|
 
|
|
|
|
| |
The Learning
environment
There is often a trap in the words 'after school activities'. One
may
easily believe that since these activities are after school, they
are not
of much importance. But, one couldn't be more wrong. Research
suggests
that children pick up some of their most important skills from after
school programs. That is why children who do not participate in any
extra curricular activities are generally slow and less vibrant.
The learning environment that one fosters in after school activities
must
be as disciplined and as functional as that found in the school.
This is
especially true of educational after school programs. This is the
best
place to teach the child important skills like time-management and
goal
setting. Time-management is a vital skill, but it is not achieved
easily.
Children need to feel the discipline that is needed to finish a task
and
the happiness of finishing the allotted work in a specific time
frame.
Children look for different things in an after class program. The
learning
environment should be attractive, colorful and informative. Use
charts,
pictures, posters and drawings to liven up a class. Additional
resources
(resources that are not easily available in the school) will make
the
classes interesting. For instance, when teaching a biology lesson,
allow
the child to see through a microscope or see slides of bacteria.
This
will add to his knowledge and also make him more enthusiastic about
his after school program.
Discipline is a must in after school activities. In fun or
sport-based
activities, it is easy for children to step out of line and wreck
havoc.
While children should be allowed to have fun, they should be
curtailed
from unacceptable behavior. The best way to enforce discipline is to
lay
down the rules at the very beginning. Let the children know what is
unacceptable, right at the beginning.
Rewards are an important part of any learning process. The reward
can be a simple pat on the back or a token of appreciation. Motivate
your children to aspire for higher things by rewarding their
achievements. Holding competitions or sport activities where the
children can show their
proficiency is a reward in itself.
Children can get bored easily, especially in the case of an
educational
program. The main thrust of an academic program is to repeat what
has been taught in class and to allow the child to learn it quickly.
It is
difficult to pique the child's interest a second time, especially
when the
child is already tired of one dose of the same lesson. It is best to
thwart boredom by using creative techniques like an impromptu
extempore on any topic, a quiz program or a slideshow.
After school activities are becoming more popular by the day.
Parents want their kids to learn more. Children too have an
insatiable quest for
knowledge. In an after school program, it is possible to pay
individual
attention and quench this thirst using various effective techniques.
|
|
|
