Categories, will you please..
Categories, will you please..
Categories , will you please ,
Tell me, the names of all the flowers? Be quick!
The above is a ditty we sang as children, sitting in a circle, accompanied by clapping in sync. We would rack our brain to think about something in the category mentioned. We could not repeat what another child said , had to think on our feet . We also had to “ be quick” in naming something after each clap sound!
For example,
Child 1 Jasmine, Be quick
Child 2 Rose, Be quick
Child 3 Lotus, Be quick
A child who could not come up with a name in the category was declared “out” and had to move out of the circle. The winner was the child who remained unbeaten and could come up with several examples for a particular category.
I tried this game during one of my teaching assignments in Brindavan Education trust and was quite amazed that children could come up with several names when they could choose categories they liked such as “cars “ or “movies”. However, this idea needed to be extended to their academic subjects also.
Categories is a word game where players attempt to list words that fit into particular categories,. Players start by deciding on a list of categories between them, such as “cities” “actors” etc.
I suggested the same principle for the teacher training course through using a “vocabulary box”. The teacher can use a shoebox to store cards on which all words related to a concept are written down. Ex parts of a plant.
This method helps the student in reviewing and recollecting vocabulary and related ideas.
Many teachers already use categorization ideas, For instance, in reading and comprehension, information is categorized into Characters, settings ,Plot and ending. In states of matter, categorization is done under headings of “solids, Liquids, gases”
However, It is also important to understand why categorization and chunking of information is important especially for children with diverse learning needs
For instance, Why did I feel the “Categories” game is a very useful strategy?
Internet gives us the answer
“The brain utilizes categorization as a fundamental cognitive strategy to organize and interpret information, allowing for efficient processing and understanding of the world. This involves sorting objects, events, and ideas into groups based on shared characteristics, similarities, or other criteria. “
.“Categorization is a vital cognitive skill that allows individuals to structure the world by classifying things according to their common attributes and characteristics, and adapting to the changing environment (Vanpaemel and Bayer 2021).”
For children with learning difficulties, when we categorize and organize information ,at the same time adapting and simplifying information, they understand better and learn to identify connections within these categories, thereby improving their critical thinking abilities also.
We create a supportive and enhanced learning environment for children with Learning Difficulties when we use Categorization as a strategy.
-Janaki Narayan
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