Most children get bored in school. Some kids sleep, some stare at the wall, and others completely zone out. In English class, we read an article called, “The Importance of Recreational Math” from nytimes.com. The article was suggesting that playing mathematical games may boost productivity and awareness in classrooms, and may cause students to enjoy class. The mental aspect of children and their attention spans make this article so accurate. As most adults know, children have their own way of thinking about things. Think about it: For an average of eight hours everyday, five days a week, children must sit in a classroom in chairs and listen to a teacher talk. Most students probably feel trapped and tired of doing the same thing every day,
“For the next six hours, I was going to enjoy a thoroughly secure, warm, and stable environment.” As stated by Barry. She found comfort drawing, which she often did early at school before class would start. Some children aren’t as lucky as Barry was, some go to school just because it is required. The requirement of subjects being taught in school, just aren’t sparking that flame in a child’s mind. If they had something to look forward to after class ends, such as an after school program, perhaps the excitement would build up and the concentration on studies will begin to exist again.
Dweck finds that children with a fixed mindset “see challenges, mistakes and even the need to exert effort as threats to their ego.” (Dweck 3). This leads to children focusing too much on other people’s opinions instead
There are many different mechanisms and theories today to help children cope with the life they are handed.
Video games based on learning are quickly becoming known as “the new frontier of learning.” Many children who have learning disabilities have an easier time learning basic skills from playing games rather than looking through a textbook. When learning is disguised as a fun pastime, children are more likely to welcome it. Video games can be utilized in school to influence children into becoming more comfortable with their own knowledge. In some cases, children feel incompetent to their peers because they are not as gifted in math or writing. By using video games, students are not expected to compete with their classmates, so they will become confident and outgoing which, in turn, will show their true talents. A group of researchers at the University of New York conducted an experiment with a group of students that were assigned to play video games competitively or on their own. Through performing this test, they concluded that those who chose to play competitively, or on their own both had an increased final score because they were able to play at their own leisure ("Educational Video Games Can Boost Motivation to Learn.", 2013). Observing how video games can help both gifted children, as well as the individuals who are struggling, is evidence that video games can be as useful as they are
On the other hand, if you invite children to participate in work and play, you give them many more ways to grow and learn.
...ctive. Play is an essential learning tool and one that must not be ignored within the classroom. It is a catalyst to help children develop socially, emotionally, physically and cognitively. It is not only an important part of a child’s development as a pupil but also a child’s development as an individual.
I knew very early in life that I enjoyed working with children; I am drawn to their eagerness to learn, their trusting nature, and their inquisitive minds. It has always been a joy for me to be around children, who are eager to learn. Children are thrilled when an adult takes time to read to them. After hearing a story only a couple of times, they are like a tape recorder set on replay. Their thirst for knowledge is overwhelming. At the elementary level, children also tend to have a very trusting nature. They rely heavily on their elders for guidance. Most children are very honest with their feelings and don't try to hide them. This is a crucial time in a child's life; it is a time when teachers and parents should be molding them for the future. It seems their minds are always working on something which makes them extremely inquisitive. Their curiosities seem never to be satisfied. Children are always asking "why?" even when they know the answer. The inquisitive child wants to know the how's, when's, and where's of everything.
Larson et al. (2012) maintain that having a productive disposition is related to persevering to solve problems. Productive disposition is defined by Kilpatrick et al. (2001) as “habitual inclination to see mathematics as sensible, useful, and worthwhile, coupled with a belief in diligence and one’s own efficacy” (p. 5). Kilpatrick et al. report that students are excited about mathematics when they first come to school but that, unfortunately, our present school system is making most students lose this disposition. They call for teachers to change their practices to make mathematics more
During elementary school, children are not only developing their physical bodies, but there minds as well. They a...
...the ideas that are taught in schools. Games also need to intermix instruction with demonstration. This is a big difference from the basic way of learning in school, which is memorize and regurgitate. Demonstrating shows the student what it looks like and they retain the content longer.
“Play is not only inherently valuable as an enjoyable activity; it is also a process through which children learn. Play enhances problem solving ability and promotes opportunities to experiment with creative thought.” (Malone, Tranter). During play a child is able to learn through various activities. Play promotes problem solving skills and b...
There have been several studies conducted on learning and serious games, for example, a recent study by the Office of Naval Research found that video game players performed ten to twenty percent better in perceptual and cognitive ability than non-game players, and that video games helped adults process information faster(Steinberg,2012). Another study by the Federation of American Scientists found that students re...
Students’ motivation and engagement are huge issues in the educational system because students often perceive education as boring (Lee & Hammer, 2011). In contrast, games can motivate people engage with them, usually without any kind of rewards, only for the sake of fun (Dicheva, Dichev, Agre, & Angelova, 2015).
Learning occurs through hands on play. When a child is engaged with an activity that they had the option of picking, they are likely to learn more from it than an option that the teacher picks for them. Before choices can be made available, teachers must first understand the importance of choices and provide appropriate activities to choose from. Allowing children to make their own choices not only promotes them to be eager to learn, but it also helps their cognitive development, moral development, and their “self” development. On top of that it allows them to feel like their opinions and choices are valued (which they are) and like they are in control! When they feel in control, this helps to build self-esteem, self-image, and self-help skills! By choosing what they want to do, they have to take on the role of responsibility of fulfilling the tasks and learning at the same time. There is a lot of development and learning occurring when a child is free to make choices in the classroom. Teachers are promoting children to be independent and successful. Some examples of choices in the classroom could be say after calendar time, the students must go get their name tag and go to any activity center in the room with a classmate of their
Truly, teaching at school, and especially in the primary stage should be great fun, whereas using games as a technique can assist in supporting the students’ concentration and performance. Consequently games employment in schools can add a value in teaching, along with developing the student’s abilities, evolving their awareness and enhancing the education process.