During December the academic year tends to slowly lose momentum, grind to a halt and hinder student progression. But, now could be the opportunity for students to catch-up on lost learning through enjoyable methods.
Covid-19 has undoubtedly affected the education sector in a manner that may take years to recover to previous standards pre-pandemic. According to research:
“Pupils in England, on average, lost 61 out of 190 days of schooling between March 2020 and April 2021.”
This epitomises why ramping up different learning techniques during the ‘wind-down’ before the Christmas break could provide a head start for students when they return to full-time education. So here’s five tips to help you and your students:
1. Cater lessons towards a Christmas themed element
This is an obvious one, but it really is beneficial. According to a research study relating Maths calculus to Advent calendar-related questions:
“The Advent Calendar had a positive impact on the final exam: students involved in the project passed it in the first available session with a success rate 15% higher than the class rate.”
If you continue to deliver learning with the same consistent style it could have some drawbacks, especially during the Christmas period. This is why catering your lessons towards a Christmas theme will engage learners that they may engross and captivate their minds which can boost academic performance. However, it is important to ensure lessons are still educational and not used as an excuse to omit learning potential.
2. Offer incentives to get better results
Everyone loves prizes and rewards, and it reflects how positive reinforcement can benefit academic progression. According to research from the Education Endowment Foundation:
“Offering incentives to underperforming pupils can lead to better behaviour and vastly improved GCSE results, new research has found.”
Offering money, trips or something similar can directly impact students’ focus as they can become determined to receive said incentive. Due to Covid-19, budgets have been stretched thin so some incentives may be unrealistic. However, even small prizes for students or little competitions for students to strive towards a certain goal can help build rapport and improve knowledge in a way students won’t even perceive as schoolwork.
3. Switch learning online and visual instead of written
During the Christmas period, some teachers tend to resort to allowing students to watch films as a way to relax before schools break up, which isn’t a bad thing.
However, now could be the time to allow students to learn in an alternative way to normal written and textbook learning. According to research:
“90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual.”
Through the use of visual learning, it could allow students to develop their understanding of a certain topic in a way that could exponentially increase their rate of learning in comparison to conventional methods of learning.
Furthermore, during the Christmas period, this could allow them to remain focused on their learning without realisation as they can find enjoyment through visually learning which positively reflects their academic performance.
4. Play some online educational learning games
Gaming has become increasingly popular with the younger generation and has been proven to improve mental health and wellbeing. Online educational learning games can significantly hone students’ attention and expand their learning. According to statistics:
“Video games can be effective in classroom settings because 91% of school-age children are familiar with them.”
From evaluating studies, the benefits of learning through playing games become clear. Students will be able to develop understanding in a visual, informative and engaging way that differentiates from normal written content that they may perceive to be mundane.
5. Incorporate more practical lessons
Studies have shown that students reciprocate and learn better from performing practical lessons. According to research:
“Students remember about 10% of what they read, 20% of what they hear, and 90% of what they do as they perform a task.”
Being involved in practical lessons not only is thought-provoking and visually stimulating for students, but it allows for captivating discussions to be held. Tasks can also be completed in pairs or groups which encourages collaborative and communication skills to be explored and developed.
During the Christmas period, this can ultimately enable students to remain focused on their studies and catch-up on lost learning despite there being limited written work which some students may deem more beneficial.
EDClass can offer Christmas related content and support learners
The EDClass platform has been proven to aid and educate students who may be hard-to-reach or not attending school for a variety of reasons.
With over 17,000 pre-made lessons and 2,000 interactive video lessons, the platform boasts an in-depth curriculum suitable for several students. Specific Christmas content is also available with ‘A Christmas Carol’ included.
EDArcade by EDClass also offers engaging online educational learning games which provide learners with EDDollars that can be spent in EDVille delivering a built-in incentivised system to incite students to continue studying.
If you would like some information on the benefits of EDClass or the functionality of the platform then call the team on 01909 568 338, send an email to mail@edclass.com or book a demo here.
