“The
classroom should be an entrance into the world, not an escape from it”- John
Ciardi
Not everything in the realm of teaching and classroom study will be fun, but that is not something to be concerned about. Everything in life is not fun either. The quote above sets the tone for why making classroom study fun is important though, and even if some of it is hard, kids need to understand that those parts are meant to serve a higher and broader purpose, which would serve them well in life. Being able to articulate this forward thinking approach must therefore be fun, enlightening, and easy to grasp, especially since it is understandable that kids would rather be doing something ‘fun’ instead on being in the classroom buried in books! J Studying and learning does not have to be a necessary evil and teachers can use tools such as flowcharting diagrams towards the end of making classroom study fun, and the learning sustainable.
When teachers seem at ease, students will also be enthused to make learning fun for themselves, and will make an effort to visually enhance their notes and study material. This joint effort will ensure that students remain motivated, classroom study remains fun, and what they learn is easily retained for a long time. Using visually appealing aids such as flowcharting diagrams are proven techniques to help remember facts, figures, and information, which in turn provides a boost to learning and confidence of the students. The fact is that students would find an excuse to fixate on problems, and it is the job of the teachers to help them create solutions by making classroom study fun. This approach will ensure active interaction and involvement of all students, thereby adding an element of freshness and innovation, aiding learning for the long term.
Flowcharting diagrams are props that help the process of teaching by helping students to develop an understanding of the learning objectives of the subject / topic, faster and more effectively. Flowcharts are amongst the top ways to map the stages of the process of learning, and teachers must become adept at making the templates fun and colorful. Using flowcharting diagrams can immensely help both teachers and students to improve and accentuate a number of skills. Through a flowchart, it is easier for teachers to explain and students to grasp the sequence of processes and the various steps / stages of each process. In addition, it becomes simpler to understand the relationship between each step, the role each step has to essay, and which step (if any) requires more focus than others. With a clear understanding of the stages of the process, it becomes a lot simpler for both sides to understand the aim of what is being taught, and to collectively analyze problems and find the most appropriate solutions for them.
When delivering lectures (on particularly mundane subjects – from the perspective of students) flowcharting diagrams can significantly help in making classroom study fun. In the realm of conducting experiments for example – teachers could use flowcharts to show the step by step progression of the experiment. This visual representation of the experiment would ensure that students learn it faster, and are able to conduct the experiment on their own, and repeatedly if required, without assistance.
Some subjects are tougher than others, and hence it would make sense to simplify the complicated ideas through a flowchart. Flowcharting diagrams help to summarize and restate the complex language and subject into a simpler and easily understood manner. In addition, teachers could use flowcharts to help with subjects that require comprehension, ‘precis’ writing, and where visualization of a storyline / plot are critical to understanding. By using a flowchart, the step by step progression of the subject would make it easier to understand why the author uses certain words, and what lead to the conclusion of the plot. By simplifying, reading and comprehension becomes more fun, a lot simpler, and easily retained in the memory.
The great part about using flowcharting for learning is the one page rule they follow. This makes it easy for the teacher to make handouts for the students, which in turn ensure that they can review the lesson repeatedly, and even ask questions, which further accentuates knowledge. As learning progresses, teachers could ask students to make flowcharts on their own to represent the knowledge they have gained, and explain the learning. Not only would this arouse their curiosity, it would keep them engaged and enthused about getting better at learning and retaining. In the realm of problem solving too, teachers can elicit the solutions from the students by asking them to design a solution for a problem using a flowchart diagram. Making classroom study fun is not that hard or cumbersome with flowcharts!
The most important thing to remember for both teachers and students is that flowcharts must be used to represent the actual process and the way it works currently. By putting down the process as is, it becomes easier to notice the flaws, adjust it as they would like it to work, and find easy solutions to any problems that become apparent through the flowchart representation.
Drawing up a macro-level flowchart is important – this would outline the process, making it simpler to add details. For instance: when trying to seek inputs from the students, a teacher could enlist the current method of learning in a flowchart, making it easier for the students to provide suggestions that would be value added for them. Slowly steps can be added or deleted or rearranged in order to finally make a process of learning that makes sense. If drawn by hand, copies can be distributed to all students, and if software is used to make the flowchart, it can be sent to the email of each student, for future reference.
As mentioned, the premise of flowcharts even in the realm of making classroom study fun is to uncover ways to improve the method of learning. It makes sense therefore to ensure that interpreting the flowcharts used is easy and not problematic for any student. Clear interpretation of who is part of the process, and responsible for which step ensures that students understand their roles and responsibilities, in a class project for example. Acting on removing the root causes of any obstacles and problems also makes problem solving fun. These diagrams can further help in refreshing the learning, act as training guides, and ensure that students continue to have fun while learning. Flowcharts help by making classroom study fun by way of encouraging interaction and engagement.
Students get access to a new form of learning, and can prepare flowcharts either by hand or through the many different types of software available today. Whatever method is chosen, the fact is that there is something to learn, and it is important from the perspective of gaining more than just knowledge from books.
One of the coolest things about flowcharts is that students can add notes, and add colors to make their flowcharts unique and easier for them to comprehend. The fact is that while teachers may have a teaching style, the learning ability and style of each student is different and hence finding ways of making classroom study fun is important to keep students motivated and keen to learn. Try the flowcharting method – it is a great place to start!
