when teaching underprivleged kids, what is the better way to connect? using games or making allusions?

Question

im in a sort of outreach program where we teach kids having a hard time understanding/catching up to classmates. they say that making all the activities games is the best way to catch their attention.

I disagree, since I can easily relate to kids. I can make great connections from their favorite shows or games to the lesson.

I never had education courses before though, so im not an expert. Should I listen to the moderator and make all the activities games, or should i use my strength as a child-at-heart, to woo these kids and help them understand using connections to games/cartoons/etc?

Answer 1

I think you should use a mixture of both but mostly games.
I taught the same thing using a scripted program. I wasn't trained either and I asked my boss if I had to stick to that boring program She said I had to use the program but could do it the way I wanted but still had to do all the work sheets and follow the book. But I made up so many games that just captured their interests For example I took 7th graders reading from a second grade level to a 6th grade level in 6 months They loved coming to class! The reason I would not use TV and cartoons is because They need to learn to think for themselves and TV is not the right genre to use for teaching real life situations
If you want some ideas email me But try to keep TV out of it
that's just promoting some of the rubbish on TV because if they think you approve of some of the cartoons they will start watching more and more and delving further into who knows what? You probably didn't want to hear that but I also had a daycare and never let them watch any cartoons only discovery and educational programs and not more than 1-2 hours a day. The rest of the time was playing games that were related to what "big people" did in life. eg. breakfast was a restaurant and we had the cashier, waiter, and cleanup crew and rotated It was great! they learned cooperation and math etc We had so much fun. If you make it fun you CAN"T go wrong. Best of luck to you!

Answer 2

every child learns in a different way.. some kids learn better though lectures, while others learn through discovery and exploration and others learn from their peers, and games better.

Personally I've worked with innercity kids in Miami.. and I found that games helped a lot in teaching them the basics they were missing. If a child still didn't get it at that point.. then I'd work with them on a more specialized way to help them understand based on the way they learn best.

But if you're serving more than one child... games and fun activies generally will help the kids pick up on things faster.. if you have a small group of kids, you won't have the time to reach out to each one individually to meet their specific way they learn.

Answer 3

You should find out what their interests are at the same time. It's hard because once a student has made up their minds about how they feel about a teacher, it pretty much sticks to it like that. If you gave off a good first impression, i'm sure they'll stay more interested. Bad impression, lots of yelling and sending to office, no one is going to pay attention.

But games are the better way to go about it.

Answer 4

I think analogy to situations they are used to would be the most effective and specials about the most innovative programs in this field do tend to be about programs that make school situations "real" for the kids by using terms and items they are familiar with. Counting? Count bricks or hubcaps: what kid has "10 apples" in the city? Talking about a social situation, use familiar names and situations. Talking about distance problems: use bus routes and subway stops they've heard of or used, it makes it more relevant. (It may also help them get to work faster someday).

Answer 5

Having worked with kids for several years in environmental education programs I think the best way to help them learn is to give them hands on experience. There is no substitute for experiental learning.

Answer 6

You first have get them to want to learn, play games that will teach them. When worked with kids I had mixture of boys, if one was having problems we would work on his problem, the other boys would help him. Math was the main thing we worked on.

Answer 7

Teach them the meaning of education or what you're trying to teach, honestly the teachers aren't really exactly motivating

Answer 8

games

Answer 9

just make sure you make them feel wanted, appreciated and their answers count

You don't have to use fancy stuff to make a impact