Interaction, Why is it Important?

As children in elementary school, we were learning more about the world than in any other time in our scholastic years. We would learn by playing tag on the playgrounds, making art with our hands, and learning math with shapes. My point is, most of our learning at this stage in life was done through interactive activities. It is no secret that elementary kids learn best when interaction is involved. It is very easy for them to become distracted during that age, so a good way to keep them focused is by making them interact and engage with the material. I argue that learning should not be so different at a university, or even in high school.

As a college student, I see my peers constantly getting distracted with their phones and laptops (which most students bring to lectures), like how a child would become distracted if they saw a squirrel outside the window of their classroom. That is why I believe that interaction is imperative in getting students to engage with the material and actually learn it. Learning is a process that is usually better accomplished when you can interact with the thing you are learning so you can effectively “experience” it.

Online courses are now taking away the interactive side of learning, giving students a poor education, and they don’t have to! There are plenty of ways out there to add interaction to online courses! In my previous post, I talked about some of those ways and the pros and cons of each. Online teachers, it is your duty to revive the interactive side of learning and improve education for your students! Students, it is your duty to stand up for your learning and push for a better education.