5 Powerful Strategies for Learning New Skills
Learning new skills is very important for students and children. These skills will help them excel during school and also help them be a better and more well-rounded person as they age. There are several incredibly important skills that people should learn as early as possible to help them through their lives.
While it would be great if all children loved to learn and absorbed everything they were taught and put it into practice, this isn’t the case. As many as 20% of students suffer from some sort of learning disability, and countless others are simply uninterested in or uninspired by learning. This can make teaching them new skills incredibly difficult.
Thankfully, there are some powerful strategies out there that can help them learn new skills, and learn them effectively. Without any further ado, let’s go over some high-quality strategies for learning new skills.
Consider Using Board Games
One of the best strategies to try and help teach children and students new skills is to do it through games. Children love games, and are much more likely to pay attention when education is gamified. In particular, consider using board games to help teach them new skills. This will help the child focus and understand, as it is a game and not a lesson in the traditional sense.
Whether the game uses cards, moving pieces or board game dice, there is a good chance they can help teach children some sort of new skill. Some will teach critical thinking, some will help with problem solving, and some can even help their math and statistics skills. These board games can be a great supplement to classroom learning, and the child will also have a good time.
Try Out Some Different Learning Styles
While most children are capable of learning, the way in which they learn can vary greatly. Some are visual learners, some learn by doing, some do better with limited involvement and some can learn by listening. Every child is different and finding the right way to help them learn a new skill won’t always be quick or easy.
The more styles you try when it comes to teaching new skills, the better your chance of finding something that works. Also, feel free to get even more abstract with this idea. For example, many children feel as if their education revolves on being told what to do. Instead of this, consider letting the child have some control and input as to how they want to learn. If you provide your child or student with some say in the matter, it can help them be more engaged and respect the importance of education.
Utilize Interleaving
One of the most innovative and interesting strategies and techniques you could use is interleaving. While traditional knowledge will have you practicing or working on one skill until you learn it before moving on to the next, interleaving turns this on it’s head. Instead of learning and working on the same skill over and over again, consider mixing it in with working on other skills.
Trying to get a child to learn a skill by doing the exact same thing over and over can be cumbersome. Instead, if you mix it up a bit with the learning of other skills, or at least another approach, it can be beneficial. So instead of teaching them all of skill 1 before going onto skill 2, consider alternating lessons from skill 1 to skill 2 and back to 1. Of course, the skills should at least be somewhat related to avoid confusion.
Use Examples That Children Can Make Sense Of
Oftentimes, the things that we teach children are fairly abstract. While we might get them and understand them easily, children may not. As a result, it is a good idea to use examples during your teaching of new skills. However, be sure that these examples are ones that your student can make sense of.
The examples could be pop culture focused, or really be anything that you feel the child will be able to relate to. You can even work directly with the students to come up with their own examples. Also, be sure to encourage and empower children to use examples during their studies and practice, as well.
Celebrate Achievements When Possible
Everyone likes to be recognized for a job well done, and this is especially true for children. As a result, to help your child remain committed to learning the new skill and maintaining interest, be sure to celebrate their achievements. Even the small amounts of progress that they make should be recognized and celebrated.
Positive reinforcement is incredibly important, both to keep the child motivated and to help them remain up to the challenge of learning the new skill. Now, not everything they do needs to be celebrated as if it’s the greatest thing ever, but any major breakthrough or the finishing of a project should be treated as such. This celebration could be a trip to their favorite restaurant, a new video game, or something else that the child will enjoy and appreciate.
In conclusion, we hope this article has been able to help you learn some new strategies for teaching new skills.
