Education Theories

Education Theories

Education is a vital part of the development of every person. It plays an essential role in life, career, and self-development. In previous centuries, education was considered a privilege of wealthy people. They had governesses who lived in the house and taught children at home. They gave their students knowledge of basic subjects, such as logic, mathematics, and languages. Such conditions gave the teacher the possibility to find a proper learning methodology that fit the level and individual characteristics of the student. Later on, there have appeared more and more different educational institutions that made people capable of gaining knowledge. One can describe modern educational possibilities as immense and ground. Therefore, today, education is defined as a complex process, which requires a well-trained, enthusiastic, and active teacher, as well as the desire of the learner to be involved in the learning process. In regards to out-of-school settings, teachers should understand the importance of cooperation, participation, technology, and social interaction because these aspects are a key to profound education and the successful future.

The process of learning has changed with time. A modern methodology of teaching emphasizes the point that learning should not only concern the reproduction of the gained knowledge; rather, it has to be connected with the development of students’ critical thinking, ability to analyze, and flexibility. To ensure a proper learning process, teachers have to create a proper learning environment. First, they have to know the abilities and personal characteristics of learners. Second, every teacher has to use different approaches to learning and choose those that fit a certain group the best. What is more, they have to be creative during the educational process because it is one of the toughest tasks to interest the students and to make them love and know the subject. Therefore, using different methodologies and styles of learning is the way to ensure a fruitful process of learning.

Learning is provided not only in institutions like schools, colleges, and universities but also in different learning clubs that are useful in learners’ development. Such educational clubs or centers assist students in understanding learning in an out-of-school setting, and it is a complement to a regular school studying. Moreover, such institutions provide different activities through which learners may practice and obtain an additional understanding of the subject. Very important is the fact that various creative tasks and activities are used during such classes. These technologies help students to reveal their strong sights and hidden talents. Therefore, such activities encourage learners to use creative thinking and flexibility in solving different tasks. Among principal activities that are offered by educational clubs or centers are communication, cooperation, participation, of the use computers and the Internet in the learning process, social interaction, and outdoor activities.

Communications are the basic and essential needs of every human being that help people to socialize in the society they live in. If individuals have the lack of communication, they become closed, afraid to express one’s opinion or have the fear of the public. That is why communication practice tasks ensure learners’ personal growth and help to overcome various difficulties that are connected with socializing with people, making different speaking projects, and all sorts of performance. In order to gain results in communication, people who work in such institutions have to involve learners to communicate with the help of games where they have to talk to one another or ask questions. Furthermore, it is effective to discuss different books, films, or cartoons. Using such activities, learners will be open to communication. Furthermore, this kind of knowledge is also useful in school or college life as learners will be free and open and will have no problems on the lessons where they have to perform or express their point of view.

Cooperation is one of the most required skills nowadays, and it aims at the ability of people to work with others in different surroundings. It prepares learners for not only its successful use during the studying process but also its implementation in everyday life experience. Moreover, the ability to cooperate with people is needed in the modern society because cooperation is the way for a successful making of projects and finishing complicated tasks. The best way to make cooperation work is to divide learners into small groups and provide them with the task where their immediate need would be cooperation within the group. It is also important to announce that the aim of the cooperation is fruitful work and a brilliant result. Thus, the ability to cooperate will be useful while making team projects, solving the problems, or working in the group. The ability to cooperate is also an inalienable part of participation. Very often students do not want to take part in different projects or performances because they consider that this is a complicated task, which requires some special knowledge. In reality, participation combines many characteristics and helps learners to show their talents. To participate actively, learners are involved in various kinds of activities like team games and performances.

Furthermore, the modern world is based on the use of digital technologies. Therefore, today, one can hardly imagine people’s life without technologies. That is why there is a need to use them in all possible and beneficial ways in order to obtain every possibility from life. More and more educational institutions use various learning programs that require work on the Internet. In addition, a computer itself is an inalienable part of the process of education.

Students perceive, learn, and remember only the information that is interesting for them and that is presented in a creative and attractive way. That is why various computer programs may be involved in the learning process, and it gives an additional field for creativity. In that respect, teachers may use computer programs, which gives a possibility to paint or create something new. While using these programs, students may develop their creative thinking and artistic vision. Furthermore, among all benefits that computers may provide, one of the most crucial ones is the use of the Internet that is the window of the world. Today, the Internet makes learning and self-development process more accessible, convenient, and multilateral. On the Internet, there are many educational websites for learners of different age and interests. In addition, it possesses a wide variety of educational videos and blogs. Therefore, teachers have a great field of information to work with, and it is a powerful tool that catches the attention of learners.

In educational clubs or centers, people who help learners to improve their knowledge in an out-of-school surrounding may use Internet resources to achieve successful results. As mentioned above, the Internet is full of educational videos for students of different age, and teachers in out-of-school institutions may explain complicated tasks with its help. For instance, such kind of work is beneficial when learners want to know and understand more about natural processes, the life of the animals, or the growth of the plants. Second, learners, especially the young ones, perceive everything better through the game process. That is why teachers may use the Web as a source of numerous educational games where children may learn the alphabet, make up and learn vocabulary, solve different kinds of puzzles and crosswords, and make various mathematic exercises and logic tasks. In addition, with the help of Internet resources, teachers may develop children’s performing talents such as singing or painting. In addition, as an additional task, teachers in out-of-school clubs or centers may ask learners to make their videos with a performance of their hobbies. It will increase the level of confidence of students. Furthermore, there are many special programs on the Internet that are connected with painting. In this way, children may draw their pictures and present them to the group afterward. Therefore, the Internet possesses a great scope of programs for studying and creativity.

The aim of out-of-school institutions is to communicate knowledge in an unusual and creative way in order to ensure profound education. That is why many tasks are combined with drawing or painting. Visualizing helps to achieve a faster effect in the understanding and learning of new information. For example, teachers may show basic mathematical tasks such as adding or subtracting on the example of painting fruits, vegetables, or other objects. Moreover, painting with gouache or watercolor paints shows how learners can combine different colors to create another color. Young learners are especially interested in such activities as it gives them a wide circle of possibilities to show their artistic abilities. Furthermore, this kind of activity will be helpful in the future when the learner would have to understand different reactions, for instance, in chemistry. Thus, painting is not only the activity for relaxation but also a powerful tool in image designing and other fields.

Outdoor activities are an essential part of the learning process in out-of-school clubs or centers as they make students physically fit and cooperative. Such kinds of games show how children may cooperate, support one another, and actively participate in the game. In addition, with the help of group games, children may acquire leadership skills and feel team spirit. Furthermore, outdoor activities are useful for the health and the sports games’ practice.

All things considered, one may come to the conclusion that all these activities have a positive effect on students’ social life and learning. In addition, all activities that were mentioned involve students in social interaction and cooperation. As it is widely known, social interaction is essential in the psychological and behavioral well-being of every person. Moreover, it helps people, especially children, to socialize and become socially active. Overall, nowadays, in our multicultural and multidimensional society, social interaction shows the way for successful and active future for everyone.

All the analyzed facts are based not only on the theory but also on my experience in participating as a teacher in an out-of-school educational institution. I had been participating in the work of Club Proteo for a long period and gained valuable experience and some personal rewards in the form of success of the children I had been working with. Firstly, when I entered the Club Proteo, I met many boys and girls who were active and eager to complete different tasks and gain knowledge. During my first experience in this club, I have learned that children like to play games, and teachers have to use them actively during the classes, as the best and the most effective way for children to perceive the world is through game activities. I have understood it because my first experience was to supervise the group of children who were involved in doing the project. However, some students did not like it, as it was formal and not so interesting for them. Later we played the game where I asked children to name a word that is similar to the sound that the car makes, as it is helpful in their pronunciation practice. In this way, I noticed that children were highly motivated and enthusiastic in playing games.

During my other visit to Club Proteo, I have discovered that children who visited this club were really attracted by the outdoor activities in basketball pitch. In addition, this time I was to supervise a boy who was new in this club and he asked me to help him with mathematics because he had difficulties with this subject and was not interested in it at all. He told me that he did not like anything connected with numbers and even when his parents asked him to go to the shop it was complicated for him to make all these money operations. It was a difficult task to help this boy, as I had not only to teach but also to rouse the interest of the learner. After some consideration, I came with some technologies that were fruitful. Firstly, he solved some easy tasks like adding and subtracting easy numbers and later he was successful in more difficult tasks. In addition, I got him involved in the mathematics computer games. The boy has become so attracted by the task that he caught the attention of other children. Moreover, by the end of this session, other boys and girls were enthusiastic about the activity he was doing. In addition, he immediately became interested in explaining what he was doing, and he shared his knowledge with others. That is why I have realized that he was a very fast learner, although he needed a detailed and good explanation. Probably, the reason was an incomprehensible explanation of the subject. I was satisfied that I helped this boy in this difficult task and I was particularly impressed that my generative model was so sufficient in learning.

During my third visit, I have learned that sometimes it can be difficult to focus children’s attention, and it is effective to call them directly by their names because it makes them feel important and respected. In addition, during this session, I was to teach children how to make drawings, and they were interested in this task as it gave them the possibility to create their pictures and express their creativity. Therefore, interaction and own examples result in positive outcomes.

During the homework lesson, I have realized that we cannot evaluate every child’s knowledge in general, but we have to be precise and individual. Teachers have to know every ability of their students and be aware of their strong sides and gaps. During this session, I explained what multiplication was all about, giving examples of different mathematical combinations, and then I proceeded with a further explanation of the material and demonstration on how the calculations were done. I asked different questions and made pupils solve various tasks. Surprisingly, one girl was more active than other children were and she wanted to tell everything the first. However, I noticed that such situation was a bit frustrating for the rest of the students and that is why I set some rules to make everybody equal in the class because I understand that such tasks require concentration and students need some time to think about and tell the correct answer. If somebody always tells the answer immediately, it does not give the possibility for other students to solve the task and think properly. After that, everything went well, and children were satisfied with the lesson. Therefore, I understood that this girl required a bit different and more complicated tasks than other students. I did that in order to interest the girl and give her the possibility to overcome some difficulties. Thus, individual approach to every learner is a tool for successful studying.

To conclude, I want to mention that education is deeply connected with everyday life experience. It is not only a typical process of reproducing knowledge gained during the lessons but also a field for personal development and creativity. Therefore, good education is the way for the successful future. That is why great attention has to be paid to the process of learning. Teachers have to find an individual approach for every student and help them to reveal their strong sides and talents. Apart from ordinary educational institutions such as schools or colleges, there are numerous educational clubs that help to explain to students different subjects using various methods. Among them, the game is one of the most effective methods because all learners, especially children, perceive the world and all life experience through the game. It makes them feel realistic and help to visualize the subject for better understanding. The process of studying does not have to be mundane but has to be creative with the help of the use of modern technologies as they make students remain interested. Experience is the thing that makes people understand and cope with numerous tasks. Therefore, education is not the one-way process but the cooperation between teachers, learners, and parents, as well as a great amount of training and enthusiasm. Only this combination may bring successful results for both students and teachers.