The conventional approach of classroom teaching has now shifted to online classrooms. The traditional, face-to-face classrooms have many features such as interactive lectures, practical sessions, discussions, brainstorming, demonstration, field trips, and even role-play. These features should be carried along when changing over to virtual classes.
The Classroom
Classrooms have now begun to adopt technology as an effective means to engage students. However, the need to bring the best learning experience to your classroom remains a challenge. It is recommended that every educator should adopt the best system of teaching and enhance the learning experience.
What is Learning Experience
The learning experience is the acquisition of knowledge through interactions, courses, programs, or other activities in which learning is involved. It is possible to gain learning experience through traditional or modern educational settings. Traditional settings include physical classrooms on the school premises, and unconventional settings generally find their place outside the school premises. Modern learning takes place through unconventional interactions, in which students learn through multimedia-based teaching and use interactive software applications.
Schools use a variety of teaching methods to give the best possible learning experience to students.
Some of the traditional learning methods include:
- The lecture method: In this method, the officer, lecturer, instructor, or teacher informs the students, and the students are passive recipients.
- The demonstration method, also called the coaching method, uses multimedia, storytelling, and real-life examples to explain topics to students.
- The interactive method - This method involves class discussions and interaction with students. It allows students to actively participate in teaching and learning.
The Learning Pyramid Theory
The learning pyramid model was developed by the National Training Laboratory. It shows what kind of teaching/learning is likely to be sustained. The methods include lecturing, reading, demonstrating using audio-visual means, discussing, practicing, and teaching others.
The Pyramid of Learning gives a general idea of the basic skills of students and what other skills are built on them. This information is useful, as it helps to break down the skills into basic features and prioritize what needs to be addressed.
While listening to lectures, reading through a book, or completing homework assignments, “learning experiences” are involved. Students are now learning differently than before and in a variety of out-of-school settings, such as internships, volunteer activities, or double-enrolment programs, just to name a few.
The retention rates contributed through various learning activities vary depending on the type of activity.
Here, the three teaching techniques---define, demonstrate, and analyze---give different results on learners. The pyramid helps educators to choose the techniques that give the best learning experience to learners.
Here, the first two methods used in teaching/learning are termed “passive learning” because the learner is the recipient. However, the latter method is termed “active learning,” because the learner there is actively involved. The use of the second and third methods is recommended to implement in our schools. Thus, the emphasis will not be on teaching alone, but on the use of what is being taught.
How to Develop a Learning Experience?
The increasing consideration of “learning experience” by teachers and others reflects the major academic and technical changes that have taken place in the design and delivery of students' learning. This often represents an effort to update the concepts of how, when, and where to learn. For example, new technologies have harmoniously enhanced and diversified the way in which students learn and interact, all this without compromising students' ability to learn.
It is found that the learning experience in the Blended model of learning is better than either fully online or fully face-to-face learning experiences. Irrespective of the learning mode, you can adopt the following methods to achieve the best learning experience.
Engage students
The biggest challenge for any teacher is to seek the attention of every student. The teacher is also judged for how he presents the ideas effectively in order to make a lasting impression.
As a teacher, to effectively tackle these challenges, you must implement innovative ideas that will make the classroom experience more pleasant for your students. Having an open mind makes humans happy.
Attend to learning needs
To personalize learning, students should begin by taking quizzes to test their level of knowledge. Based on the results, they can be recommended courses to improve their skills. Some of these courses may include therapeutic materials to address any deficiencies in their education, while others will cater to provide basic knowledge.
Make an on-demand Access
In the on-demand learning method, students can quickly move beyond (i.e., spend less time) the concepts that they find easy, and spend more time on the topics they find more challenging.
Restructuring the curriculum content
A lengthy lesson can be tiresome for a learner. Instead of giving a single lengthy lecture to explain a concept, the lecture should be divided into a series of small sections. This applies to all types of content, especially to video and audio contents.
Practice creative teaching methods
Make use of tools to drive creativity. Include playful games or various visual exercises that will stimulate the young minds and instill passion in them.
As a time-tested method, recognize the creative potential of every young student and encourage creative contribution.
Try to bring aspects of creativity into all your subjects. Encourage different ideas, and give students the freedom to explore subjects---be it math, science, or history. Think of ways to develop their creative ideas.
Make use of Gamification
Gamification in learning means creating interactive features commonly seen in games. For example, players (students) gaining points and badges, progress tracking, and rewards. Not only do these additions make learning more interesting, but they also help learners stay motivated.
In addition to the rewards, students happen to see a progress bar of their learning achievements. A visual profile of skills and certificates of accomplishment help impart into students the personal responsibility to achieve and then maintain excellence.
Classes of these times rely more on technology to create the best learning experience.
Technology Booster in Learning
With the help of technology, students can connect with their teachers and buddies through electronic media, such as emails, voice calls, or video conversations. Additionally, they can use online course-management systems to organize and exchange learning materials such as assignments and project work. Students can use software programs, apps, and educational games at their own time, at their own pace, and without requiring the teacher's instruction or supervision. Students can also watch videos created by their teachers, do online research to learn more about the concepts taught in the classroom, or use tablets to record scientific observations in the natural environment among numerous other beneficial options.
Technology has played an important role in redefining modern education and learning. Furthermore, high technology includes the use of artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, machine learning (ML), virtual reality (VR), the Internet of Things (IoT), and chatbots. The challenge of developing a fruitful learning experience depends on the teaching methods or techniques applied.
Teachmint offers education infrastructure to institutions and helps them digitize and automate their activities. It helps schools make smart decisions faster and aids in the learning process with a robust and efficient school ERP and LMS solutions respectively.
Here’s a video from Teachmint about the top habits of highly effective students:
