One of the teaching techniques that Growing Angels uses to keep our kids engaged during the school day is hands-on learning. Especially when they are young, children are energetic and do not have long attention spans, giving them an immersive activity that uses as much of their sense as possible is a great way to get them to focus.
What is hands-on learning?
When children learn by doing something that is hands-on learning. Instead of just listening to instructions by the teacher, the student is encouraged to engage with the subject matter with more than one of their senses. The good thing about hands-on learning is that it is universal – this is something that can cut across every academic subject. These are some examples of hands-on learning that we engage in at Growing Angels:
1. We learn math through “buying and selling”
2. We learn science through science experiments
3. We learn about nature by going to the zoo with the kids and showing them the animals
4. We learn language and reading through storytimes
5. We learn about creativity during art class
What are the benefits of Hands-on learning?
This method of teaching is certainly not new. It has been used for a long time and has been proven as a sure way to cultivate an energy and love for learning in the students as they progress at school.
There are countless benefits to hands-on learning for young students including:
- More engagement in the classroom - Students are more likely to retain more information - Gives practical examples for children to practice their problem-solving and critical thinking skills! - Often produces physical results that children can be proud of as their own creation
Despite all these benefits, we find that this mode of learning is not always adopted. The problem is that nowadays people tend to take a more academic approach to learning, forgetting that kids deserve to be kids and that they learn better when you allow them to discover each subject. The other thing that can pose a challenge to this mode of learning is budgets. Something that a lot of schools have to take into consideration because these types of activities oftentimes need money.
At Growing Angels, we pride ourselves on providing each and every one of our students with a holistic and immersive school experience. And we are always open and happy to accept your help! If you are interested in helping us to continue to provide our students with a firm foundation for their academic future then please contact us!
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