Hands-On Learning: Bring the Zoo To You With Zoomobile

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The traditional classroom setting with little hands-on learning activities has become a barrier for most students.

Engage students with a hands-on learning experience

Sitting still, looking at a board, screen, or projector is counterproductive when trying teaching students new things. Why? Because it is not hands-on learning. To generate more interaction, engagement, and responsiveness from students, hands-on learning activities are a must. Hands-on learning is essential to receiving the attention of any student: toddler, child, teen, or college student. Hands-on learning provides an environment where students are willing to learn. Whether a student is young or old, it is oftentimes easier to retain information given hands-on experience. Students need hands-on learning to see how something works, how it is related to the world, and how it relates to other things they are learning. The following article from BenefitsOf explains why hands-on learning is essential for use in classrooms.

Benefits of Hands on Learning

This particular type of learning is usually heightened when employees or students are capable of performing particular aspects of assigned tasks on their own. The hands-on learning is a very good method of teaching and the following are some of its benefits.

 

1. Greater retention of material

Through extensive educational research, it has actually been proven that students are going to have a lasting comprehension of things they do in comparison with the ones they only see or hear. The hands-on learning provides the students a visible, concrete foundation to learn all the necessary conceptual and abstract facts.

 

2. Enhances creativity

Working on projects with children is a great opportunity to highlight their unique creative skills. This is because the children are exposed to many raw materials that they can use to create original products which reflect their insights to various topics.

 

3. More enjoyable

Many students fail to do their best in certain classes since they claim that it is very boring to just sit around and listen to a very long lecture. On the other hand, with hands-on learning, the students are able to participate in the activities and thus it increases their motivation. The students will become more enthusiastic towards the lessons leading to improved results.

 

4. Develops a sense of achievement

Performing a project successfully from start to finish gives the students an important sense of achievement. The hands-on learning environment also provides the students the opportunity to get used to handling equipment better.

 

5. Develops critical thinking

This is a very important benefit since critical thinking can be applied in many places in life. The main goal of the hands-on learning is to enable the student make the required on-the-spot resolutions which can affect the desired outcome.

 

Hands-learning also has its own disadvantages as well and one of them is that it does not allow peer interaction. As a result, it is actually not effectual for attitude change.

Hands-on learning creates a classroom students look forward to going to. Next time you’re creating your lesson plan, consider using Southwick’s Zoo’s Zoomobile program to give a hands-on learning experience for students. With this hands-on learning activity, Southwick’s Zoo brings seven to eight animals directly to your school. Students will be in awe over the variety of animals we have to show. This hands-on learning activity will generate discussion for your classroom even after the Zoomobile has left. For more information on our Zoomobile program or any other programs available at Southwick’s Zoo, please give us a call!