Sources of Learning

In today’s competitive world, being educated does not mean just going to school and learning what is taught there. Children should put in an extra effort from their side if they have to do well. Every subject has so much to cover that students need to go beyond the material that is given in their schools and tap other sources of learning for their studies.

There are many sources of learning available in the market for children. Also, if a little attention is paid to the surroundings, there are many things in our daily lives that can be combined as sources of learning for children besides the regular textbooks and guides.

Some of the popular learning tools are mentioned below:

Textbooks
This is the main and most important study source for school going children. However, just referring to textbooks given by the school is not enough. There are many textbooks from different publishers on the same subject available in the market. If students can refer to these, it will help them get extra knowledge on the same subject. For example, they will get more sums and problems to solve for practice if they use more than one textbook for Maths.

Study Aids
Today, there are many study aids for a number of subjects that students can refer to. Depending on the subjects, some of these study aids may be available online as well. These can either be bought or downloaded. Study aids are available for different subjects. Students can use them for practicing sums and other concepts of subjects.

Sample Question Papers
Sample question papers help a lot, especially during exams. They are easily available these days. Most of the times they are combined into books and sold in the markets. Some of these also have the answers. They help students understand how to solve questions. Sample question papers can also be bought online. Sample question papers give students an idea about the kind of questions that may be asked during exams and also help them time themselves and practice for these exams.

Educational CDS
Educational CDs are available for different subjects in the market as well as online. Some of these CDs explain different concepts of subjects and some contain questions with steps on how to solve the questions. These are very helpful sources of learning as the student can see how to solve the problems and do it themselves.

Graphic Novels and Comics
These are good learning tools for kindergarten children. The colourful depictions and pictures in the graphic novels hold the attention of little children. These can be used to teach the children subjects like history in the form of stories.

Television
The television, with a whole range of educational shows is a very good source of learning. These shows can be of great help in developing a child’s interest in different subjects. The TV has many shows for different subjects that can help a child in gaining knowledge outside of the classroom and textbooks used in the classroom.

Newspapers and Magazines
Newspapers and Magazines can also be used as important sources of learning. Children should be taught to read newspapers at an early age. This will improve their general knowledge and help them with the current affairs as well. This will also help to bridge the gap between news and learning.

Libraries
Most of the times libraries are associated with fiction and other such reading. However, this need not be true. Libraries can also be great sources of learning. Most libraries these days have reference sections that contain books on different subjects. Students can either borrow these books for a brief period of time or spend time in the library and study these books.

People
People are the most ignored and most important sources of learning. Students today can learn so much without going anywhere by just observing and interacting with different people. The best example of this can be seen in infants. The first things that infants learn are from their parents and people around them. They imitate the people around them and learn a lot of things.

Internet
The internet is a great source of learning. The internet has many online course and interactive learning tools that will help students with different subjects. These not only give the students information on different subjects but also involve them in the teaching process. The internet also helps students get study material for different subjects thus making it very easy for them to prepare for all their subjects.