A large portion of the U.S. experiences magnificent changes in the color of foliage this time of year. Autumn colors add excitement and interest to the landscape and season!
Did you know color can impact learning too? Color can improve learners’ focus, mood and interest. Research indicates the strategic use of color increases learning by 58% to 78% and comprehension by 73%! Warm colors like red, yellow and orange, are said to draw attention, promote focus and increase learning due to their stimulating effect. Cool colors, on the other hand, are more calming and can help learners stay engaged when a large amount of material is presented.
KET’s online courses, FastForward and Workplace Essential Skills enable users to customize some settings to optimize learning engagement. Background and text colors can be changed to help keep learners engaged and focused. Text size can be adjusted to accommodate varying eyesight needs. A Florida educator recently shared the importance of these features for a student who is legally blind. She said being able to turn the screen blue made all the difference for him.
In addition to colors, FastForward and Workplace Essential Skills offer the ability to consume content by listening rather than reading via ReadSpeaker. Text-to-speech technologies have been shown to increase understanding of material by removing the focus on the act of reading. ReadSpeaker allows learners to highlight words they may need to hear pronounced correctly or highlight entire passages to be read as they follow along with the highlighting tools. In addition, ReadSpeaker has Google Translate built into it so learners can utilize cognates to better understand the connection between words in various languages. These functions may be very beneficial to ELL learners and students who have varying learning preferences or needs.
Change is good. It is beautiful when our landscapes change with the seasons. It is helpful when it can better accommodate learning needs and styles. It can be life-changing when we use seasons of change to grow and teach us. Maybe this is the season for adult learners to experience the changes a high school credential or workplace education can bring! KET Adult Education stands ready with adaptable, proven courses to help you and your learners succeed.