“You don't understand anything until you learn it more than one way.” - Marvin Minsky
If you realize this quote highlights the importance of learning in multiple ways. Because learning is not limited to classrooms but goes much beyond. Experiential learning, interactive learning, and simulations have revolutionized modern-day education where various tools and resources are available to make learning more productive, innovative, and fun.
What is Interactive Learning?
Interactive learning is a modern teaching method that encourages students to actively participate in the learning process. Interactive learning is a more hands-on, real-world process of relaying information in classrooms or any educational setup. Passive learning happens when kids listen to the teacher's lecture or memorize information, figures, or equations. But with interactive learning, students are invited to participate in the conversation, through technology (online math programs or science activity-based learning, etc.) or through role-playing group exercises in class or at home.
According to UNESCO, interactive learning methodologies have been shown to improve student engagement and academic performance.
How does Interactive Learning help?
Interactive learning provides students with feedback at every stage of learning, helping them understand their mistakes and improve their skills.
Interactive learning can help students:
Develop critical thinking skills: With different scenarios and possibilities given together, it helps them to analyze and critically think to solve a problem. This also facilitates decision-making, collaboration, and problem-solving.
Boost imagination, creativity, and logic: Interactive learning boosts creativity in a child and helps them hone their imagination skills by presenting various scenarios. It also allows them to apply logical reasoning to arrive at the right answer.
Improve digital literacy: It prepares them for the real world where everything is turning digital and they get introduced to concepts they will be using later.
Improve engagement: Interactive learning activities are more engaging than passive lectures, which can help students stay motivated and focused
Improve retention: Interactive learning uses active processing and spaced repetition to help students strengthen their memory and knowledge retention.
A study by the Education Endowment Foundation found that interactive approaches, such as peer learning and collaborative projects, can have a significant impact on student attainment.
Some key components of interactive learning include:
Interaction
Engagement
Feedback
There are several types of interactive learning. We are discussing a few of them.
Online Age-wise Resources
Students of different age groups can access different online resources based on different subjects.
Gamification
Students are rewarded for completing tasks and progressing through a lesson plan.
Collaborative learning
Students work together in small groups to complete a task or create a product.
Quizzes
A low-stress method that helps students revise concepts and gauge their understanding.
Simulations
Students apply theoretical knowledge in simulated scenarios using virtual reality (VR) or hands-on activities.
Group activities
Students participate in online discussions, computer-supported teamwork projects, or peer tutoring.
Research conducted by the OECD indicates that countries with higher levels of interactive classroom practices tend to have better educational outcomes. According to statistics, 74% of teachers have used digital game-based learning to enhance their lessons.
Some of the challenges with interactive learning can be the time required to study information, the lack of instructional materials, and the need for instructors to be trained in interactive learning.
Comments