Summary
- Why introducing fun in learning is important?
- How you can make fun learning in the classroom-teachers perspective
- How you can make learning fun- Student’s perspective
Nowadays, the competition in schools and colleges has become so much that the curriculum has almost forgotten the term “fun.”
Parents, teachers and even students themselves have gotten into the rut of learning. No one has space for fun anymore.
However, we all know that all work and no play make Jack a dull boy. We also know that we cannot ignore the fact that the times have changed and there is a worldwide scramble for the best jobs in town.
To find a middle ground, why not incorporate fun in the curriculum itself? This way students get the best of both worlds.
Advantages of Making Learning Fun
Making learning fun is important because it serves a multitude of advantages, such as:
1. Eliminates Boredom
One of the reasons why making learning fun is important is because it eliminates boredom in the classroom. When fun methods are introduced, students become alert.
On the other hand, when concepts are simply taught without introducing an element of fun learning, students feel bored and, in many circumstances, also fall asleep during the class hours.
2. Keeps the Mind Active
Introducing fun while learning keeps the mind attentive and vigilant. Students are no longer passive listeners. With fun in learning, students become proactive in classrooms.
3. Eager to Learn
Another benefit of making learning fun is that it inspires students to learn and acquire more knowledge.
The advantages of making learning fun are innumerable. It has become a necessity to introduce fun learning in today’s curriculum. So, how can you make learning fun for students?
How to Make Learning Fun for Students?
Here, we have enumerated a few points that can help you make learning fun.
1. Introduce Teamwork
Working in teams is one of the best ways of how to make learning fun in the classroom. When students work in teams, they get to interact with their friends even during class hours.
Apart from providing a fun atmosphere, working in teams serves many other purposes like:
- Enhances creativity
- Improves productivity
- Motivates
- Shares the workload among various other advantages
2. Conduct Experiments
Learning can be made fun through experiments or hands-on learning. Here, students are taught tough concepts through simple experiments or practical examples.
For example, introducing the concept of fractions in a math class can be overwhelming for a few students.
Introducing the concept through pizza cutting or cake cutting can be a fun way of learning fractions in a classroom.
3. Pop up Quiz
Conducting pop-up quizzes in between classes is also an excellent way of how to make learning fun for students. The monotony of long hours of class can be broken by conducting small games or quizzes.
Here students are forced to be alert to answer the questions in the rush of the moment. Such pop-up quizzes and games give students an adrenaline rush especially when they have to try and be the first one to answer.
4. A Bit of Outdoors Always Helps
Staring at the four walls of a classroom the full day can be boring. Taking your students out of the classroom and into nature can be a great way of making learning fun.
Nature’s bounty has a lot more to offer than what meets the eye. Teaching your students, a classroom concept in the fresh air, sunlight and the sounds of birds can make learning a lot more fun.
5. Introduce Technology in Teaching
A research article published in the International Journal of Research in Education and Science; University of Malaysia has stated that teaching through modern means of technology like ICT boards is more effective than traditional teaching methods.
The same research concluded that students felt that the use of ICT boards for teaching made students more active in the class. It encourages students to participate and interact more with classmates.
6. Incorporate Art and Craft
Another way of how to make learning fun in the classroom is by incorporating art and craft as a class activity. Here, students have a free hand to design or draw anything.
They become more free especially when they know that they are not going to be evaluated for their creation. Art and craft give students a break from monotonous writing and listening in the classroom.
7. Relax Those Rules
Too many rules can impose too many restrictions on students, thereby preventing their true personalities from developing. It is advisable to keep a tab on the number of rules you impose on students in the classroom.
8. Lesson Related Games
Turning a boring lesson into a fun game will engage students. For example, monotonous learning of the tables can be dull and uninteresting.
However, if you learn through a fun game, it will make students more proactive. If you are teaching the 7 times tables, ask students to call out numbers from 1 to 100.
When a number that is part of the 7 tables comes, the student has to clap his or her hands instead of saying the number aloud. This way all students are alert and active. This is a fun way of introducing a lesson through a game.
9. Make It Personal
Making learning fun can be possible if the teacher comes down to a personal level with the students. It is advisable to be less authoritative and humbler when speaking to students.
This way, students feel more at ease. A teacher’s friendly approach towards the students is one of the best ways of how to make learning fun for students.
10. Relate Fun Facts
Facts printed in a textbook may only cater to the exam point of view. Relating fun facts from sources other than the textbook can make a lesson more interesting for students.
For Example:
Text book fact:
- Eiffel Tower is located in Paris, France.
- It is 324m in height.
- Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier were the original designers of the structure. They teamed up with French architect, Stephen Sauvestre.
Interesting fun facts:
- It was originally constructed to mark the entrance of the World Fair in 1889
- There are 1665 steps to climb to the top of Eiffel Tower
- It took 2 years, 2 months and 5 days to complete the construction of the Eiffel Tower
- Eiffel Tower remained the tallest structure in the world for 41 years until the Chrysler building was constructed in Newyork in 1930
- In 1991 UNESCO declared EIffel Tower a world Heritage Site.
These fun facts may not be useful from the point of view of exams, but it keeps students interested in the topic.
11. A Joke or Two Will Help
One of the best ways of how you can make learning fun for the students is by adding a joke or two while teaching. There is no better way to change the mood of students with a joke or riddle in between lessons.
12. A Surprise No Lesson Day
When students enter your classroom with a preconceived notion about the lesson, introducing a no lesson day will be a pleasant surprise for them.
Instead of taking up the day’s lesson, engage in some fun talk with your students once in a while. Ask them questions about their weekend or hobbies.
This will make learning so much more fun. Also share information about yourself. You can also sit on a student’s chair while your students chat along with you. This gives a feeling of being one with you.
13. Roleplays
Introducing role-plays enacted by students is a great way of how to make learning fun in the classroom.
A lesson on India’s struggle for freedom, in history, can be made more interesting and fun when you have students enact the Dandi March or any particular, related incident.
From the Student’s Point of View, It Is Also Possible to Make Learning Fun:
14. Be Proactive
When a student is proactive in class and asks questions and clears doubts, it breaks the drudgery of just listening passively to the lecture.
15. Take Frequent Breaks from Studying
Taking frequent breaks from studying instead of studying long hours at a stretch is also a great way of how to have fun learning. Use these breaks for a bit of exercise, chatting with a friend, or a small snack break.
16. Participate in Debates and Discussions
Idly sitting in the classroom while your friends debate and discuss is no fun at all. Participate, even if it is a negligible point, put it forth. Make your learning fun.
Conclusion
Fun and learning are the best educational experiences for any student. A student will always remember the fun he or she had in class rather than the lesson that was taught. It is these fun memories of school that remain forever.
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