Page 15 - 彩虹橋 第四十四期家長通訊

These situations are great for interdisciplinary learning, enabling
music, dance, and language to work in tandem, developing learners’
musical awareness, their physical skills, and their recognition of
sounds and vocabulary. The familiar structure of songs is also perfect
for helping students learn and remember melodies, dance moves, and
lyrics.

More importantly, it is fun to sing and dance with your friends. There is
a unique enjoyment in performing in unison and satisfaction in finding
the right words and moves at the right time. Like humour, music can
also cause the release of dopamine, eliciting feelings of pleasure. Fun
and wacky rhyming songs like “Down by the Bay” can even combine
the two. In addition to using these songs to teach students about rhyme, teachers can encourage students to
write new verses to add to the song, sparking their creativity.

Game-based learning is another way to position “fun” at the centre of
lessons. Interactive games can help to create an exciting and immersive
learning environment in which students are more engaged, retain information
better, and exercise critical thinking. Reaction games require learners to
be alert to different prompts and stimuli so they can respond quickly with
appropriate actions. Students are incentivised to be more attentive towards
the material and also more motivated to show off their knowledge. Games
involving physical tasks or responses can
also be more accessible for students with
less confidence in their language ability,
giving them alternative ways of expressing
knowledge. These kinds of games can
also activate the sensorimotor networks in
students’ brains, creating kinetic meaning
and allowing for multi-sensorial learning.
Turning a learning exercise into a game
provides a stimulating and invested way
of challenging students. Instead of introducing skills practice as a difficult,
or repetitive process, educational games entice learners with the promise
of play. Practicing skills and applying learning becomes exciting, something
that students want to triumph at or overcome.

As a final remark, “fun” in the classroom begins with the teacher. Young
learners are extremely perceptive and can sense when teachers are not
committed or enthusiastic about what they are teaching. To make learning
“fun” for students, it has to also be “fun” for the teacher. Teachers should
demonstrate the motivation, passion, humour, and energy they want to see in
their students.

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