Big Bang Lab: Good digital user experience design should help kids learn by doing (experiential learning)

‍Screen-assisted learning has become prevalent and essential in the education system. Good digital user experience should encourage kids to learn by actively interacting with the content. An active use of device can help kids to have a deep engagement with the digital contents; therefore, the learning experience can be more efficient (Guiding Principles for Use of Technology with Early Learners, n.d.). A good user design in the digital learning experience should also involve with the space for user to explore the features by themselves. Especially for preschoolers (3-7 years old), an active exploring approach will work better than passively absorbing the knowledge. According to the experiment on preschooler’s learning, children stop exploring by themselves on the toys’ features, when given too much guidance (Bhanoo, 2012).

Big Bang Lab is a hybrid-learning platform supported by Big Bang Academy. It turns abstract science concepts into interactive bite-sized and adventure-based lessons for children. Based on Big Bang Academy’s widely accredited curriculum, you and your child can explore a wide range of science topics from the comfort of your home.

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STEM Company Excursion: Experiential learning/activity-based learning provides the ideal learning environment

‍According to the American pragmatist and educator, John Dewey (1910), the most effective and natural learning environment is where people can learn through experience, or more accurately, through reflecting on doing, which is also called experiential learning. It is exactly how human brain analyses the relation of our body and the environment. Once we understand it, we know how to perform better next time. The ideal situation is when we first get into the environment and have a brief trial. Then we reflect on what has happened. Subsequently, we try to connect the experiences to form an abstract concept. In the end, we can make a plan to improve for the next time. This process goes on all the time, because learning is not to prepare for life; rather, it is the life itself.

Big Bang Academy’s Project Alpha programme provides STEM Company Excursion, which allows kids to experience real life tech company through activities, including company visit, talk of the professionals, as well as on-site workshop. Let kids explore what it is like in real life, so that future career choice is no longer just a concept.

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STEM Company Excursion: Experiential learning helps young kids form stronger memory

Emotion is involved in the process of our brain forming memories, which is called “emotional memory.” The amygdala plays a crucial role in encoding the memories, including their storage and intensity. It locates in the temporal lobe, which is highly involved with emotion and affection. Emotions are subjective state of consciousness that neuron systems react to stimulus or danger in the surroundings (LeDoux, 2002).

As the amygdala is remarkably close to, and forms connections with the hippocampus (a memory structure of the brain), these two often work together to make memories more memorable.

Especially for young kids, their limbic system (in charge of emotions) has developed way before pre-frontal cortex (in charge of information process). When using experiential learning approach, they form stronger memory and will be able to learn better.

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Reference list:

Teen Brain Development: Timeline, Effects, Factors (healthline.com)

Bergstrom, C. (2016, March 15). Mindfulness and the Brain—How to Explain It to Children. Blissful Kids. Retrieved September 15, 2023, from https://blissfulkids.com/mindfulness-and-the-brain-how-to-explain-it-to-children/

Bhanoo, S. N. (October 1st, 2012). Scientific Inquiry Among the Preschool Set. The New York Time. Retrieved September 15, 2023, from https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/02/science/ scientific-inquiry-among-the-preschool-set.html?_r=3&ref=education

Dewey, J. (1910). How we think. D.C. Heath & Co..

Guy-Evans, O. (September 13th, 2023). What Is The Amygdala: Function & Brain Location. Simply Psychology. Retrieved September 15th, 2023, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/amygdala.html

LeDoux, J. E. (2002). Emotion, Memory and the Brain. Scientific American, 12(1s), 62–71. https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican0402-62sp

(n.d.). Guiding Principles for Use of Technology with Early Learners. Office of Educational Technology. Retrieved September 25, 2022, from https://tech.ed.gov/earlylearning/ principles/

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