The French mathematician Blaise Pascal once said, “Clarity of mind means clarity of passion, too”.
In a sea of content and pedagogy standards, knowing what to teach and how to teach can be a challenge, especially when educators have to cater to the needs of learners at all levels, right from K12 to college goers, from an average student to the brightest minds, to reach a prescribed level of mastery.
Purpose is a complex concept and it takes time to develop a sense of purpose. However, clarity is something that teachers and parents can inculcate in children right from the time they start learning. Clarity is an important aspect in a student’s cognitive learning process.
There are many factors which bring a sense of clarity to students.
Teacher clarity is as critical as student clarity
Clarity about learning gives students confidence. To achieve that, educators need clarity on what to teach and more importantly why to teach it. A thorough understanding of what students want and need, enables teachers to communicate with their students better, narrow things to relevant aspects and focus on activities that help learning.
Visible Learning
There are several methods using which diversified content can be delivered and children’s learning can be enhanced. Education researcher John Hattie encourages to practice visible learning approach to understand what works best in the classroom to improve learning.
In a synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses of 50,000 research studies involving more than 150 million students, he pointed various influences, from very positive effects to very negative effects which are related to learning outcomes. Making teaching and learning visible is the key to it, he stated.
A meta-analysis is a statistical analysis that combines the results of multiple scientific studies. Meta-analysis when properly done provides hidden insights and helps in changing the mindset.
Diversified methods
Effective learning starts with a step forward from surface knowledge to deep understanding. Studies say that information accessed in visual, graphical and multi-modal ways help students learn better than text-based information.
Experiential and activity-based learning, where clear instructions are given, go one step further in establishing clarity of thoughts.
(Image credits – Colin Behrens/Pixabay)
Breadth of knowledge Vs Depth of knowledge
A love for continuous learning and pursuing knowledge expands the breadth of knowledge, which broadens your surface knowledge. Children can deepen their knowledge base by learning further, connecting dots, such as why it happens, how it happens, what causes it to happen. And this leads to clarity and depth of knowledge.
Role of Tech in imbibing Clarity of thoughts in children
Tech is not the panacea but a means and enabler to attain clarity of thoughts. We look at Tech as a nice and humble bystander who is ready to help if needed. Some ways in which tech can assist in attaining clarity of thoughts are:
- Instructions based on immersive content including, audio-visual elements and augmented reality (AR) based content.
- Clarity Videos to assist in the learning process.
- Activity-based learning by solving puzzles and riddles.
- By using Personalised Learning Environment (PLE) where the content is personalised to suit the student.
tl;dr
Students gain concept Clarity through clear instructions, activities and detailed explanation of concepts. Tech can help to a great extent without an intrusive approach.
(Cover Photo Credits – Gerd Altmann/Pixabay)
Parimita Krishna
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