice making
When children catalog an experience in their minds, research shows that they are more apt to remember the place or location, than the person or thing. This acute sensitivity to detail is one of the main reasons that architects and educators should pay careful attention to the types of spaces they are designing for classrooms. According to the Undergraduate Research Journal for the Human Sciences, Jaclynn Shaw, of Kansas State University reports that children have four major needs while in their learning environment; the ability to move around the space, the ability to engage all five senses, the need to feel a sense of confidence, safety, and success, and a level of independence and control. One way to accomplish this is through interest areas. Interest areas are different sections in the classroom that focus on a certain skillset or study; science, social collaboration, art, reading, etc. When the students are paired in groups and given the chance to move from area to area, it helps foster a sense of control.
They get to make choices, move in the classroom, and explore independently. These skills build confidence in young students.
14. Learning, for children with ASD, is affected by classroom acoustics, artificial lighting, and windows
Children with autism and related disorders are greatly impacted by their environment, more so than the average child. In many cases, it takes a childs full concentration to simply interact with another student or teacher, so classrooms need to eliminate any unnecessary distractions. The Undergraduate Research Journal for the Human Sciences studied different areas of the classroom and found ways to reduce excess stimulation for these children. Students do better when their work areas are tucked in a nook with walls and other makeshift boundaries sectioning off their space. Putting a desk against a wall with a bookshelf on either side can minimize distractions. Secondly, adding carpet on the floors and even on the walls will muffle the noise and echo of an empty concrete room. Teachers can also add curtains, floor pillows, and rugs to further muffle noise. Another crucial necessity is natural light. Fluorescent lighting is difficult on the eyes and can be render a child with ASD completely ineffective. Instead, opt for large windows and skylights that allow sunlight to pour in. These changes can make a big difference in the learning potential of a student suffering from Autism.
15. Engaging children in planning and reflection enhance their predictive and analytic capabilities
When you think of a classroom curriculum in action, you might suppose that the teacher plans the lesson and then the children carry it out. But more and more, educators are seeing the importance of teaching the children how to plan. This important skill is not only useful in everyday life, it seems that it enhances a childs capabilities as well. In a journal put out by the NAEYC, they noted that the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation found that students who were given a chance to learn how to plan out their activities, performed better in language and other skills. When a child is brought into the process of planning and reflection, it forces them to evaluate what behaviors and actions are necessary to complete a task. When the plan does not work, they then must analyze why it didnt and what must be done to get back on track.
16. Mature make-believe play provides the most beneficial context for childrens development
Do you remember playing store or restaurant when you were a child? These imaginative scenarios, in which children take on roles, props, themes, and collaborate with other children, is one of the most crucial avenues for development. In an article written by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, they make the argument that play is an ever-evolving skill that children must be guided through. Whereas young kids used to play in multi-level age groups (perhaps in a neighborhood or in a family with a lot of children) having older peers in which to mimic and follow, now students are segregated according to age. This means that the teacher is now in the primary role of teaching children how to play. There also must be ample time for play. Sessions that are only 10-15 minutes do not give a child the opportunity to play out the scenarios, actions, and sequences necessary to really engage the senses, the mind, and the childs innate creativity. The classroom must allow room for these play-based scenarios, as they are one of the building blocks of learning. It is within this context that children build the preliminary skills for advanced academic understanding.
17. Children are not blank slates on which adults imprint knowledge
Childrens brains are far more powerful and intuitive than we ever imagined. As more and more research is done on the impact of early education on children, the results continue to point to a surprising conclusion; when children are given a rich environment to explore, they naturally use scientific processes to discover the world around them.
Alison Gopnik, professor at the University of California, reported this in her research that was outlined in the September issues EdWeeks blog. The push for more academics, more structure, and more early academic intervention is not necessarily beneficial. Adults are not the givers of information, but rather facilitators that allow children to use their natural curiosity to discover the world. It would seem that one of the best predictors of future academic success is built on this foundation.
18. Young children learn about prejudice by instruction, older children by experience
Science Daily released an article last March that gives educators insight into how children form opinions about discrimination and prejudice. When several different age groups of children were put into differing groups (with one group discriminating against the other), the younger children were more influenced by a teachers comments regarding the discriminating group than their actual experience. With the older group of children, they relied on their experience, and not the teachers opinion. This has profound implications for early education teachers, as well as parents and caregivers. Young children will believe adults, even when it contradicts their own personal experience. However, this only lasts for a short time during development. By 5th grade, most kids will trust their peers or their own experience over an adult, even an influential one. Delivering a positive message about ethnicity and social equality is best communicated in younger ages in order to make a lasting impact.
20. Children learn more when they initiate an activity and are actively engaged in it
Curiosity is the birthplace of learning. If you follow a two-year-old around for even a couple of hours, you will watch as he explores the world organically, following his innate curiosity about how things work, taste, feel, look, and sound. When a parent or teacher can harness the power of that curiosity, it is like riding a wave that already has momentum. The Center for Development and Learning gives caregivers helpful advice about how to maximize a childs early experiences. One of the key points centers on this foundation of curiosity. To give a child a chance to initiate learning, the caregiver must remain in the background, supporting the childs natural curiosity and offering helpful ways to explore. This is different from the traditional model of instruction, where a teacher doles out knowledge and asks the student to learn the information.
21. Rapping helps children learn the concept of place value in math
The Southwest Educational Development Laboratory put out a classroom math lesson that included a rap song! It is not all that surprising that rap music helps with mathematical concepts. The steady rhythm, and the cadence and rhyming of words make the song easier to remember. The concept is written into the lyrics and the children can learn the song, and thus the mathematical rule. Music is a proven method to aid learning. Classical music has been shown to help concentration, and rhyming melodies are far easier to remember than a list of facts. It activates the auditory system, allowing the child to use another one of their five senses to learn.
22. Reinforcing childrens capabilities as confident explorers build childrens resilience and confidence
One of the most impactful moments for a child is when they understand that a caregiver or teacher believes in his/her ability to learn. This boost of confidence activates the already-present learning mechanisms available in the brain, and helps propel them forward to discover new things in the world. Teachers can do this by standing back, providing opportunities for children to collaborate in groups, as well as offering reflection after the experience, so the child can see what worked and what didnt. The Open Universitys research proves that an adults confidence in a child also helps motivate them when experiments fail. Failure no longer becomes a negative thing, but another learning experience.
23. Children who are encouraged to talk to themselves aloud have increased probability of learning
Have you ever stood in front of a mirror and rehearsed a presentation or important conversation you were about to have? Science proves this is a helpful method of learning and selfanalysis.The Council for Exceptional Children incorporated the idea of self-talk in their article about student learning. If a student is working on a math problem or difficult concept, self-talk can help with reasoning and logic. Speaking a loud activates another of the five senses, hearing, and can possibly catch minute details that the eyes keep missing when the child looks over the problem again and again. This concept also works with writing. If a child reads their report or paragraph out loud, the ear is better able to pick up on awkward phrasing than simply using the eyes.
24. Children behave better when parents are involved in their education at home and at school
When a parent sends a child on the bus to school, it doesnt mean that all learning is pushed to the school. Parents are a crucial component to their childs success. The NYU Child Student Center writes about parents as the key ingredient to a successful school career. Learning continues even after school is done. Parents can help their children with homework, reading, extra enrichment activities, as well as be informed of school behavior problems or social situations that need attending. When parents are active in their childs education, this minimizes emotional disturbances and other negative situations that can impair the educational process.
25. Game playing can develop a positive attitude towards mathematics for children
Mathematics can easily become a tedious and dry subject, full of repetitive problems, formulas, and exams. But when teachers add games to the curriculum, students attitudes about math change dramatically. According to Leicha Braggs research from Deakin University, she noted that game playing helped change childrens perspective on the subject of math. More kids were able to articulate positive emotions surrounding math, as well as an increase in confidence about different concepts. There was more energy for math, more motivation, and ultimately more success. It seemed that playing math games helped to alleviate the tediousness of repetitive problem solving.
26. Children who participate in laughing activities experience increase in memory retention
Do you remember the last time you had a good belly laugh? If you are fortunate enough to have laughter as part of your everyday life, you can probably easily remember what triggered it. Laughter is evidence of an engaged body, mind, and heart, increasing the likelihood that you are able to recall what triggered the positive emotion. Laughter not only increases a childs capacity to remember the humor, but it also gives a feeling of security and contentment. Pam Schiller and Clarissa A. Willis, both PhD authors, speakers, and curriculum specialists, put out an article that highlights this fact. They note that laughter not only increases a childs capacity to remember the humor, but it also gives a feeling of security and contentment. It is important that teachers use funny songs, games, or silly phrases to start a lesson. This positive beginning sets up the lesson for success.
27. Children who use electronic books show more cooperation and retain more information
As technology speeds ahead, the learning environment and classroom is rapidly changing. Books especially, are going through a digital overhaul, as more and more texts are available online and in ebook format. In a Scroll Essay called The Effects of Electronic Books Designed for Children in Education, students who used e-books with sound effects, narration, music, and video were able to find and recite more information than the children who used a traditional printed text. The use of the ebook also enhanced group cooperation and gave the students more opportunity to interact.
In essence, the e-book was more conducive to group activity than individual private reading.
28. Boys engage more in exploratory play while girls engage more in dramatic play
Browse the aisle of a toy store, and most people can identify toys that are marketed towards girls versus boys. Although there is benefit to exposing both boys and girls to a wide variety of toys, research still notes that boys are drawn more to exploration, and girls are drawn more to dramatic play. The Undergraduate Research Journal for the Human Sciences put out an article on gender differences that converged on the same bottom line. Boys tend to be more assertive in their interactions and games, whereas girls are more intuitive and relational as they play. Though this is the norm, it is important to note that teachers shouldnt automatically assume that each gender isnt capable of playing in the other way. Instructors should acknowledge these differences, make room for each gender to play as they are naturally wired, while encouraging them to try out methods that they may not naturally be comfortable with.
29. Phonemic awareness and alphabet recognition increase childrens chances of reading achievement
As soon as a child is two years old, they can begin to recognize letters, numbers, and the association of sounds that go along with them. These pre-reading skills are an early indicator of a childs ability to read and enjoy literature as a child, teen, and adult. According to Scholastic Research and Results, there are a lot of pre-reading skills that are necessary for literacy, but two stand out as most important; phonemic awareness (understanding the sound a letter makes), as well as alphabet recognition. Even though reading is a visual skill, activating the ear to recognize the different sounds of each letter is the foundation on which reading is built. When a child doesnt make these connections, a lifetime of literary frustration is sure to result.
Fractions arent the easiest concept for a child to learn. However, it is a foundational mathematical principle that is necessary for future advanced mathematics. But there seems to be a connection between music and fractions that is proving to be beneficial. In an article from the SF State News, educators have noticed that clapping, drumming out a beat, notations, and chanting help students understand the concept of fractions. In music theory, notes are identified by halves, eighths, sixteenths, etc. and students have a visual way to begin placing fractions in context. The results show that students who use music and rhythm to teach fractions score notably higher on math exams that those that dont. So get out your drums and your hands, and begin clapping your way to a better understanding of fractions.
This is a cross-post from our content partners at the Open Colleges Newsroom
http://edudemic.com/2012/12/30-surprising-and-controversial-ways-students-learn/