The world is advancing very rapidly, and this has brought changes in just about every field of human life. The children studying in classrooms today will make up the human resource of the future. These young students will soon be entering a very complex and diverse job force. It is very important to equip them with the right tools and to prepare them for working in these challenging environments. One of the best ways to prepare children for life beyond the classroom is creative learning.
Importance of creative learning
Creativity is a very essential tool that has been integrated into classrooms across the world. Teachers no longer rely on traditional learning techniques like dictations or notetaking. Rather, the emphasis is to create a stimulating environment where students are free to express ideas and find innovative solutions to problems. These creative classrooms teach children the diverse skills they need to navigate the fast-paced world around them. Creative learning teaches students to be versatile, resourceful and adaptable.
For creative learning to be successful, it needs to be taught at the grassroots level. Educators need to understand that knowledge is not limited to textbooks and that there are many ways to foster learning which do not involve rigid adherence to the set syllabus. This goes for both educational institutions and private tutoring.
Building creativity in private education
When it comes to private tuitions, the emphasis is still largely on textbook learning. Many tutors simply explain difficult concepts to students and assign written work to be completed before the next tutoring session. Everything is mechanical, and there is no room for creativity or spontaneity. Many parents believe that tutors should play a more active role in their children’s growth and development. They want to hire tutors who can actually engage their child’s interest and make lessons interesting and absorbing.
There are many ways to achieve this:
• Never discourage questions
Nothing stagnates a child’s personality more than restricting their natural curiosity and inquisitiveness. Reassure your student that they are free to ask as many questions as many times as needed to understand difficult concepts.
• Encourage discussions
Student-teacher discussions are an effective learning tool as they allow children to think more critically about different concepts and to add to their knowledge base. They learn to improve their communication skills and to express themselves more confidently. They also learn how to challenge other people in intellectual debates and to build off different ideas and suggestions.
• Use visual aids
Many educators state that the use of visual cues has enlivened their classrooms and helped students learn quickly and more effectively. This learning technique can easily be applied to private tuitions. Visuals like diagrams, graphs and pie charts can simplify chunks of complex information into smaller pieces that children can easily grasp.
• Introduce unique learning tools
Encourage students to refer to sources of knowledge beyond their textbooks. Incorporate learning materials like magazines, podcasts, TED talks and YouTube videos into your tutoring plans. These sources will help you engage your students more deeply into the lesson and encourage them to think outside the box.
All the above techniques are invaluable in helping private tutors integrate creativity into their lesson plans. This will lay the path for more effective and long-term learning.
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