“The
function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think
critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education” –
Martin Luther King, Jr.
The essence of education is aptly captured in the quote above, and it is necessary for all involved to find new ways to seek and enhance education, and the good news is that there are several ways and tools to do this. Today children deal with a tough curriculum and arduous study material, which can sometimes be overwhelming. Vast syllabi leads to loss of focus, lack of willingness to learn, and in many cases severe mental stress. It makes sense therefore, for schools, teachers and educationists to provide right studying strategies to not just make learning easier, but also enhance education in the true sense. In addition, it is also the onus of the learner to take a keen interest in new ways to gain knowledge and tools that will help them in understanding concepts better, leading to elevated performance.
Flowcharts, either on paper or through software, are a great and effortless tool to enhance education, while being a time saver. The visual format of this tool serves as an easy to learn format, and is amongst the top techniques to enhance education and learning. Irrespective of the role one has in the realm of education – teacher, student, administrative staff, or management – using flowcharts can prove a highly effective and effortless method to enhance education. The human brain is hardwired and adapted to grasping things faster visually and finds it easier to learn when things are structured.
Placing concepts and learning material in a structured and organized manner by way of flowcharts helps to elevate understanding, makes learning easier, and aids in the longer retention of such learning. The visual representation of concepts and learning through flowcharts also prevents information overload, making learning fun and easy. When flowcharts are used with the aim of enhancing education and learning, identifying important and key information becomes simpler. In addition, the versatility of flowcharts allows the addition of colors, making them even more vibrant, which further enhances the scope for faster learning and retention.
In the earlier days, teachers were usually only responsible for teaching and helping students become better learners. In the current scenario, teachers also play several other roles, which places more responsibility on them. It therefore seems sensible that they use techniques and tools that will enhance the quality of their teaching plan and manner of knowledge dissemination. Through flowcharts, teachers can breakdown the syllabus into smaller sections, explaining each sub part in detail. Not only is this an easier way to disseminate knowledge, it also eases the burden on teachers, who would otherwise need to develop and remember the entire content to be taught. Breaking down the teaching material allows the teacher to provide complete focus to a particular portion of the syllabus.
In the quest to enhance education, teachers can use flowcharts to breakdown complex subject matters, making knowledge dissemination better and aiding absorption of the knowledge faster for students. As mentioned, a tough curriculum and long hours of teaching and studying can hamper interest in imparting and gaining education. Building and sustaining the interest and curiosity to learn is possibly one of the biggest challenges today in the effort to enhance education. Using visual aids such as flowcharts can help to elevate interest levels to learn, since this tool uses lines, colors, and even pictures to demonstrate content, ideas, and processes. Visually demonstrated ideas have a better effect on interest levels, thereby helping to engage students towards learning. For example: when explaining the decision making process, a decision-tree would be of immense help to show students how important business / personal decisions can be made in a relatively easy manner.
Another aspect of enhancing education is helping students understand the importance of taking responsibility. This is not only about taking on responsibility in their working lives, but even in the classroom scenario. When every student understands the importance of individual responsibility, not only does the overall efficiency of the classroom increases, the environment of learning and education is enhanced. Students may not always be aware of the quality and level of responsibility expected of them, and a teacher could use flowcharts to set expectations and accountability. As students begin to gain a sense of responsibility, their level of confidence and interest would become higher helping to enhance education and learning.
Any realm that may be technical or complicated tends to dissipate interest, leading to a reduction in learning and education. To enhance education in complex subjects / processes, use flowcharts to elucidate and clarify these realms. The step by step depiction will make it easier for students to grasp the concepts better and faster, while retaining their interest in learning. To further enhance education, a teacher may ask the students to prepare flowcharts to depict their learning. This ensures that not only would they pay close attention to the lessons, but also refresh and retain what they are taught. In addition, using a flowchart would help them replicate their learning in a simple and visual manner, leading to increased levels of confidence and morale. Putting the day’s lesson in a flowchart and distributing them as handouts, allows students to refer to them at a later stage when revising or studying for an exam.
Another way to enhance education is making a graphical representation of the thinking process of students, using flowcharts. Students can put down their ideas in a visually structured, logical, and organized manner – thereby allowing them to reflect on their own ideas and the ideas of fellow students. The dissemination of ideas and knowledge is faster and sustainable. To enhance education is not only about classroom teaching, but has also to do with the reading habit and comprehension of what is read. Tough and bulky documents, reading material and books do not find many takers, and using flowcharts to present some key ideas can help build interest towards reading. As students develop reading ability, they will find themselves better equipped to deal with the rushed business meetings, documents, and presentations when they reach the corporate world.
A teacher can conduct several exercises using flowcharts and the possibilities are endless. This would help students to make a critical analysis of a variety of processes, thereby building the skills of analytical thinking and decision making. Through the use of flowcharts, a teacher can enhance education by developing a variety of skills in the students such as an understanding of a sequence / flow of events, grasping the kinds and numbers of stages required to reach a goal and link between each stage, and comprehending the possible roadblocks to attaining their goal.
While flowcharts prove to be highly effective in the realm of education, experts suggest using them as aids and to complement the lesson – and not independent of the teaching process. The good news is that there are several ways types of flowcharts, and learners can choose to use them as per their requirement. There are also many types of flowchart templates available online, making the job of teachers and students a lot easier. Flowcharts are a simple, yet extremely powerful study tool irrespective of which type is used – choose your ‘type’ to promote better understanding, improve your grades, and to enhance education as a whole.
