The Benefits of Subtitled Educational Video for the Average Child
We start this third article in the series about Visual Learning and the Use of Subtitled Educational Video to benefit Children of All Abilities, with an apology.
We apologize using the term “Average Child” in the subtitle above because we do not believe there is any such thing as the “Average Child”. Every single child is entirely different and a unique person in their own right, and has their own set of likes, dislikes, and above all learning preferences……and that is exactly what makes the use of subtitled educational video and Visual Learning such a beneficial learning solution for the child that does not have any significant disabilities.
Generally, Visual Learning is about using graphics to deliver information or data, in this case curriculum based learning material, combined with various techniques that enables the delivery of that information to be more effective in various cases like special needs etc. However for the child that does not have learning difficulties or impediments, it is the nature of subtitled video itself that delivers the significant learning benefits. And note the emphasis is on the world subtitled, as opposed to video without the subtitles.
Essentially educational video sets each child free from the abilities of their peers and provides the environment that enables each child to study at their own speed thereby enables them to achieve their greatest potential. Unlike in the classroom environment the child has the control the delivery of the information. If they don’t understand something, they are able to press the STOP or START buttons as many times as is necessary until they fully understand the material. In essence there is no more missing out because the teacher has covered the subject too quickly. The other situation that many children often encounter is the onset of boredom when the teacher has to proceed at a slower speed for other students that have not been able to process the information as quickly as their peers. But with video, it is the child that has the control and they are able to decide themselves when they need to go back over parts of a particular topic again.
The use of video as a learning medium makes the education and learning experience compelling, considerably more interesting, and it introduces the element of fun. Introducing the element of fun to the learning process makes it an enjoyable experience and suddenly we notice from that the child starts to become a lot more self-motivated towards repeating the education experience. The motivated child starts to understand the reason for learning, and that motivation often then starts to cultivate the desire to know more, particularly in those areas that interest them, and for which they have an affinity and natural abilities.
The video format usually offers the child 2 choices. Provide subtitles for those videos and the child then has three choices; to watch, to listen to, or to read each video presentation. Increase those options by 50%, and you increase the chance of the child reacting more favorably and absorbing that information meaningfully by 50% also. Confine a child to learning by the use of a textbook then you reduce those options by nearly 70%. Is it therefore any wonder that such large numbers of children lack any great degree of interest in their education or the process of learning? Every child has different abilities, and so if you cater for those abilities by providing options, then you dramatically increase the chance of finding that you have an eager and willing recipient of the information they need to learn.
Improvement in your child’s reading skills is something you can expect if you use the subtitled educational video appropriately – for more information on how to achieve this with every subject they study, see our article on either Visual Learning and Dyslexia or Visual Learning and Improved Reading Skills. A five-year research program carried out by the Availll Institute demonstrated the significant link between the use of subtitled video and significantly improved reading standards. Upon completion of that research, a test program was implemented by the Availll Institute in a number of schools and colleges which subsequently evidenced that subtitled videos have the ability to improve a child’s reading ability by as much as a year, in as little as six weeks. So the argument that leaving textbooks behind will hinder the development of their reading skills carries little weight. But of course, don’t expect such improvements to happen by chance. The subtitled educational video is the tool, and how you as the parent or teacher use that tool, determines the quality of the completed job.
Every child has their own set of skills and natural abilities. If you would like to see success shining out of your child now, and in the future, you will give both them and yourself a head start by taking the time to discover what those skills are, and where their natural abilities and inclinations lie. Provide your child with access to a significant library of online curriculum video, and then give them the time and space in which to explore, and then watch them. Children if given the time and opportunity will demonstrate to you where their natural abilities and interests exist. But you need a bit of time, and to be sufficiently interested to see the signs. When you identify those areas of natural ability and interest, then take the steps to feed and foster those interests. Don’t be at all surprised if you discover that you have a child on your hands that is eager, willing and motivated to learn. It’s called self-motivation and it is the key to success.
Zane Education is all about Visual Learning and provides the only online subtitled educational video delivering curriculum content specifically developed for that purpose. Over 1,000 online subtitled videos teach 11 curriculum subjects and 260 curriculum topics and the use of all videos are available on-demand via a very cost effective online subscription system offering a choice of memberships on a monthly or annual basis.
The most expensive membership option, and the one that offers by far and away the best value for money is the 12-month Gold Membership option for just $197 – which includes one month free. When you consider that this is less than the cost of three textbooks and that it is a family membership enabling all of the children in your family irrespective of age or grade, to study all of the 11 subjects, it is extremely good value for money, and one that should particularly appeal to all homeschoolers.
Zane Education provides much more than just the online educational video service though. Each of the 260 curriculum topics are accompanied by online testing in the form of multiple choice quizzes for K12 ages containing a total of over 23,000 specifically written curriculum-based questions. A highly regarded feature of Zane’s quizzes are that they provide quality answers that in each case explain not only if a question is correct or incorrect, they also explain why the answer was right or wrong. And it is this feature that ensures that the learning process continues while your child is having fun. Yes, fun! Most children are competitively inclined, they naturally want to be successful, and there is certainly nothing wrong with that. These multiple choice quizzes are not only provided to enable parents and teachers to monitor their progress and ability to retain information, they are also provided for the students that want to see how much information they have retained, and to provide and that element of competitive fun.
So the next time that you notice an educational video, look for the subtitles, and if those subtitles are not there, walk away. Visual Learning is so effective in the education of children and students of all ages that every child should be provided with access to it. And if you do decide that the benefits of Visual Learning for your child simply cannot be ignored, then make sure that you use educational video with subtitles so that you know your child has been provided with the most options available.
