Sean Castle | 5 Ways To Develop Learning Skills For A Sharper Brain

Sean Castle is a Head Teacher having 20 years of experience in education. In this blog Sean Castle is explaining 5 Ways to develop learning skills for a sharper brain.

Growing up may be a challenging process for the small ones and childhood an important period in their lives. Many skills and abilities develop at an astounding rate within the early years of growth, which sets the bottom for life-long learning. Since every child has unique learning styles and interests, they have support and guidance to succeed in their potential. Activity-based learning is that the best way to shape their learning curve. Here’s why!

Developing Lifelong Learning using a Child’s Natural Abilities

1. Curiosity

Fact: Children are naturally curious to understand about the ‘whys’ and ‘hows’, ‘causes’ and ‘effects’ of everything.

In a UC Davis study, participants were asked questions. Researchers found that people were better at answering completely unrelated questions than subject-specific questions. When tested on what they’ve learned within the question-answer rounds, it had been found that curious people were quick at remembering answers.

The experiment concluded that when appropriately stimulated, curiosity increases brain activity within the ‘reward & motivation centre’ resulting in intrinsic self-motivation. Curiosity-based learning stimulates the brain to make long-term happy memories. We can nurture a child’s natural curiosity by:

Wondering aloud (“Oh, the sky is blue!”).

Supporting their interests (e.g., paint/sing/write down your thoughts).

Answering questions with answers and more open-ended questions (e.g., “What does one think play does-keeps us lively?”).

This sharpens higher-order thinking skills (HOTS)-a precursor to major life-skills, like decision-making & problem-solving.

2. Mindfulness

Fact: Mindfulness and self-awareness are the keys to learning.

Research states, “When we involve all the senses, emotions, thoughts, and actions in learning, our brain retains the knowledge for a extended time.”

In an experiment, the themes were first shown emotionally neutral photographs, matched with distinct odours. Next, they were shown some more images without odours. Sometime later, they might recall mostly the odour-paired pictures, especially those with the pleasant smells. The study concluded that the sensory processing region of the brain got active once they saw aromatic objects therefore, they might easily remember the experience.

To support self-development through awareness, we can:

Challenge a kid’s senses through creatively-engaging activities (e.g., photography, nature walking).

Ask them to guess the ingredients of their favourite dish.

Observe their surroundings, feel the smell and texture of the materials utilized in pottery or painting, emotions, reactions, etc.

3. Stimulation

Fact: The more you think that , the higher your brain functions, no matter your age or brain .

Researchers at NYC’s Einstein College concluded that folks who are engaged in regular mental activities are at a lower risk of amnesia by up to 75%. “When our brain isn’t mentally charged, the unused neurons start degenerating, leading to poor cognitive learning abilities.”

We can stimulate healthy brain functioning by:

Playing thinking games like chess, scrabble, or Jenga.

Helping them recognise and overcome common childhood problems, like anxiety, aggression, etc.

Asking ‘what-if’ questions in order that they could think and respond appropriately.

4. Organisation

Fact: An organised child develops emotional intelligence, self-confidence, maturity, and better mental abilities.

A research conducted by Middles ex junior college concludes that “Thinking, sensory processing, and knowledge retrieval are slow in an unorganized brain.” Teaching organisation improves other skills, including social skills that prevent serious behavioural issues within the future.

Organised kids:

Develop a far better sense of purpose

Meet deadlines

Perform well under stress

Understand the mechanics of your time management

We can help kids plan better by:

Setting up a schedule for cleaning to minimize distractions and specialize in the task in hand.

Asking them to streamline their daily routine using planners, lists, maps, etc.

Early development of organisational skills boosts a child’s learning capability.

5. Practice

Fact: Repeating the items we’ve just heard, read, or thought, helps us remember them. Practice reinforces memory, connection, and concentration.

Our brain functions still improve throughout our lives, counting on our experiences and therefore the memories/thoughts we revisit, or the talents we practice at regular intervals. It strengthens the neural connection and increases plasticity — the unique ability of the brain to vary .

To help kids practice purposefully, experts recommend-

A fun practice activity (e.g., creating songs for various lessons, and singing them aloud).

Creating a roadmap for goal-setting and improvement.

Rectifying the mistakes and making efforts to enhance .

Sean Castle: Early childhood developments play an important role in mental & emotional conditioning and cultivate the zeal to find out . These expert parenting tips and hacks will assist you overcome most of the training barriers. However, it is also important to know that children master the training methods at their own pace. Some are quick learners, while others take time. As caregivers, we will help them recognize their horizons of data and adopt a step-by-step approach for self-improvement. It’ll help them perform better, regardless of a slow start.