Technology has changed the world in so many ways that it’s easy to take many of them for granted. Everything from banking to shopping, to communicating with our friends and loved ones now happens online, and there’s no sign that this will change any time soon. Education is another area of our lives that has been revolutionised by the advancement of technology, and it’s one that is often overlooked. Learning via online and digital platforms presents a whole new world of possibilities for learners and teachers alike. And with broadband and fibre internet becoming ubiquitous virtually all around the world, technologies like video lectures, online classes and truly interactive online learning have become feasible and available for millions of people.In this article, we’ll explain what interactive learning is all about, and take a look at some examples of innovative ways that learning institutions around the world are using it to encourage deeper engagement between learners and teachers.
What is interactive learning?
Interactive learning is a hands-on approach to education that relies on practical examples and live exercises to help students engage better with the subject material and retain more information. Interactive learning as a term today refers almost exclusively to learning with technological aids, but it does not necessarily have to involve technology. In this sense, learning in its truest form has always been interactive. With or without technological support, interactive learning strengthens students’ problem solving and critical thinking skills.
21st Century digital education in an Australian context
For learners to develop skills that allow them to thrive in the 21st century as reflected in the new Australian curriculum, it’s essential that we as educators create and sustain environments that facilitate knowledge-building. New technologies like smart devices (tablets, smartphones, etc.), when used in conjunction with contemporary knowledge-building strategies have the potential for innovative learning methods and should be considered essential for learning institutions in the future. To support new methods of learning, students will require access to the appropriate resources and assessments to demonstrate skills such as reasoning, problem solving and an understanding of the principles of design. By the same token, teachers need to be fully competent with all the latest technologies to properly support their students.
Here’s a look at some innovative ways schools from around the world are using integrated learning:
Kunskapsskolan schools in Sweden and Lumiar schools in Brazil are both focusing their learning designs around individual plans and collaborative projects to facilitate more interactive learning experiences. The approach involves briefing learners and allocating the necessary resources to them, and allowing them to manage the completion of the tasks themselves. Teachers take the role of facilitators rather than directly teaching the learners, and provide the necessary support and guidance when required.
Social media and smart devices might be seen as the chief distraction for learners in most schools, but schools have turned them into vehicles for engaging with their students. Learners are encouraged to use social media to report their findings on science trips, for example, using hashtags specified by the school. They are also encouraged to blog about their lessons, experiments and insights, and share this knowledge with their fellow students to facilitate debate and discussion around the subjects.
In addition to interactive learning, performance-based initiatives are becoming increasingly popular. One school got its students to design and produce their own recycling bins to build an understanding of current global issues and improve sustainability efforts. Projects like this encourage students to identify problems in current systems and develop more successful alternatives while giving them real-world skills that will benefit them for the rest of their lives. Schools around the world are becoming aware of the potential that innovative content distributors like Kanopy – an online library of documentaries and art-house movies featuring over 26,000 titles – have for their students’ learning experience. With the vast amount of easily available media that exists on the internet, it only makes sense that learning institutions use it to the benefit of their learners, rather than letting it become a distraction.
At Higgins, we’ve embraced technology and incorporated it into every aspect of our project management tasks. We make use of a custom Integrated Management System to ensure that all tasks are completed on time and up to your exacting standards. To find out more about how we make building maintenance services and delivering interactive learning experiences to your students easy, download our free brochure here.
