The science of fun learning: How classroom education can be made exciting for students

Many parents place education and fun at opposite ends of the pole. Mine did back in the day; and it wasn’t a particularly enjoyable experience for me, so to say. However, today’s reality is a far cry from my days of yore.

Thanks to multiple research studies and the need for developing foundational skills in kids at the right age. A positive realisation has dawned upon parents—children learn best when learning is made fun, engaging and entertaining for them. Rote learning is a thing of the past It’s important to note that information in our brains is continuously moving in & out every second, every day.

Children would retain a concept or a lesson if it presented to them in a fun, exciting and novel way. Then that particular concept will be understood over everything else that their brain sees. Children will automatically store that information over all other sensory input. They will feel more enthusiastic and engaged.

Many companies, educators and parents are now working on developing engaging, fun learning experiences crafted uniquely to suit each child.

How can learning be made more fun?

One way to make education more fun is via hands-on-learning. Hands-on learning encourages kids to actively participate in the activity taking place, thus helping them relate to what they are learning. Augmented Reality (AR) is one technological tool that can help in accomplishing the same. With the magic of AR, everything comes to life, assisting kids in visualizing the concepts they are learning.

AR can help them understand the concepts better. Be it geography, biology, geometry, or any other topic, AR can help break it down into an interactive form and encourage active participation from all, including teachers. For instance, an AR-powered interactive globe can change the experience of learning geography. Instead of spending hours cramming from a textbook where countries lie on the map, kids can interact with 3D models of countries, their cultures, monuments, cuisines, & more on an AR-powered platform.

Augmented Reality makes learning fun by contextualizing topics. This way, children need not memorize isolated facts. Instead, they learn from narratives that connect the dots, building the way to store information for long. They can learn how the geography of a place impacted its culture & history, or how the climatic conditions influenced the architectural style & eating habits. To encourage a better understanding of academic subjects, schools are adopting many hands-on curriculums. Such curriculums help children to feel at ease when learning, giving them space and freedom to where they can study at their own pace. In reality, there is no scarcity of methods & means to make learning fun & exciting, but are you listening?

By Vivek Goyal, CEO and Founder, Playshifu