Entertainment in Education – 4 Good Ideas To Combine These Two
No one should underestimate the positive role of entertainment in education. Such countries as Estonia and Finland, which is considered the best learning center of the world, have already benefited from implementing so-called gamification and various apps into the studying process. Modern education requires some innovative solutions. It is not that easy to make students realize the value of learning and their further perspectives. Also, the basic skills such as writing, comprehension, reading, and problem-solving should be earned at the early stage – elementary and middle school.
How can teachers today motivate young learners? Rewards are not enough – there should be some competition offered. In this post, you will find out how to properly combine the elements of entertainment, both traditional and online, with education.
Entertainment in Education – Applying Some Fun-Filled Activities to Motivate
If you try to stress the importance of education through career perspectives, it might not work for contemporary kids. They start arguing that learning half of the offered subjects makes no sense at all, and it is possible to launch their own business today without having to study at all. They may be right at some point, but we know the truth. However, if a tutor manages to connect the lessons with the interests and goals of their students, they will succeed. Thus, it is critical to start with defining the learning objectives and students’ personal desires.
It might be hard to imagine, but if you manage to relate some fun activity to the lesson, students will do both solve the puzzle successfully and memorize the basic concepts. Most of the games, for instance, improve memory better than any other activity.
The fun-filled activities should be part of the class – leave the breaks to students. The best idea is to change the material and mode of tutoring. A teacher might want to leave 10-15 minutes of class to short videos, puzzles, scrabble, or team discussions and debates. Sometimes, the class might go outside and study the fresh air – it stimulates the brain a lot.
Educational Apps and Visuals
Many developers create learning applications for students of all ages. Most of them are in free access. Online tools and software may speed up the educational process significantly. The students need to visualize things to understand them better. Also, with the help of 3D and 4D technologies, they can even feel themselves part of the significant projects. 4D museums help to engage more students in studying history and science, for instance.
There are learning apps for different tastes and purposes. For instance, some of them like Grammarly or Copyscape are used to improve
- Grammar
- Spelling
- Punctuation
- Uniqueness
- Readability
- Organization, etc.
Even a professional essay writer or journalist would benefit from using apps like that. They are usually free of charge or cheap. Among other media tools, different websites like YouTube are full of free videos that are used successfully to educate students on the specific problem. Many modern colleges that do not lack funds apply so-called virtual reality (VR) devices. They might seem a bit costly, but they are invaluable when it comes to learning the world around you. If your class is not equipped enough, think about attending a research center where students can use plenty of useful tools.
Inviting Professionals to Inspire the Class
No one would explain the pros and cons of a certain job than a field expert. If you want to prove that students will all need the basic knowledge of law throughout their lives, think about finding some fine attorneys for your open-discussion class. If you want to prove the importance of management or marketing to your MBA class, it will work if you invite a successful entrepreneur to perform in front of the class.
Those are all good recommendations for teachers who are looking for ways to use entertainment in the education process. Even if a tutor is a subject matter expert, they might still sound less persuasive and confident than people who actually work for the discussed areas. The speakers will do more than simply tell the students about the nuances of their jobs; they will help to obtain the necessary narrative and communication skills. The students will be able to discuss different aspects in a playful manner. Tutors, in their turn, might improve their coaching style.
From media to gamification, there are many ways to engage students in learning nowadays. You do not have to invent the bicycle: modern technologies will do everything. It is not that simple to transform education into an exciting regime that motivates young learners. However, if a teacher manages to do so, he or she will be impressed by the outcomes.