Month: January 2018

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Driven by a pursuit to bring technological advancements to the learning space, students can now bank on a host of benefits offered by Chromebooks. Although named as a book, a Chromebook is a laptop of a different kind. While the conventional laptops run on Mac OS or Windows 10 as their operating systems, a Chromebook is powered by the Chrome OS of Google.

Here are the numerous ways in which students can make the most of these devices.

  1. The Online Access to Learning is the Star Attraction

The World Wide Web is an indispensable interface that connects students with a host of educational sites. Attracting them with the best way to assimilate the knowhow that is making waves in the 21st century, millennials can rely on these gadgets. Going by the principle that you  are not restricted to the constraints of time and place, Chromebooks come as anytime and anywhere  to online wisdom. You as a student or faculty can learn in a classroom, library or at home. Students who learn through Chromebooks can access to the plethora of online sites that are brimming with subject knowledge. While you are aiming to gain knowledge, you are indirectly enhancing your creativity alongside sharpening your communication and research skills.

  1. Personalized Tools For Student Engagement

Chromebooks offer a platform for  students to learn better. They pave the way to establish a classroom environment that thrives on the strength of individual strengths and skills. A classroom session can be made even more interesting and engaging when the topics are fine-tuned to the specific needs of students. Matching the interest levels with their skill levels, a Chromebook can facilitate better student engagement with an eye towards personalized education. Educators create a personalized profile for every student based on his/her learning experience and allow them to log into their apps. When they log in, they will be able to access a host of personalized books and videos along with classroom material that will aid in their learning.

  1. Cost Benefits

Chromebooks can be tagged as “cheap and best” tools for learning, since it comes with an affordable price tag when compared to most of the laptops. Their starting price of $149.00 makes Chromebooks intelligent and budget-friendly learning tools to schools. Because of reasonable pricing, it can be made as an essential learning tool for a number of school districts. The list of cost benefits does not end here. Schools who have invested in Chromebooks are also at the receiving end of Google Apps for Education (GAFE) services which can be accessed without a fee by all public schools. Since all these machines are connected to the internet, you as a student can access the ocean of knowledge that is captured in the form of applications and documents floating on the cloud.

  1. Online and Offline Services

While Chromebooks thrive on a high speed internet, there are over 200 offline educational apps that can work without net connectivity. Gmail, Google Drive along with Pocket are some of the apps that can be accessed without internet connectivity along with a host of Android apps which are still in the making.

  1. Ease of Deployment and Administration

When compared to conventional notebooks, a Chromebook comes with simplified deployment and support. Easy to manage, a Chromebook can become a single window learning platform aiding students and teachers with various subjects. Tagged as lightweight gadgets, a Chromebook can boot up in a matter of seconds. With the battery backup lasting for about 8 hours of running time, you will always be accessing the updated version since the update happens in the background.

  1. Close Watch On Student and Faculty Usage

A Chromebook can become a watchful tool that will help educators with pertinent information about the usage and configuration reports. These reports can be viewed by the school management so that corrective measures can be taken on the use of the online content. With an option to filter and monitor mail, you can avail the round the clock support from customer care executives who can fix your issues or resolve your concerns via email, phone or online chat.

  1. The Security Feature

As you all know that Chromebooks are cloud-based gadgets that are meant to run exclusively on the browser, you need not have to initiate any installation on your laptop. This is one feature that works in favor of safeguarding the Chromebook from external attacks. These gadgets live by the promise of a unique design that does not facilitate any external user to access or view your files. Chromebooks do not call for any active firewalls or the installation of anti-virus or anti-malware software. Another element that concerns security is file system encryption. Chromebooks do not need this security feature as the access to view files is given only to identified and registered users.

  1. Use of Simplified Hardware

When it comes to Chromebooks, you are spared from the use of hard drives as a means to store your data. Since all the data is hosted on a centralized cloud location, Chromebooks offer greater performance when compared to traditional laptops. You have a lightweight operating system that leads to swift boot times. Students can experience a super-fast browsing experience alongside making the most of immediate updates and automatic file backup features.

  1. An Intelligent Tool for Holistic Student Development

There is a growing need for professionals like computer engineers, technology coordinators, data scientists and system administrators across the globe. A learning environment which aims at bridging the gap between demand and supply of professionals can bank on Chromebooks. These gadgets enable students to hone their analytical and creative skills. Students will develop a keen eye towards scientific enquiry which will lay the foundation for peer-interactions coupled with active participation. Given all the above positives, it is clear that Chromebooks can encourage students to tread the path of effective work habits that will go a long way in shaping their professional lives.

  1. A Insightful Tool That Examines Student Behavior Closely

Along with useful and educational online content, the internet is flooded with inappropriate content. In an attempt to steer clear of such ill-effects, Chromebooks help educators and parents to keep an eye on the children’s internet usage. As a guardian, you can block the harmful content that is available on the Chromebook alongside opening the doors for educative content to become a significant part of learning.

  1. Collaboration – The Student-Friendly Attribute

When computers step into classrooms, students are encouraged to interact better amongst themselves. Students attuned to technological learning through Chromebooks will begin to communicate and collaborate with each other. While staying in constant touch with each other, Chromebooks become instruments to stay in sync with the assignments that need to be submitted by them in the form of group projects, power point presentations and the making of subject-specific videos.

  1. “Go Green” With Chromebooks

Given the numerous concerns towards preserving the environment, Chromebooks are a perfect solution to implement the “Go Green” ideology. With Chromebooks, you can restrict the use of paper also. Chromebooks reduce the carbon footprint arising out of the extensive use of printer ink, printed teaching material and hard-copy books and assignments.

  1. Chrome Web Store – The One Stop Destination for Online Games

Students who are gaming enthusiasts can make the most of the limited game titles that are listed on the Chrome Web Store. Cut the Rope and Bejeweled are a couple of online games that students can play along with a host of Android Chrome games like Minecraft, Galaxy of Heroes and Star Wars that can be an entertainment to students.

  1. An Ocean of Learning Possibilities

Chromebooks are possibly one of the best instruments that promise a well-designed, interactive learning program for students. Students  learning through Chromebooks will be able to explore subject concepts from various approaches. This  help students learn about online word processing, handhold them to master the concepts behind spreadsheets and hone their database management skills.

  1. An Intelligent Tool That Accommodates Multiple Learning Styles

When Chromebooks become the tool of learning, you as a student can make the most of the online material by blending visual and auditory learning styles. Notwithstanding the fact that you are a student who learns better by observation or through listening, Chromebooks come as your top bet. In this way, this internet-based gadget help educators use  multiple learning styles as a perfect response to the traditional curriculum that lacks this significant feature.

Wrapping It Up

Driven by a pursuit to stay abreast with the latest offerings in technology concerning the learning and development space, Chromebooks help students learn through a number of creative ways. Hence it is the need of the hour to drift away from the traditional learning methodologies and tread the path of online education that the world is currently poised for.

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Arts and creativity are two inevitable elements of a comprehensive education strategy. Rather than just studying what is in the lesson through typical lectures and exams, bringing in some arts can help students to be more creative in classrooms. In fact, this way of learning is going to help them to grasp the lessons better, memorize it for long and apply what is learnt in real life in a more tactical way. A creative classroom is a good platform for students to stimulate their extracurricular talents and grow up as creative persons. A good teacher can utilize different strategies to teach difficult subjects by integrating it with arts. This is a better way of enhancing their interest for learning and makes them more alive in classrooms.

Students love to learn with play and arts. This is the right phase to mould them into better creative persons and open them a world of artistry. Here let us have a look at different ways to bring arts and creativity in classrooms and learn how this strategy is going to help them learn better.

  1. Mosaics: Learning about new shapes is more fun with mosaics. This is an indirect way of bringing arts to classrooms and students find it really interesting to study about shapes with a deeper understanding. The young minds can use mosaics method to get introduced to new shapes with hands on experience. Whether it is paper, cellophane or glass, students can have some creative time in framing new patterns.
  2. Script writing: This is an awesome way of introducing creativity in classrooms. Students can be given the task of writing a script for the given subject. Whether it is re-creating a historical event, or a simple short story in English or cute dialogue conversations between chemicals or animals, it can be real fun. This activity helps them to think critically and organize events to present better.
  3. Folk Art: Teaching history in classroom can be fun and creative when including folk art as an assignment. When teaching about different ancient periods or old rulers, kids can be asked to represent the era with folk art. They can dress up like the people of that period and represent facts and information in a creative way. This type of active role plays gives them a better understanding of history.
  4. Science labs: Learning about science is not always theory but giving chances for students to have a practical experience of the subject. Science labs should be given more importance than just lectures where students should be given the freedom to experiment what they have learnt in class. Whether it is chemistry reactions, circuits in physics or biology experiments, students will have a good time of self analysis and creativity.
  5. Advertising: This is a fun and creative way of improving their language. Give them chances to create advertisements for selling their product. It can be a single page advertisement where they can bring in their creativity. Criteria can be set about the type of words to be used or word limits and this gives them a chance to show the power of their language even with restrictions. Teachers can even connect it with something they have already learnt in class for a better learning experience.
  6. Wire sculptures: Kids would love to have hands on experience with elements that are playful and colourful and that is the reason why they love wire sculptures. This is an easy but quality art project for lower level class students. This is a better way to introduce and help them understand the line and space concepts. With this activity, they are inspired to learn, discover and dream more.
  7. Draw a topic: Students can also bring out their creativity through drawing art. They can represent a topic by drawing it. It could be a novel theme, a country culture or even biology species. For higher level classes, they can even try out drawing cartoons for a sports event or a political scenario and print in student newspapers. Collage works are also another way to bring drawing into their assignments.
  8. Map Art: This is a serious yet adventurous exercise for studying social studies with hands on experience. The map art is an interesting way for letting students to combine art and history for a deeper level understanding of the lesson. Rather than hanging maps in classrooms which have printed materials, letting kids to do the job makes them very close to the subject. This kind of arts in classrooms makes their learning process ignited and they would crave for more chances for creativity.
  9. Documentaries: Mimicking documentaries is another way of bringing arts into classrooms. This activity includes making a small documentary of the subject taught in groups or as single. This gives them a chance to teach the subject to the rest of the student audience in their own way. When you give students the freedom over their learning, they would be pleased than ever before.
  10. Math Journals: Studying mathematics with art would improve student’s love for the subject. Teachers use it to give students a math adventure and the difficulty levels can be varied with class. Bridges method is another way to learn maths that comes with basic word problems. To reach a conclusion, students will have to write or draw out the problem. For higher level classes, Cinderella software can be really helpful that includes virtual laboratories and geometry.

Schools that have tried experimenting arts with curriculum are seeing improvement in the way students have received the learning. It was evident from the voice of expression and creative confidence of the students. In fact, schools should not consider arts as something extra out of the classroom but as an integral element that should be treated with equal importance along with academics. Learning through creativity and hands on experience are a good assistance for students to gain a deeper level of understanding of the lessons. Let it be theatre, music, visual art forms or dance, including such elements in the learning sessions can really work wonders in their learning experience.

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Students in schools and colleges are susceptible to a host of health complications, some of which are communicable while others are contacted due to a bad lifestyle.

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Here we shed light on the 10 most common health complaints faced by students.

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Speaking of the symptoms and treatment to certain common diseases that students contact, these details can become a reference guide to common health problems faced by them on the campus. Once you are informed about the conditions of a particular complication, you as an educator will be able to lessen its severity in the beginning itself.

The Most Common Health Problems Faced by Students

  1. The Common Cold

Common cold is one of main health issue that students face. Every person might have suffered from common cold at some or the other point in their lives.

Symptoms of a common cold are:

  • Repeated sneezing coupled with cough
  • A sore and irritable throat
  • A blocked nose

Students contact a common cold through touch or through inhaling. When you as a healthy student either touch the eyes or nose of the infected student or inhale the germs that spread while the diseased student sneezes, you can catch this common cold. Thus, it is the best to stay away from students with a running nose and wash hands repeatedly to avoid any sort of contact with the germs carrying the disease. This is a minor ailment that can get better within a few days.

  1. Food Poisoning

Diarrhea and vomiting accompanied by fever with chills are the symptoms that can disrupt the health of students who have either consumed uncovered or non-refrigerated food.

Students who have consumed contaminated food will be at a high risk to develop these symptoms which will also lead to a general body weakness coupled with unbearable headaches. Infected students also suffer from severe abdominal cramps.

Dehydration is another striking symptom that needs to be controlled during food poisoning. It is important to administer clear fluids to all such students bearing the brunt of consuming contaminated food. While it is best to avoid solid foods, you should also keep away from dairy products which can aggravate your diseased condition.

  1. Influenza (Flu)

Caused by influenza viruses that affect the respiratory tract of the patient, Influenza commonly called as Flu is a mild to severe illness that can affect the physical health of students. Predominantly high during the flu season between October and May, students who contact flu have symptoms like:

  • High temperature with a headache
  • Running or blocked nose
  • Dry cough with a sore throat
  • Full body fatigue caused due to muscular aches
  • Stomach complaints like diarrhea, vomiting or nausea

Infected students can transmit flu to healthy students when they either cough or sneeze. It is during such times that the infected air comes in contact with healthy students and infects them as well. Tagged as highly contagious conditions, students with flu should stay away from school for a minimum of one week or until all the above-mentioned symptoms subside completely.

Prevention is better than cure. In line with this maxim, students can prevent or limit the spread of flu through flu vaccinations.

  1. Sprains

Students may face injuries in their ligaments while playing games. A sprain also called as the torn ligament damages one or more ligaments that make up a joint. Students who sprain their legs, ankles, knees or wrists will experience severe pain accompanied by an inflammation. Unable to move the injured joint, a sprain can be very painful for students. While some of them are not-so alarming sprains, there are sprains which might call for a surgery to fix them.

  1. Bleeding Nose

Nosebleeds are common health issues faced by students who have dry nasal membranes. This condition is common with students who pick their noses frequently. Picking the nose ruptures the blood vessels inside, causing your nose to bleed. Students who are on anti-allergic or decongestion medication can also experience nosebleeds along with those who are susceptible to frequent colds and sinus issues. Frequent blowing of nose is another cause of nosebleeds. The best way to prevent a nosebleed is to ensure proper lubrication of the nasal passages along with consciously avoiding picking the nose.

  1. Meningitis

Another in-campus health issue faced by students is the spread of meningitis; a disease called by bacteria or virus which infects the lining of the brain. Upon contact with this disease, the brain of the patient begins to swell leading to a dangerous condition which can lead to death in severe cases. Given the fatality of this disease, it pays for the school administration to keep a watch on the following symptoms so as to take prompt and corrective action.

  • High fever accompanied by chills
  • An unbearable headache accompanied by pain in the neck or a stiff neck
  • A sore throat
  • Vomiting and/or nausea
  • Constant feeling of drowsiness along with sensitivity to light or sound
  • Rashes

Under severe conditions, the infected student can also experience seizures. Students who exhibit 3 or more of the above symptoms should immediately get medical help.

  1. Strep Throat

One of the most common bacteria that thrive on the skin of students is strep. Strep throat is a bacterial infection that disturbs the throat and tonsils of infected students. Tagged as a contagious disease that spreads through air when the infected student coughs, sneezes or breathes. Following are the symptoms of strep throat:

  • A sever and all-of-a-sudden sore throat
  • High temperature above 101°F
  • Pain during swallowing
  • Inflamed tonsils and lymph nodes
  • Yellow or white spots visible on the back side of a red and inflamed throat

 

  1. Measles

Despite having a vaccination for measles, students on campuses contact this health complication. Here is the list of symptoms that you should watch out for in a patient.

  • A general feeling of sickness
  • Face and body covered with patchy red rashes
  • Red eyes
  • Intolerance or sensitivity to light

Calling the doctor is the first thing you should do to help the infected student. Administering fluids is another means to counter the symptoms of measles while taking tablets if general body aches persist.

  1. Chicken Pox

While some students would have contacted Chicken Pox during their childhood, this condition affects others who have missed it during their early years. The symptoms of this health issue are:

  • Rashes which emerge as spots of 3 mm in the initial stages grow into irritable blisters, all over the body
  • Blisters can also show up on the scalp
  • High temperature
  • This condition affects the palate causing a discomfort to the patient while he is swallowing

Treatment includes the application of Calamine lotion to soothe the burning sensation and itching caused by blisters. Tablets can be given to the infected student to ease him of fever and body pains.

  1. Mononucleosis (Mono)

Epstein Bar is the common human virus that causes Mononucleosis, also called as Mono. Students infected with this virus experience fever accompanied by a sore throat. Along with fatigue, the physiological condition of inflamed lymph glands, spleen or liver can help you detect the viral complication. It is best to keep the infected students away from playing contact games as this virus is spread through saliva. Mono is a condition that lives in the bodies of the infected patients for life, rarely causing any other health issues.

Conclusion

All the above descriptions of health complications will help the management of schools and other educational institutions to not only understand the severity of the complication but also administer first aid.

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Allowing educators to perform frequent health assessments of their wards, the symptoms of diseases that were highlighted above will serve as a reference guide to detect the complaint so that timely action can be taken.

Going by the maxim that it is better to be safe than to be sorry, the management of educational institutions can ensure the well-being of their wards by being watchful of the symptoms of health complications discussed above.

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When in school, you would have thoroughly enjoyed a lecture delivered by a particular teacher. Then, you would start looking forward to the class he/she takes. In contrast, you would have also experienced a monotonous teaching pattern followed by another faculty.

What makes this difference?

It could be the teacher’s attitude, energy levels, and the teaching/learning style.

The learning style in particular can prove to be very important, as it allows kids to nurture a strong liking towards the subject taught.

Here, we try to shed light on different learning styles that help students to learn better. With these learning styles in place, they will begin to love what is being taught.

The Three Basic Learning Styles

With kids having different needs towards learning, educational experts have classified learning styles into three different heads. They are:

  1. Visual (Spatial) 2. Auditory (Verbal) and 3. Kinesthetic (Physical)

Let us now delve deep into the above 3 important types of learning styles.

  1. Visual (Spatial)

First in the list of learning styles for kids is the use of images and pictures that will provide them with a clear understanding of the area, size and position of different objects. Visual learning helps kids assimilate knowledge through observation. Tagged as the most powerful learning style, visual learners are kids who have a creative perception of their surroundings. When they observe an object closely, they will be able to absorb the minutest details concerning the object. In addition to this eye for detail, visual learners demonstrate the following traits:

  • They prefer to see and learn
  • Visual learners remember and repeat visual details with utmost accuracy
  • They are the kids who would need a pen and paper as learning aids to draw maps, diagrams and charts
  • If you notice that your kid is inclined towards penning down instructions, then you can adopt the visual learning style
  • A kid who is not much interested in listening can become a potent visual learner
  • If demonstrations about a particular topic thrill your kid, you have a visual learner who will weave stories about what he noticed through his creative pair of eyes

Visual learners cannot be taught through verbal instructions. It is only when they begin to see what they are expected to learn that they will actually pick up the details of the subject.

  1. Auditory (Verbal)

True to its name, kids who love the auditory pattern of learning will be drawn towards listening attentively to what others are saying. Such kids will learn linguistics through the use of words; which can be through speaking or writing. Kids who adopt the auditory (verbal) learning style will show following characteristics:

  • They will remember and recapitulate information when they recite their lessons aloud
  • Kids who are attuned to a linguistic pattern of learning will learn better when they are explained orally
  • Certain kids who struggle with written instructions can learn by listening
  • You may also find auditory learners who talk to themselves when they are introduced to a new topic
  • If your kid loves to learn through group discussions, it should ring a bell that he/she is a student made for the auditory learning style

A striking parameter that can help you identify auditory learners is through their sharp listening skills. On the face of it, such kids might seem to be least interested in what you are saying. But in reality, they will be actually putting their listening abilities to test to grasp all that they can, when you are talking to them. Kids who can learn better by paying attention to what you are saying thus have strong listening skills when compared to visual skills.

  1. Kinesthetic (Physical)

Also known as Tactile Learning, Kinesthetic Learning is a learning style that teaches kids through physical activities. Kids who make use of their arms and legs coupled with a keen sense of touch will develop an interest towards a particular subject. Typically treading the path of hands-on learning, it is an easy task to pick a kinesthetic leaner. He/she will be more agile with bodily movements rather than choosing to be a silent audience to a demonstration or a lecture. You as a parent or teacher can identify a kinesthetic learner if he/she mirrors the following characteristics:

  • Kinesthetic learners make utmost use of their hands to learn. That means, they “interact” majorly through hand movements
  • They have a strong inkling towards partaking in an activity that will help them master the topic
  • They learn by touching and feeling objects of study
  • Such kids are often found moving around from one place to another; talking or listening

Kids who have a mental make-up towards kinesthetic learning can sometimes be falsely classified under the category of kids with ADHD symptoms. Their inability to learn through visual or auditory means is the reason behind this erroneous classification.

There are umpteen ways to learn.

But are there only three learning styles?

No!

While the above mentioned styles come under the category of basic learning styles, there are other learning styles that can simplify the lives of students in more ways than one. All these styles which apply logic to learning can help your kid better respond to his teaching curriculum.

Let us now look into these imaginative learning styles with a brief explanation.

  1. The Fourth Style – A Collection of Creative Learning Styles

Under this head, you will be able to recognize unique styles of learning. They are:

  1. Aural(Auditory and Musical) – This is a combination of the auditory learning pattern with music. Kids who prefer to learn through music and sounds will follow a particular pattern of learning. They will listen, discuss topics with others, explain their novel ideas to others and pose questions. They use a tape recorder which will help them remember interesting jokes, stories and examples that were a part of the learning session. Recalling a pleasurable instance of a joke that was shared in the class during a lecture will help aural learners tag this instance to the topic of study.
  2. Logical (Mathematical): You will agree with the fact that Mathematics is a subject based on logic. Kids who are gifted with an innate ability to apply logic to every problem will be able to solve mathematical puzzles and games. Applying reasoning to every mathematical step, they will arrive at the solution; the easy way.

If your kid demonstrates an early aptitude towards solving mathematical problems, you can encourage him to check out a host of fun-filled mathematical puzzles and games that are a dime a dozen on the internet. With these online learning tools, you as a proactive guardian can develop the logical thinking in them at a very tender age.

  1. Social (Interpersonal): All those kids who love to make learning interesting by engaging in group activities or by interacting with other people can check out the interpersonal style of learning. Such kids demonstrate a strong grasp over linguistic and communication skills. They have a prominent social style that can either manifest in verbal or non-verbal forms. Their love for social interactions comes to the fore when they demonstrate a keen interest to participate in group learning projects.

If you notice your kid partaking in school activities like debates, drama and speeches, then you have a social learner who will garner the limelight in social gatherings as well.

  1. Solitary (Intrapersonal): As a sharp contrast to the social learning style, you have a group of kids who love to indulge in self-study. They go by the principle that self-help is indeed the best help they can get to expand their knowledge base. Solitary learners, true to their name prefer to work alone, giving utmost importance to their privacy during learning. They have a strong individuality along with a keen sense of independence. They go by their own thinking and spend a lot of time on self-analysis.

Intrapersonal learners are happy being away from the crowd and rely on their innate intelligence to learn new things. Internalizing their thinking patterns, solitary learners come under the category of top performers who have learned about different topics their own way.

Closing Thoughts

All in an attempt to maximize the learning potential of kids, the above learning styles will not only help guardians match the needs of their wards to a befitting style but also helps understand them better. It is only when you as guardians pay heed to your kids’ wants and interests that you will be able to handhold them to make the most of different learning styles. Observation plays an important role in this regard.

Guardians, through observation will be able to provide a host of learning opportunities to kids to hone their primary and innate skills. In this way, they can become instruments of effective learning by introducing their wards to a combination of learning styles. This effort bears fruit by prompting kids to tread the path of a scientific method of learning that becomes an asset for life.

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Bringing the concept of the age-old radio programs back into the 21st-century, podcasts have lots to cheer for. All thanks to the use of technology in churning out audio presentations of any topic under the sun, a podcast which comes in the form of episodes is a simple and easy-to-use educational tool. Alongside offering invaluable information to listeners, podcasts have gone ahead and become instructional tools in classrooms as well.

If you are curious to know how podcasts can be a good learning tool, here they come.

  1. The Emerging Popularity of Podcasts Helps Learners and Teachers

The innovative use of technology makes podcasts an indispensable tool for education. Tagged as the latest medium of learning, podcasts have,in the recent past become popular tools promising an impactful push to both students and teachers. Simplifying the job of the teaching staff, podcasts come as a stress-free option to engage students with quality audio content. Students can learn about topics while on the go once they subscribe to a podcast feed. Another primal benefit of podcasts is that these audio presentations can be used for students of different ages; right from schools all the way to universities.

  1. Portability and Convenience of Learning

Podcasts can be downloaded in your mobiles and can become your tutors in class. Portability and convenience are the two striking advantages of podcasts as with this students can enjoy flexibility in learning. You also have a round-the-clock access to information that is at your fingertips. Given a situation when your faculty is on leave, you can simply bank on this teaching resource and make the most of your free-hour to educate yourself about any topic of interest.

  1. Auditory Learning – An Impactful Educational Tool Compared to Watching or Reading

While listening to podcasts is one way of learning, recording podcasts also helps students in more ways than one. Students can record podcasts of topic synopses and submit as a group assignment while interviewing their peers about what they understood about a particular topic. Collating all the audio-based information and editing the same will lead to the emergence of a comprehensive educational podcast. Not allowing students to get distracted, podcasts come in as blessings to auditory learners who will start assimilating information by listening attentively.

  1. Lots of “Behind the Scenes” Activities

A podcast brings out the best in students by mirroring a number of their skills. Along with researching skills, students who record a podcast will also learn how to test it. Once the content is tested, it should be edited before it is finally recorded and ready to be published or promoted. Students who stir up podcasts will be taught the tone of storytelling when they begin to follow a flow of narration. You as a student will be prompted to record a podcast with a strict pattern of an introduction, followed by the explanation, eventually leading to a conclusion. While you are recording a podcast, you are simultaneously honing your communication skills, without the anxiety caused by stage fright. Upon recording multiple podcasts, you can slowly and steadily master the art of public speaking and engage your audience through quality audio content.

  1. Subject No Bar

If you are of the opinion that podcasts have to be made only in English or any other medium of instruction, think twice. You can churn out a Math podcast by reciting equations loud and clear, so that you can help your students who got struck over a tricky problem. You can share your podcast amongst your friends who are finding it hard to understand scientific concepts and theories. Given the numerous ways in which podcasts help master subjects, teachers also encourage their wards to listen to popular podcasts under various disciplines.

  1. Student Created Content – The Star Attraction of Podcasts

It is all about having a free hand while learning. Podcasts come in as valuable and interesting learning tools for students through the concept of “Student Created Content”. Allowing you to create your own podcast, you have the luxury of posing questions along with the inclusion of discussions that will help you complete your academic projects and presentations.All in all, podcasts come in as informal educational tools that favor the idea of collective learning.

  1. Record Your Lectures and Learn At Your Own Pace

Undoubtedly, technology presents innumerable options to all those who wish to think outside the box. Prompting you to record your classroom lectures, a podcast can serve as an “anytime”, “go to” educational material. Tagged as helpful study aids, podcasts help students to prepare better for their exams alongside hand-holding them to grasp a difficult concept that was lectured in the classroom. You simply listen to the recorded podcast, pause when needed and go on to the next topic; at your own pace. Podcasts coming with the options to pause, rewind and replay will come as a blessing to students with learning disabilities.

  1. A Boon to Students with Mental and Visual Disorders

“Learning through listening” can be the tagline of podcasting. Podcasts can be the best means of education especially for students battling visual and mental disorders. Such kids who are not comfortable with reading can opt for podcasts. Students fighting mental conditions like Dyslexia and ADHD can make the most of modern podcasts as a potent option to do away with the traditional methods of learning.

  1. A Perfect Option for Absenteeism

There can be a bad day in the life of a student who is unable to attend his/her college or school. In such a case, you can make up for your missed classes by downloading the recordings of the lectures. In this manner, you will be able to plug the gaps that have emerged on account of your non-attendance to school for a day or two. Teachers can record their lectures and hand over the recorded material for the absentees to catch up with the rest of the class.

  1. Guarantees A Uniform Learning Experience Across Sections

Given the fact that a teacher delivers lectures of the same topic to different classes, podcasts come in as teacher-friendly tools. Allowing the teacher to ensure that every student lays hands on the same explanation that was given by him/her in a particular class, podcasts help deliver “lecture consistency”. Students of different sections who listen to the lectures recorded by their teacher will be on par with each other with the same information being given out.

Wrapping It Up

All in an attempt to help you make the most of your learning experiences, you as a knowledge-seeker are at an advantage to master various subjects through listening. And if you are a teacher ordained to shape the lives of your students, you can bank on podcasts as the best tools that can help them learn effectively, without missing out a thing. To sum it all, podcasts come in as invaluable modern educational tools that can help the teacher and student fraternity in a number of creative ways.

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Learning with fun is one of the most effective teaching strategies that are being adopted in most of the smart schools in the country. The right mix of games and curriculum are proved to be really effective in improving the learning skills of students. The game based learning enhances their interest for studies with an improved memory and attention.

Smart schools are including the proper mix of these games to help them learn better. Here let us have a look at how different games are fun and at the same time improve learning:

  1. Memory games: Memorizing what they have learnt in class is important to apply it in real life and to excel in exams. Game based learning can be always fun and certain games can boost up their memory skills. Activity based learning always helps them to grasp the subject better than just one way lecture sessions. Some popular educational memory games such as bingo are good to teach mathematical expressions. Games such as Jeopardy are good to revise lessons at end of class or before exams. The play way method in fact increases their interest for learning as kids always crave for more games.
  2. Computer games: Today’s world is dominated by technology and so it is important to make your kids well versed in adopting at least some of them from their early days. Computer games are one of the best ways to help your kid to learn more about technology and use of devices. With this strategy, even kids now know the working of computer and they can easily gain technical efficiency while they grow up. With cartoon network games, children would easily follow up the eye hand coordination and proper usage of keyboard and mouse. The exciting games in the internet also help them to enhance their general internet navigation.
  3. Puzzles: Teachers now bring puzzles to classrooms to take away the boredom of one way teaching. Puzzles help them to improve their thinking and problem solving skills. Most of the games demand utilizing their logic and assessing the problem from different levels. Students will have to think out of the box to solve many puzzles. Understanding its importance in today’s education, teachers are using games as a tool for teaching. Even kids can learn spelling through spelling puzzles such as Hangman and formation of new words through a game known as chain spelling. Teachers have to wisely choose the type of puzzles for different levels of classroom to make the strategy more effective.
  4. Vocabulary games: Improving a student’s vocabulary is really important to enhance their communication skills. Reading comprehension is a widely used strategy in which students would read aloud the lessons and teacher would correct their mistakes. However, some vocabulary games such as sentence race is really fruitful in improving their vocabulary in a much better way. This is actually a vocabulary review game for high school students in which they are asked to frame a sentence and write on the board that includes a given word. Some funny mime games are also now a popular choice to revise particular words or verbs. Engaging scenarios that include real life situations can improve the essence of gaming.
  5. Adventure games: There are various digital and non digital forms of adventure games that are brought as part of learning sessions. This is one of the best ways to learn a new language in your school days. Exploring different levels of a game by clearly going through the guidelines itself give a chance to understand the language better. Adventure games are also good to develop a mindset to explore new things while you are a kid. This quality can really help a student to try and learn new things in life without a second thought. Gaming in classrooms promotes interactive learning and sometimes it can even give way for peer supported learning experience.
  6. Skill acquisition games: Smart schools are including skill acquisition games into daily learning which helps kids to develop their social, cognitive and physical skills. The skills and knowledge one will get through activity learning can be retained for a comparatively longer period than what they gain through conventional learning methods. The video games such as car races are not only entertaining but teach them to control speed, move accurately or type quickly. Some games even trains them to have fine motor skills and spatial skills. This can be an added advantage once they move out of the school life. Some skills can really impact the way they face real life situations.
  7. Creativity games: Bringing creativity in classrooms can make the learning phase more productive. Creative games are made a part of the lessons that help them to think creative and imaginative to find out solutions. Interesting games such as blind artist is popular in the list in which a kid has to draw a picture using his creativity and imagination by listening to his/her friend. More than entertainment, educational games are aimed at teaching the player about something new. Teachers are using such games to introduce new topics or discuss hard to understand subject areas. Nowadays, teachers are also promoting student made games that takes their creativity to new quality levels.
  8. Competitive gaming: Competitive games are often challenging and students are forced to think out of the box to give their best. In a game based learning environment, students are utilizing the freedom of choosing their learning method. By pushing themselves harder and asking more questions, they are taking up an active role to learn on their own whenever they can. In multi player games such as competing with students from other schools, they can develop their non-cognitive skills too such as self control, motivation, perseverance and patience. This type of learning also promote mental stimulation, decision making and reasoning which they can apply better in real life.
  9. Team work activities: Smart schools are also focussing on including games that promote team work activities. When you play as a team, it is not only fun but students can experience collective learning and collaboration. It is also an open platform for developing social skills while getting a chance to interact with your peers. He may also asses about his position among the peers and work towards achieving the goals. Students can break the cultural and language back grounds while working together towards achieving the goals. Game based learning is always a part of constructivist learning theory that backs students to perform better next time.
  10. Outdoor sports: Being physically active by engaging in one or more sports can boost their energy level. More than simple fun, the characteristics associated with gaming such as definitive objectives, rules, challenge and measurable goals helps them to easily relate learning with practical life. The results of their decision making during game are understood almost instantly as compared to waiting for weeks or months for class test results. In fact, this is an open platform for them to try out their decision making skills without any fear. Higher retention rates are one of the key highlights in comparison with book learning.
  11. Gamification at home: The classroom learning experience can be integrated with learning at home through gamification. Parents can take the role of bringing in some game based activities at home to revise what they have learnt in class. Kids are nowadays spending quality time in playing video games during their free time at home. In the present era, a student should be qualified in digital literacy which includes accountability and ethics in addition to strong communication skills. Playing by utilizing the possibilities of today’s technology can really help them to gain sufficient knowledge in digital learning.

These school games are gradually becoming part of the learning curriculum. Most of these games are in one way or the other effective in raising the learning spirits of students. Gamification alleviates the stress of a typical classroom and the concepts can be retained better through positive learning memories.

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Smart schools are trying out different teaching strategies to give a better learning experience for students.

Despite the quality of the teaching you give, keeping them engaged throughout a classroom session is always challenging.

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The attention span of kids is very low than you can expect and so it is important to put in some serious effort to grab their attention.

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The classroom sessions can be made interactive and interesting with a mix of learning and some gamification.

Here are a few tips that might help you to keep the students engaged in your classroom that helps you have a quality teaching time:

1. Warm up sessions:

A good start can impact the way students grasp the lessons. It would be good to start it off with a warm up session.

One of the commonly followed activities is writing some points related to what was taught in the previous class on the board. Students can actively find out the mistakes in it in a collaborative way.

2. Light movements

In order to improve their focus and attention, make them involve in light movements either in the beginning or in the middle of the lesson if you find them sleepy.

The activities can be varied according to the class you are handling. It can be hand-clapping, rhythmic finger snapping, cross crawls or light march.

3. Quick writes

When you finish a particular topic, you can ask them to give a quick write of what you taught them.

It can include important points covered in the topic and their judgement or conclusion regarding some tricky areas. This is a good way to keep students engaged with the lessons. This makes them focus more during the next classes.

4. Encourage to and fro questions

 Teachers should develop a habit of asking questions in between their lessons. And also give students an open platform to raise some questions or doubts regarding what was taught.

This makes the classroom sessions more interactive. This also helps them to understand the lessons better. By framing questions and receiving answers, students can get a deeper view of the subject.

5. Mix teaching styles

Following the same teaching style in every class creates boredom among students and they slowly start losing the interest. So it is better to mix the teaching styles often and students would have a better learning experience.

Approach different subjects in a different way and consider the interests of the students too.

6. Gamification

This is one of the best ways to teach kids as they would always love to have ‘learn with fun’ experience. Games such as education bingo and bleep can be included to enhance their memory.

Their vocabulary can be improved with vocabulary games such as ‘sentence race’. Teachers can also bring in creativity games, team work activities and competition games to raise their spirit for learning.

7. Group works

Group learning is equally important as self learning as students can be trained to think in groups and improve their group decision making.

Group assignments can be given once in a while when they can share their ideas and work out a project. They can bring out their exclusive ideas while accepting or considering others’ ideas too. This is another way to keep students engaged in the classroom.

8. Video sessions

Video sessions are a good option to grab student’s attention and focus. The visual elements are processed faster by brain and this can make remarkable impact on their understanding of the topic.

Variety can be made in this strategy too by including video presentations with beautiful slides or giving them video tutorials. Considering its importance, smart board options are gaining more importance in today’s classrooms.

9. Connect with real life:

Students would find it interesting if teachers can connect the subject that is being taught to incidents in real life. This also helps them to relate the subject better and gain a better understanding.

10. Activity learning

Making the students to sit stagnantly throughout the classroom sessions can be really boring for them.

Teachers can utilize the classroom space and engage them in some activity learning to regain their interest. Jumping the line, mime or sports gallery can be tried once in a while to make students active and engaging.

This is the best way to make the afternoon learning sessions more productive.

11. Quizzes and polls

Once a topic is covered, quizzes can be conducted by dividing class into groups.

This activity is not only engaging but also one of the spontaneous ways to assess their understanding.

Polls can also be conducted to get their feedback on the lessons, which is another option to pass the dead time.

12. Education apps

Bringing in some technology to the classroom can take away the boredom and make the students engaging.

With the wide use of mobiles, education apps are now becoming an inevitable tool in today’s classroom. With puzzle, you can engage them with video sessions and Motion Math app lets you teach difficult mathematical problems through games.

13 Story telling

 An interesting way to introduce a new subject is to start it with a story. Some teachers also bring stories in the middle of lessons helping students to relate some facts in a better way.

Kids would always love to hear stories and they crave for more. This is another way to engage them when handling tough subjects.

14. Autonomy Support

Including students in the learning process is really important to gain their interest for the subject.

Students should be given a platform to express their ideas or opinions during the activity.

They should be given ample time to understand a particular subject and don’t rush to the next lesson.

15. Flipped classroom

This is a credible learning technique which is being adopted in many smart classrooms.

Students are asked to prepare the lessons in advance by referring some video tutorials.

So when teacher discusses the lesson in the class, students would find the subject more engaging and interesting.

16. Teacher-student relations

Maintaining good relation with students is important for a teacher to make the classes more positive.

Students will have that freedom to express themselves whenever needed which gives them a sense of peace and happiness. Keeping up a pleasant classroom environment can impact the way they grasp the lessons.

17. Take small breaks

 Instead of having an hour long teaching sessions, take some small breaks in between to refresh the minds of students. You can talk or share something out of the syllabus and have a chit chat time with the students.

18. Response cards

Students can be given response cards with options such as agree and disagree, multiple choices, yes/no or even emoticons.

During the class period, teacher can ask questions and students have to give response with these cards. This activity can make the classes interactive and engaging which kills the boredom of one way lectures.

19. Dictation

For elementary classes, simple activities such as dictation can do the trick to pass the dead time.

Once you cover a class, just give a simple dictation test to stimulate their memory and to make them comfortable with words and spelling.

It can be a mix of listen, repeat, read and write experience for kids.

20. A to Z class summary

You may conclude a learning session with this activity to help them memorize or revise what they have learnt in the class.

Students can write a summary of the class in sentences starting with all alphabets from A to Z. This activity can be done in groups or as singles. Teacher can evaluate to give a feedback and correct them if their understanding went wrong somewhere.

These are some of the commonly used ideas in smart classrooms to have a quality learning session.

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Teachers can wisely apply the teaching tips according to the age or the level of classroom that is being handled. Know their boundaries when deciding on a new teaching strategy.

It is important to maintain eye contact with the students and always give a space for them to come up with suggestions. Similarly praising and rewarding their works can really motivate them.

Using contemporary materials whenever possible and differentiation can actually work wonders in enhancing the student’s liking and interest for learning.

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Given the penetration of technology into every human sphere, the 21st-century teacher has more challenges to face than be at the receiving end of benefits. Notwithstanding the fact that online learning or e-learning is the latest educational trend, this pattern of learning has its own flaws.

Educators who have the responsibility of teaching students in the best possible manner will have to face the below-mentioned problems. To make this explanation a bit more comprehensive, you can lay hands on the modern approaches to teaching in contrast to the age-old classroom coaching practices that were in vogue from times immemorial.

  1. Need to Personalize

Every student is unique with a certain level of intelligence. His needs are so diverse from the rest of his class.Teacher app ad banner

The Bygone Days: In this context, the primitive pattern was to assess and evaluate the performance of students. Teachers used to spend a great deal of time reporting the performance of the class to their guardians. After reporting, the faculties used to make certain adjustments to ensure that students learn better.

The Present Scenario: As a striking contrast, the modern day teachers operate differently. They tread the path of practicality by collecting data points from each and every student; individually. They sit down to identify, prioritize and evaluate the data of every student in real time.

Teachers of the 21st century face the need to bring in an element of precision to data collation. They should not only come up with the type of data that is significant to every student but also identify a path to obtain this data at regular intervals. Relevant data is the only instrument that will help the teachers of today to personalize their teaching patterns and monitor the progress of their classes.

  1. Use of Relevant Metrics

The Bygone Days: Earlier, students used to appear for a written or an oral test and wait for their result. Grades in the form of alphabets or scores in the form of numbers came as barometers to evaluate their learning and recapitulation abilities.

The Present Scenario: Teachers of the modern age are ordained to design data sources and concepts that appeal to the visual senses of students. They are supposed to come up with a seamless pattern of revising curriculum alongside adopting relevant metrics that will assess the over-all performance of students. An additional challenge comes in the form of connecting better with students through “cognitive instructions”. Once this pattern of teaching is in place, modern teachers will steer clear by uncovering important trends, patterns and possibilities for betterment.

  1. Methods to Manage A Classroom Better

The Bygone Days: Bad behavior of students was always a concern to teachers. Classroom disobedience coupled with violent outbursts are not new to teachers. A barking student or a physically abusive one was always a threat to the entire class. As a teacher, the primitive ways to deal with such disturbing situation was to nip off fighting and bullying through a pre-defined set of rules and “classroom expectations”. Non-compliance would mean punishment.

The Present Scenario: Teachers of today are supposed to employ well-informed means and strategies to tame down the unruly behavior of students. They are supposed to spend time in analyzing and coordinating with students through classroom interactions. When teachers spend quality time with students through project-based learning patterns, they will be able to mobilize them and help them better interact with their peers. This challenge of soothing the nerves of a rebellious student will create a quiet learning environment for every student in class.

  1. Incorporate Novel Teaching Patterns

The Bygone Days: Students in the past learnt by rote. They weren’t lucky enough to learn the way they pleased. All that learning took place amidst the four walls of a classroom, without any connection with the external environment.

The Present Scenario: In modern times, teachers are supposed to be the catalysts to learning. They are expected to explain students on how to find a solution for the particular problem. Modern teachers are supposed to promote the concept of self-reflection, allowing students to come up with their own solutions to their varying needs. The 21st-century teachers should go the entire nine yards to evoke the curiosity of their students and this is possible only when they attach innovative learning techniques like digital classroom learning and flipped classroom sessions. This can be taxing to teachers who should get attuned to technological developments that are marking the field of education.

  1. Accountable to Parents, Students and School Administrators

The Bygone Days: Earlier, educators were ordained to teach students about different subjects. They abstained themselves from interacting with the parents of students on a personal level. Primitive teachers simply did their job of completing lessons without sparing a thought about involving their parents in their progress. This created a major divide between students and parents who were on different platforms. Parents were groping in the dark about what their kid learned from school and their role in nurturing the hidden talents in their wards. Kids weren’t informed of the expectations their parents had on them.

The Present Scenario: All thanks to technology. It is now a matter of a tap on the mobile screen for a message of a teacher to reach the online community of parents. Teachers are also expected to mail parents about the strengths and weaknesses of their wards. In addition to establishing a constant connection with the parents of wards, teachers should engage with students after school hours. Initiating informal discussions between students can pave the way for a congenial learning environment that can help both parents and students.

The 21st century teachers through an open channel of communication are expected to help students with a sense of warmth and care, despite battling their own stress-related issues. This stress is majorly caused on account of high expectations coming from all sides; the parents, students and the school administration authorities to deliver high GPAs.

  1. Planning For Lessons And Class Materials

The Bygone Days: In the past, teachers were focused on completing the classwork along with attempts made to create a process of submitting assignments as homework.

The Present Scenario: Modern teachers have to juggle with multiple tools to provide a personalized teaching pattern to students. They need to delve deep into the interests of every student and come up with lesson plans and teaching guides that are in sync with their diverse needs and demands. Incorporating novel teaching strategies like flipped classrooms, teachers of the 21st-century should stay in good stead with technology as a promising tool for teaching.

  1. Time Constraints

The Bygone Days: In the past, teachers used to tread the path of “chalk and talk”. They used to spend close to 7 hours in classrooms and later participate in meetings to plan and grade students. Thus, the working day of a teacher does not come to a close by 3 pm. This running behind time leaves them with no scope to indulge in self-learning.

The Present Scenario: Time constraints are still a major challenge to modern teachers as well. Some lessons are long while some are short. How can we expect a teacher to deliver a concise lecture on a topic that is so vast, within a 60-minute timeframe? Modern- day teachers have to juggle with creating their class materials alongside planning in-house activities that the school has in place.

Conclusion

All in an attempt to get recognized as an efficient teacher not only from students but also from the teaching fraternity, it pays for teachers to be mindful of the above challenges. Once teachers are informed of the difficulties they will have to face, they will be better prepared to tackle them so as to not only organize their daily teaching routine but also help students learn better.

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In this digital era, education is not just lecture and blackboard sessions within the four walls of a classroom. The influence of handy gadgets, education apps as well as smart school software are taking education to a new level. The role of teachers changes from just one side dictators to more of a guidance and support giver when students utilize the pros of digital era to learn on their own.

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Moreover, schools are taking good initiatives to utilize the advancements in technologies to give their students the best benefits of smart classrooms. With the use of projectors and friendly apps, they are giving an opportunity for students to watch movies in classrooms that better depict some areas of study that are difficult to understand with just text book assignments. The watch list also includes some really inspiring movies that can change the way students see the world and helping them to live as better individuals.

For schools which are looking forward to set up a movie show for their students, here is a short list of the best movies that help to educate and inspire students.

1. Freedom Writers: This inspirational movie depicts the story of a young teacher who took effort to encourage her students to receive higher education despite their challenging early school days. Freedom Writers teaches you to always have your ultimate end goal in your mind and work towards achieving it. Students who watch this movie are sure to live their dreams with tolerance and hard work.

2. The Paper Chase: Are you finding it difficult to keep the motivation to meet your dreams alive? The Paper Chase which was directed by James Bridges in the year 1973 can be really inspiring for you to achieve your heights despite all struggles and hurdles. This movie is based on the story of James T. Hart who overcame all his challenges during the first year life in Harvard and came out successful.

3. The Pursuit of Happyness: It is the real-life tale of a person who was just a salesman at first who used to sleep on the subway and later used his will power and hard work to overcome the obstacles and turned out a wealthy man. The Pursuit of Happyness gives the message that one should not give up on his dreams despite whatever hurdles come on the way. His hard work and perseverance and his keenness of not missing any opportunity that came his way at last paid him in the end.

4. Precious: This American drama film made in 2009 was based on a book that depicted the story of a young girl who was harassed mentally, physically and sexually in her early days. Precious discusses how a high school teacher inspired her and how she manages to fight back and improve her life as well as her children’s life. This movie is really inspirational for students to fight their life and reach successful heights.

5. Life of Pi: The American drama made in the year 2012 was a visual master piece with a brilliant execution which is really inspiring for students. This amazing movie came under the direction of Ang Lee and tells the story of a young boy who survived a shipwreck at the age of 16 when his family expired. Life of Pi in fact gives not just a single message but many rethinking ideas for students such as to learn how to let it go, importance of having faith in yourself and the universal need of survival.

6. Dead Poets Society: This movie directed by Peter Weir is based on the story of an educator who motivates his students to confront the norm with his poetry teaching. Dead Poets Society was released in the year 1989 and Robin Williams played the role of teacher who inspired students with his unorthodox teaching methods. This is one of the best American dramas you must show your students to help them improve their learning life and find their individuality.

7. It’s a Wonderful Life: This is an American drama released in the year 1946 directed by Frank Capra. It’s a Wonderful Life gives really good lessons for students such as learning to see how blessed you are when compared to those around you and accepting and being happy with what you have. Students can also get a good message on how to understand the actual purpose of your life.

8. Good Will Hunting: It is a 1997 movie that depicts the story of a mathematical prodigy named Will Hunting who was an underachiever at first who didn’t give importance to studies. And later he was inspired by the determination and hard work of a therapist who fight life despite his limitations. He then found out his hidden talents and utilized his potential to solve difficult mathematics problems. Good Will Hunting can help students to take an effort to do what they really can rather than stepping behind.

9. Legally Blonde: This is the story of a young girl who overcame her inferiority feelings and insecurity to get her education from the most prestigious Harvard school. Legally Blonde is really inspiring for those who fail to recognise their talents and keep on standing backwards. This movie makes it to the point that a good effort and a deterministic mindset can help anyone to utilize their potential and achieve good heights and gain more respect in life.

10. Searching for Bobby Fischer: It is a 1993 American drama film from the pen and direction of Steven Zaillian. This movie tells the story of a young chess prodigy who was encouraged and motivated to reach the best spot. Pomeranc plays the role of chess player Joshua Waitzkin. Searching for Bobby Fischer gives the challenge to the society about how to act rightly to motivate gifted children and help them get their best.

11. Stand and Deliver: This movie is based on a real life story of a teacher who went out of normal way to teach mathematics. His effort helped a group of students who were struggling earlier to come out successful. If you find yourself hopeless in handling a subject, then spend some time to watch Stand and Deliver and the story of Jamie Escalante is really motivating to see the possibilities to overcome past failures and be top achievers.

12. The Great Debaters: This movie retells the real life story of a professor who encouraged a group of students to taste the success. The theme of the movie is the way he moulds the students to give a strong challenge during debating championships. The Great Debaters can obviously lift your study spirits and motivate you to challenge yourself and others to win in life.

13. A Beautiful Mind: This American biographical drama film made in the year 2001 gives a strong message of enjoying every moment of your life. A Beautiful Mind directed by Ron Howard tells the story of a great mathematician scientist who considered him the best after a great discovery and failed to enjoy life but lived in fantasies. The movie depicts the journey of his self-discovery and how he realised the little joys of life.

14. The Manhattan Project: This 1986 movie hit the screens under the direction of Marshall Brickman. The Manhattan Project tells the story of teenagers whose school science project came out in a much bigger way than the norms. The making of nuclear bomb by the students with the information gathered from the internet is inspiring in terms of what a teenager can do with will power and hard work and at the same time gives the alert of how badly the technology can inspire youth.

15. The Blind Side: This American sports drama under the direction of John Lee was released in the year 2009. The Blind Side tells the real life story of Michael Oher who went through many rough patches in life. His blessing came in the way of a loving family who offered him shelter for a day and then adopted him for life. The family gave their true kindness and love to motivate him to find his skills in football and he utilized this opportunity to come up as a successful football player.

16. Harry Potter: This is a British-American film series in the time period of 2001 to 2011 based on the Harry Potter novels from the great author J. K. Rowling. Rather than spending hours in front of computers to play video games, the Harry Potter movie has really inspired students to come out and accomplish challenging tasks. Teachers are also adopting many Harry-Potter themes as part of their classroom activities to encourage and inspire children to learn and live successfully.

17. Lean on Me: This 1989 movie showcase the real life story of an unorthodox teacher who utilized his second chance to come out successful. His come back to the idyllic high school from where he was first fired from the role of principal witnessed a strong success tale. Lean on Me can really lift your spirits in the middle of struggling studies and gives the message of how to wisely use your extended chance in your education or career.

18. Remember the Titans: This movie showcases the importance of team work, a true leader and perseverance to achieve success. Remember the Titans tells the story of a good coach of a school’s football team who used his leadership qualities to bridge the cultural gap among his students to help them perform as a team and win the championship. This American sports movie came to screens in the year 2000 and was directed by Boaz Yakin.

19. I Am Kalam: This 2011 Indian movie from Nila Madhab Panda can be said as a guide for students to show them the importance and value of education. The plot of the movie is based on a young boy who admired Kalam and wished to follow his path. Harsh Mayar who played the role of Chotu was brilliant with his performance who became a favourite for many students. I Am Kalam gives a strong message to the society on the value of education and the right of every student for achieving it.

20. WALL-E: This is a science fiction movie that hit the screens in the year 2008 which was directed by Andrew Stanton. This computer-animated film came under the production of Pixar Animation Studios. WALL-E teaches to improve our focus on relationships to find true meaning to life and to face the problem rather than sitting with it. And at times it is important to live the life rather than surviving and it is good to make decisions based on the current status of the situation rather than going with the past experiences.

21. Stand by Me: The movie directed by Rob Reiner is a journey of four kids in which they discover themselves and their real identities. Stand by Me is a 1986 movie from the director, Rob Reiner which was made based on a book ‘The Body’ by Stephen King. The movie throughout showcases how kids handle the unfair expectations on their way to find their missing friend.

22. Dangerous Minds: This American drama film that hit the screens in the year 1995 came under the direction of John N. Smith. Dangerous Minds is the story of a marine turned teacher who got the job to deal a class of tough students with distinctive back grounds. With her wise way of teaching to suit the class, she succeeded in her job of turning it out a class of studious.

23. Start Wars: This is an American film series from renowned George Lucas. The series of movies started early back in 1977 and is still continuing the journey. Star Wars series have a strong base for giving life lessons to kids. For the last three decades, the movie is gaining the acceptance of the students of the respective eras. More than space ships and explosions, the movie is teaching kids to have the determination to accomplish anything in life and to learn to distinguish right from wrong.

24. Schindler’s List: This historical period drama was released in the year 1993 which was directed by Steven Spielberg. Schindler’s List gives students a deeper understanding of the Second World War scenario and the hardships of the people. The movie tells the real life incidents of Oskar Schindler who was a hero who saved the lives of about 1,100 Jews at the Holocaust. This movie also helps students to value the importance of love than war for handling things.

25. Cinema Paradiso: This is an Italian drama film that came out under the direction of Giuseppe Tornatore in the year 1988. Cinema Paradiso teaches students to grow up with an imaginative mindset which makes life really beautiful. Students will also get the message that learning is never completed and it is a life long journey to be accomplished. Kids will also learn about how sharing and caring can give them the ultimate joy.

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Final Thoughts

This is just a few among the lots of movies that help students to motivate and inspire and create a better world for them and others. These inspirational movies for school students and teachers are really going to boost their studies and educate them about the importance of hard work, determination and teamwork in their life. This new phase of smart classroom education with education apps and smart school software are creating a novel learning experience for students.

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It is the role of parents and teachers to help the kids to think and learn right from their childhood. It is a fact that kids who are exposed to communicative gestures can have a better chance to study languages in pretty quick succession, and they can handle bigger vocabularies in no time. The proper use of gestures train kids to be good communicators and grow up with an amazing intellectual performance. It is nothing but science that substantiates the fact that gestures can actually play a crucial role in cognitive development too.

Have you heard that using gestures can make ideas more memorable in kids? Yes, conveying novel ideas to kids is a bit challenging task and it is more difficult to help them keep it in their memory. If proper use of gestures can do the trick, then why not go for it. Here let us have a look at the link between gestures and improved memory in kids.

1. Classroom directions: This is one of the first areas in a primary classroom where gestures come to play. Teachers may first say “sit down” or “stand up” along with hand gestures to help them link between the action and words. Later on, she just uses gestures to make them stand up or sit down and kids would easily follow it without saying. Some teachers tap on the desk or table when the noise level goes up by saying “silence please” and later on she just taps on the desk and the class would go silent. This is because a kid’s brain is designed in such a way as to easily understand and keep visual cues in their memory.

2. Vocabulory: The influence of gestures in kids can be very well used to teach them vocabulary too. Using hand movements would help kids to easily relate commonly used phrases and words with particular actions. This way of learning would certainly accelerate the process and kids would get more confidence to go further. As language and action are closely entangled, areas such as verb learning is made a lot easy with gestures in primary classes to exploit this relationship. According to researches, vocabulary can be well learnt and remembered using diverse senses and that makes an impact on the dominance of gestures in teaching vocabulary. Also a recent study suggests the influence of gestures in easily catching up new words.

3. Communication/Conversation: Gestures are in fact the basic building blocks of a language. And that is why using gestures to teach language to kids is becoming a productive strategy. Teachers conduct conversation sessions that accompany gestures in language classes. This approach helps kids to easily catch up on the new language and they can turn out to be good communicators with no inhibition in starting conversations. During conversations or interactions, teachers have always noticed that language processing is at its best when using body signals. During question and answer hours, teachers pointed out that, kids come with faster responses when gestures are involved.

4. Maths learning: Do you know that kids can learn mathematics pretty easier when taught using gestures? It is a subject which is a nightmare for many students and the way they grasp the idea is mostly troubling them. Teachers all around the globe take the support of gestures to convey maths concepts more easily. On the other side this gesture approach helps kids to grasp the ideas better and remember it for long as this technique offers a more flexible and deeper learning. As gestures can be easily interpreted allegorically, kids can easily connect with the ideas they have acquired in the previous lessons.

5. Role-plays: This is another form of classroom activity that uses gestures to teach and learn different ideas or concepts in an interesting way. Role play using skits is a much better way to learn languages without much emphasis on memorization. As you involve in talks and take part in dialogues with gestures, you don’t need a special memory compartment to memorize it. Moreover, this gesture activity is also a good option to improve social skills in children. Task-based role plays makes the idea really impressive in kids and the cooperative role play teaches the importance of team work too.

6. Mime games: Gestures are basically a non-vocal communication that involves the motion of the face, hands, or any other body areas. Teachers can bring in mime games during leisure hours to help them to become more comfortable with the ideas of using gestures for learning. This makes the whole session interesting and kids would give out their best to communicate the subject without the help of a spoken language. Mime games are really funny and at the same time needs good effort from the participants to express matters without giving much emphasis to speech.

7. Repetitive gestures: When you keep on signalling the same gesture for doing a particular action, the idea gets registered easily in a kid’s mind. That is why many teachers use repetitive gestures as a powerful tool for teaching even the difficult subjects. Once the kid connects certain action to a phrase, then they can acknowledge it the next time very easily without the need for describing it. This clearly shows that repetitive gestures can make an impact on the kid’s memory power. And several studies have substantiated the fact that physical exercise can really accelerate the memory recall capability.

8. Frees memory space: As gestures help kids to understand an idea or concept better, this can free up their working memory space. In fact, gestures are actually giving an indirect exercise to your brain that keeps the memory alive. As kids can easily connect ideas that are taught with gestures in the future, they actually need not think too much every time. For this reason, kids can actually free up their memory space to learn something new and don’t need to load it with unnecessary algorithms. In addition to being a memory booster, this non verbal communication also gives enough spare memory space for creative thinking.

Final Thoughts

It is an obvious thing that getting a kid’s attention during study time is always challenging. In fact, making gestures play a crucial part in getting your child‘s attention along improving their memory. And is beneficial to express openly while making a conversation in addition to its significance in making ideas more memorable.