“Why?”
If kids have a favourite question, it’s probably this one. “Why is the sky blue?”, “Why can’t we fly?”, “Why does it rain?”… If you have been around a kid for any significant amount of time, you must have faced a barrage of questions like this.
Curiosity is an innate human trait; how well we cultivate it through the years determines our mental acuity as adults. Science is also about nurturing curiosity. It’s a process of seeking knowledge, not merely memorizing periodic tables or calculating the gravitational pull of the sun.
It’s unfortunate that the education system of this country has almost reduced science to nothing but rote memorization. This is no surprise that a majority of science students, even at the college level, lack the basic understanding of fundamental concepts of this subject.
Now, there are many smart ways to learn science which are both edifying and appealing to young minds. The most important book – NCERT has also its impressions on the internet. You can easily find solutions over the internet. These also help students get a clear idea about the topics and ensure that they do not forget it as soon as the exams are over. Students can prepare for engineering exams like JEE Main and also medical entrance tests like NEET Exam with the help of the internet.
Question everything
Every scientific concept has an inherent reason behind it. The process of learning begins with asking questions. Most scientific theories are borne out of simple questions. Isaac Newton asked himself, “Why does an apple fall to the ground and not fly up?” and gravity was conceptualized. Albert Einstein asked himself (and many other eminent scientists of the time), “What will happen if I travel at the speed of light?” and the Special Theory of Relativity was born.
You get the point, right?
Experience science hands-on
What’s the use of theoretical knowledge if you cannot implement it in real life?
Studies have repeatedly shown that children learn better through hands-on experiences rather than textbook erudition. The ballpark figure is that people retain 80% of what they experience and practice compared to 15% of what they read or hear.
Watch educational content
There’re tons of audio-visual educational content available on YouTube and other online platforms which can help students learn science faster. Many of these go beyond traditional science education and are thoroughly enjoyable. Children can learn various scientific concepts in a fun and engaging way through these content.
Join an online learning academy
Traditional teaching methods are vastly out-dated, with teachers depending more on repeated learning rather than an understanding of the rationale behind it. It has created a vacuum in the educational sector for quality teaching. Nevertheless, there are a few online teaching platforms in India which are revolutionizing the way children are taught.
Vedantu is an excellent case in point. This online learning platform became a raging favourite among students in India because of their innovative teaching techniques and highly qualified teachers.
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes
Another demerit of our education system, and indeed, the society at large is that it doesn’t allow any room for errors. Leading educationists advocate that children should be given the freedom to make mistakes and learn from them. That way, they retain knowledge with much greater clarity.
So, if you are wondering how to be good at science, allow those young minds to make mistakes.
What you know can help you learn what you don’t
The basic premise of this idea is to associate an unknown topic with what a student already knows. If a student is having difficulty in learning a new subject matter, parents and teachers should explain it to them by relating it with something they have learned before. Social scientists call this practice associative learning and consider it one of the smart ways to learn science.
Science can be the most fun and practical subject to learn given that it is taught that way. With the ready availability of the internet, children can now learn science smartly and make the subject what it is supposed to be – interesting.
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