Winter break means Christmas, snowball fights and gingerbread houses, movie marathons, and most notably to students all over the nation, Winter break.

It is a time when students all over the United States can finally take a break from the long and exhausting hours of school allowing them to not worry about academics and extracurriculars constantly.

Despite the happiness and satisfaction that comes along with winter break, it can leave teachers and administrators wondering whether or not their students will retain the knowledge that they lectured about the week before. But, are certain teaching methods more effective than others?

Teaching styles vary from place to place all over the world, and the way one student learns a concept can greatly differ from the way another student learns.

This leaves teachers in the role of deciding how they want their students to learn.

As an individual, activities and interactive lessons have proven to be most effective as a whole, allowing me and my classmates to participate in each lecture in an exciting manner.

Interactive learning methods such as group discussions, hands-on activities, or even educational games can allow students to engage in lesson-based activities while at the same time retaining the true educational concept behind them.

Scholastic talks about the importance of interactive learning, particularly on how it can sharpen the critical thinking skills of students which, in turn, helps develop their analytic reasoning skills.

Incorporating more activities and group discussions allows students to connect with their classmates as well.

Rather than taking notes from a slow yet confusing lecture, creating more interactive activities that tie into the subject matter allows students to get to know one another while also making it an educational experience at the same time.

However, lecturing can also be an effective way for students to learn. While they may not be the most engaging, they can help successfully solidify the subject matter.

Dartmouth College mentions that lecturing is an effective way to teach. For example, it can help neatly present information, model thought processes, provide context and help clarify any underlying questions.

While lecturing may be a good approach when it comes to presentations and solidifying concepts, providing more interactive and hands-on activities can help students be more interested in what they are learning.

According to the National Library of Medicine, a study was conducted to help identify if an online interactive platform such as Kahoot was beneficial. The results showed that those who engaged in the Kahoot tended to solidify their knowledge and current concepts much better.

Whether it’s a simple experiment, group discussion, or even an online website such as Kahoot or Gimkit, students would be more interested in trying to win against their peers, but at the same time, allowing them to thoroughly answer questions while learning new concepts.

Education Associates mentions how teachers who conduct hands-on learning activities can help their students outperform their peers by over 70% of a grade level in math and over 40% of a grade level in science.

At the same time, creating these new forms of interactive learning can be time-consuming and strenuous to an already big pile of to-do’s for teachers.

As a whole, the progress that interactive learning brings to classrooms proves to be much more effective than lengthy lectures.

Both lectures and interactive learning can be beneficial in their own ways. Interactive learning provides students with the opportunity to solidify their knowledge and concepts that they are learning while also making it an enjoyable experience for them as well.