An Educator’s perspective on the balance in all things in the classroom.
Change is inevitable. School curriculum has changed several times, standards have changed, and technology offers a wide variety of new ways to teach subjects that didn’t exist less than a decade ago. Talk to a veteran school teacher, and they will tell you how different things are in the education world from five, ten, or twenty years ago.
In an ideal situation, a school curriculum offers a balance of technology-guided lessons or activities and hands-on learning. Both are important, and both are needed. The good news is that schools don’t need an ideal situation to have a perfect curriculum–this can be done!
Balance in all things
Multi-sensory-based learning is often mislabeled as a learning ideology that only benefits students with learning challenges. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Multi-sensory-based learning benefits all learners of all ages.
In fact, multi-sensory learning is crucial for total brain development to have balance in all things.
What is multi-sensory learning? Multi-sensory-based learning combines visual (language we see), auditory (language we hear), and kinesthetic-tactile (language symbols we feel) methods to offer a total learning experience.
For companies and organizations looking to market toward K-12 schools, a multi-sensory-based learning curriculum that offers opportunities for students to utilize technology and their physical hands is an educator’s dream come true.
There’s been a misconception over the years that everyone is only one particular type of learner (i.e., visual, auditory, or hands-on). Of course, as we get older, we might have a preference, but balancing how students are taught and engaged is essential. This balance of learning and engagement methods is better for brain development, retention, and overall skillset development.
Balance in all things
Attempts at integrating technology in the classroom do not often consider the pedagogical needs and paradigms. Technology is an invaluable asset to the classroom. With multimedia visuals and interactive instruction, there are endless opportunities to enhance learning. Learning engagement and having an authentic learning experience are also valuable. Balance, just like in everything else, is essential. By balancing the two, teachers and students are now involved in innovation and engagement.
Balancing technology with multi-sensory-based learning opportunities provides students the best of both worlds. It also assists in accommodating the modern classroom where attention spans are shorter, and learning gaps are wider.
Remember, “if a child cannot learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.” Balance in all things is a crucial component of offering effective instruction that engages students and accommodates the variety of ways in which they learn.
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