Activity-Based Learning
(ABL)
Description
Learning activities are often intended to bring fun and functionality to learning, instead of extended book reading or listening to lectures.
This makes learning very impactful. Learning becomes enjoyable and meaningful when each step is taken by the learner himself. Hence, activity may increase the possibility of learning and memorizing things, several schools throughout the entire world already apply this method.
What does an activity-based learning process include?
How does it benefit the learners, and what are its operations along with types of activities included in this methodology? ABL stands for Activity-Based Learning in brief. Students learn by doing. Playing games, doing experiments, acting out parts, making things, talking to other people all are means to learn new things. One can read about plants; ABL allows students to go outside, look at real plants, draw them, and even plant seeds.
It helps the students to learn by doing rather than only sit and listen. It promotes understanding rather than rote memorization.
Why Is Learning by Doing Important?
There Is a Lot of Goodness with ABL, and Here Are Some of the Important Ones:
Better Understanding
Students can relate practically to how things happen when they do something. Thus, it enhances their understanding more than merely reading about it.
Learning and games are interesting
Learning is fun, so students become interested in it and get excited to come to classes.
Longer Memory
You can keep something in your mind longer if you do something with your hands, or you talk about it with other people.
Creativity
New ways of doing things are thought of by kids in play Activity-Based Learning where they get to show their ideas and work on problems.
Sharing and communicating with each other
People work in groups do many things. This helps learners to be cooperative, interact with others in a polite manner.
Classroom Activities
Teachers design topic-related special lessons. The age grade of the learners and the subject matter predominantly influence the organization of such activities. The students are directed by the teachers to carry out the activity, question them, and reflect on what they have learned.
Observed in pre-primary sections where children may sing draw play with clay and perform easy science experiments. In the higher fee classes, the activities might include group discussions project work role plays making of models etc The teacher is a helper not just an instructor. The emphasis in this methodology shifts to students who are made responsible for their own learning.
An example of activity-based learning in context.
Math Teachers might use pizza slices or pieces of a chocolate bar to make students see and learn about fractions. They can break them up into halves or quarters with their hands.
Science Students can find out which things fall faster by dropping different things and watching which ones fall fastest. After that, they can have a discussion on what they observed.
Language While students learn grammar rules through reading, they make cards for making sentences and play verb charades, for example.
History: Acting and creating timelines and drawings with the aid of images help students to get a better understanding of history much more than that of past geological events.
Geography Students use maps, clay or models (like the one attached), to represent mountains, rivers and other landforms in studying how geography affects things around us.
Activity-Based Learning Flaws
Even though it is very helpful, there are some issues with ABL: time for planning and getting ready is more; Such type of work requires well-trained teachers to perform activities. Some schools have so much little space or little material that they do not have adequate facilities for the activities. It becomes difficult to keep on most people during the activities.
However, with the correct training and assistance, these problems can easily be rectified. Many schools are using inexpensive resources, even castoffs, to infuse learning with fun.
The Future of Learning
Children need more than books in a world where knowledge is said to be doubling. They need to learn how to think, how to create, and how to solve problems. Activity-Based Learning is the method through which students will learn how to do just that.
This method is also beneficial for students with varied learning modalities. Some kids may understand better when things are shown to them, some when things are said to them, and some when they do things themselves. All these are categorized under ABL. Nowadays, the governments and the school boards are directing the schools to apply Activity-Based Learning so that learning can become interesting and effective.
Activity-Based Learning is much more than mere games and fun; it is the most effective way of learning for meaningful learning. It is going to make the classrooms the places where learning will be created, questioned, and enjoyed by the students. With the future implementation of this approach in more schools, it is anticipated that students are going to be intelligent as well as confident, curious, and futuristic.