Innovative Learning Techniques and brain Foods in Advanced Learning System

Learning is the art of acquiring some new knowledge or it can be updating of the existing knowledge we that one have. There are some things that we learn without even us knowing about it. It comes along with our own experience on the subject. On the other side, there are some things that we want to learn or which is necessary to be learnt. When we try to force ourselves to learn or when we try to pass our information or teach, it should be done with some preparation.Learning process doesn’t have age in the sense that everyone learns something on every day.Once albert Einstein say that the only source of knowledge is experience.How truthful it is?.

Traditional Educational System:

In traditional way of education or in conventional education, students are compelled to learn a certain subject within certain period of time irrespective of how much the student has gained knowledge or understood the subject. Traditional way of educational system can also be called as pen and paper system where practical knowledge is given least importance.

In traditional way of educational system each child is treated equally without considering their capability to learn, likes and dislikes. This system is very unfair and does not end in child getting benefited, indeed ends up in the child being unsatisfied and confused. In traditional educational system tries to teach subjects that’s required for a good career, knowledge and success in the subjects, and does not give much importance to what the child is interested to learn. Science has proved that each individual is born with certain skill and when those skills are promoted and worked towards, it results in extraordinary success.

Traditional educational system forces the students to by-heart the lessons provided without understanding what the subject is about. This is the result of the pressure put on the child by the instructors towards scoring marks in the exam. This is a highly dangerous extra pressure and negative practice that is common among most of the schools. The competition among schools creates stress on the instructors which is further passed to the students.

The general disadvantages of traditional educational system are:

• Makes the students who are not interested inactive.
• Stressful Learning conditions for students.
• One way communication. Student doesn’t get much freedom in explaining his point of views.
• Student need too much time outside the classroom in order to practice the subjects learnt.
• Hectic schedule and less time for extraordinary activities.

The unsuccessful results in the traditional way of education and the increase in the cases of students succumbing to academic pressure forced the educational institutes to think out of the box and to restructure the teaching methodologies. Governments also encouraged the schools to come up with new ideas, so that students will feel less burden and enjoys the learning. Although all the schools and other educational institutes took this matter in its seriousness, some institutes did. Mainly, internationally in lot of schools traditional system of education almost disappeared. But in countries like India, it is still being in the process of implementation.

The research about the drawbacks of traditional or conventional educational system found out that it is the force-feed system that generates less interest among students to learn. So including more practical classes and making learning more interactive was the main agenda among researchers. Also research on right brain-left brain analysis was also done and sessions were developed targeting the identifying a child whether he is a right brained (best at creative and expressive tasks) or left brained (best at logic, language, and analytic thinking). Some of the innovative methods developed to improve the way of teaching are as follows:

Here teaching is done with the help of lot of images, audio, video, animation and texts. In traditional method of teaching it was just one way medium between the teacher and student whereas here the multimedia stands as a bridge between the learner and the teacher. It helps the student to understand the subject better through videos and presentation.

Now days, we avail lot of learning DVDs for each subjects to improve certain tough problems especially in mathematics along with practical usage of such problems in detail. Using these teaching techniques, even an uneducated person can able to study very easily as well as the students can improve themselves in the self study environment.

Advantages of Multimedia Learning Process:

• More interactive
• Makes complicated subjects easily understandable
• Will reduce the assumption about subject
• Better explanation through pictures and videos
• Solved problems with explanation.

This is one of the latest innovative learning and skills development techniques where the trainer can teach students professionally from any part of the world.Once a student enroll for an online course, He will get special attention for the particular subject by online. He/she have to pay initial amount start to join.Once he/she paid minimum fee, only the required thing is a high speed / broadband internet. The online training academy allocates an account for each student that can access their learning resources, online based skill test after each portion covered and finally if he / she needs to clarify their doubts, they can directly speak or write to the trainer in online.Then the trainer will explain them again up to once the student get full satisfaction.

Advantages:

• No need of sitting more hours like in classroom training. Students can select their own flexible slots of time for attending classes which is less hours.
• All the learning resources will be shared among students through dropbox folders or with specific network permissions. Cloud based server access for the each students to certain learning software's for the practical classes, evaluate them separately, provide progress graph and technical advice's to improve the weak areas.
• Online classes are conducted by global certified professionals in each subjects.
• Learning / Skill based training Provided.
• Learn through Practical Videos.
• Once student complete online exam(Tough exam patterns when Compared to normal exams conducted by Universities), training academy provides valuable certificates which is globally accepted.
• Students can be able to communicate with other students during the course period through the online software's access provided by the training academy. Any students can post their queries to online forums , community organized by experts and getting help on their studies and advance learning process.

Mind Mapping was developed by Tony Buzan in the year 1960. It includes making notes with help of keywords and images which helps to recollect information for long time.

Mind mapping helps you learn to visually organize and link concepts, ideas, words and images around a central topic. In today’s world we suffer from information overload. Connected Mind provides you with a creative way to structure the information so that it makes sense to you personally.

Mind maps helps to organize day to day activities either it study or personal goals. For every problems definitely have different solutions. Using mind-maps, you can easily solve the problems in different perspectives. It can able to store any information in the form of pictures and recall them at any point of time.

Advantages:

• Saves time while studying.

• At time of exams, helps to recollect information through the images that were mapped

• Brain responds to mind mapping better as it is almost similar to the natural thinking process

• Helps brain to actively link between the ideas and connections.

• When you learn a new concept, you add it to the appropriate place in the mind map. In order to do that, you have to analyze the patterns, structures, and connections of concepts within your topic.

• This promotes better understanding, memorization, and recall, as well as the ability to apply knowledge in new situations.

• Connected Mind offers enough flexibility to maintain interest and encourage curiosity while still providing the structure that keeps you on track as a learner.

• Makes studying fun

• You can make the effective planning using mind mapping tools before starting the projects and stores lesson learned documents digitally after each modules completed.So you can reuse the same in other projects too.

There are many tools used to build mind maps globally. I would like to introduce some of the free tools for you such as brain Drill, Connected Mind Freeand a free mind map guide for the beginners.

For the business operations, I would prefer to suggest you, Keyfax’s 30 Business Mind Maps($18.20) and Draw Express Inc’s DrawExpress Diagram Lite(Free) and Personal Brain. These are the apps able to run in tablets, PC or in android mobiles etc. I will add the links for these free as well as paid products at the end of this article.

Brain foods and good nutrients have an important role in the learning process. If you give right nutrients and brain foods in the correct ratio for your childrens, it can improves your childrens memory and helps to increase the level brain intelligence.

Recent studies and research confirms a fact that brain games helps the kids and students to improve their memory, logical reasoning and cognitive skills. Example: lumosity games.

It improves the math skills, short term & long term memory, attention, speed, flexibility and problem-solving and IQ(intelligence Quotient). Raindrops in lumosity works out the brain's aptitude for doing quick mental calculations and its ability to work with numbers.

For the effective learning, brain games helps a lot to improve the brain power. This is possible to increase the usage of prefrontal cortex and make it flexible for an average brain powered(Average Brain Intelligence) human.

Apart from these brain games, there are so many programs that challenges your brain IQ and improves your brain power and other skills. Example: Mastermind program for students.

The prefontal cortex (that section of the brain right behind your forehead) is the part that helps us with things like decision-making and regulating our behavior. Self-control, or willpower, falls under this heading, and thus is taken care of in this part of the brain. For this, we need to do yoga at least 20 minutes a day in the morning. For the effective business processes, mind maps are widely used.

Brain Foods:

Certain foods can stimulate and improve the brain function. Now in international schools, they give special warness about brain foods among students and parents . This age parents are very wise and positive to accept the changes that will help their childrens study.

1. Oily fish

• Oily fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines are said to help against cardiovascular disease, prostate cancer, age-related vision loss and dementia.
• It's a good source of vitamin D, protein, some B vitamins and selenium.
• It's also a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, a type of fat good for our health.
• Boosting infant sensory, cognitive, and motor development - consuming oily fish during the last months of pregnancy can have positive effects on a child's sensory, cognitive, and motor development.
• It improves working memory.
• It contains fatty acid that boosts memory 15 percent from the recent research.Omega-3 fatty acids along with good exercise, can the ability to support weight loss.
• These oily fish foods maintains optimal brain health and prevent dementia(It is a brain disease that cause a long term and often gradual decrease in the ability to think and remember such that a person's daily functioning is affected.).

2. Blue Berries

• It slows down vision loss
• It increases barin size and help to prevent memory loss.
• It reduces belly fat
• It improves memory
• It induces cancer cell death
• It lowers blood sugar
• It prevents urinary tract infections
• It preserves bones health
• It relives constipation

3. Tomatoes

• It reduces chronic pain and hair problems
• It helps good sleep
• It supports bones and skin
• It is having anti cancer properties
• It lowers blood sugar Levels and blood pressure
• It improves Vision and controls weight
• It protects skin from sun damage

4.Blackcurrants

• Having anti aging properties and antioxidant
• It contains flavanoids that is essential for cardiovascular system’s Health

5. Pumpkin seeds

• It contains magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, Iron,copper, zinc, vitamin K, vitamin E, Vitamin B
• It lowers LDL Cholestrol and depression and inflammation of arthritis.
• It prevents kidney stone formation
• It is good for sleep and prostate health.

6. Broccoli

• It fights against birth defects
• It prevents colds
• It regulates blood pressure
• It helps to prevent heart diseases and stroke
• It promotes healthy bones and boosts Immune health
• It is having more fiber content
• It prevents arthritis and osteo-arthritis.

7. Walnuts

• It helps to improve memory and Brain.
• It reduces LDL( Bad Cholestrol)
• It Prevents constipation and helps digestion
• It lowers the risk of cancer
• It helps to sleep well
• It enhances antioxidents in the body

i. Teaching with Sense of Humor

Teaching with sense of humor helps the students to be comfortable with their teacher in a better way. This further creates an interest in the student to listen more to what the teacher says. This also helps to reduce stress on the students and to relax.

ii. Role Playing and Scenario based Teaching.

In this students are asked to play a particular role that is in the subject. Through this entire class gets attention and indirectly increases participation and helps them to learn fast. Also this develops the interest among students to do their own research on the subject.

iii. Learning with the help of Projects

Here, students are divided into different team and each team is given a specific project on the subject. This develops the team work attitude among the students and the ideas are exchanged. The project that they do their own helps to learn more on the subject and knowledge is transferred among the team members.

Above mentioned are just few of the innovative methods that is used generally in the advanced educational Learning methods and it is the teacher’s capability to contribute further innovative ideas in their teaching. A teacher should not teach in general, instead should spend time to identify the capability and interest of each student under him/her and accordingly should develop a teaching method to convey her/his ideas and knowledge. This develops interest among the students to learn and make them success in the subject they choose to expertise, which further plays a crucial part in the development of the country and the world.