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Alternative Forms of Learning is a podcast that explores different ways of education and why they are important. Alternative education refers to non-traditional methods of learning, such as customized learning and smaller class sizes. These methods can nurture emotional intelligence and soft skills, helping students become adaptable and effective communicators. Online learning and studying abroad are examples of alternative education. The traditional school system prioritizes efficiency over quality, but there are now resources available to help students with different learning styles. Hey everyone, welcome to Alternative Forms of Learning, the podcast where we explore education as a whole and find out other ways to learn and why we need them. I'm Nick Garcia and I'm thrilled to have you with us today. In today's episode, we'll be diving into a discussion not just talking about alternate forms of education, but why we need them in general. Whether you're a student or a teacher or simply just curious about the subject, there's something for everyone. So let's get started. When you think of alternative education, what comes to mind? Before I heard of it, I just thought it was just a natural way of learning, like alternative medicine uses stones and jewels and all that. Alternative education is basically just another form of education that is nontraditional to the school you go to. Let's say a parent or teacher sees that their child likes singing or acting, but their school doesn't have a program for it in their curriculum. The reason for needing these different ways of learning is because everyone learns differently. Some of the benefits of alternative learning are things like smaller class size, customized learning, so there's more focus on students. Research has shown that it can also nurture emotional intelligence and soft skills to help the students grow up to be free thinkers and adaptable human beings who can communicate effectively. Let me say, I grew up in a big school and I'm not great at working with a team. Maybe this could have helped me when I was growing up. Another version of alternative learning can be online learning. For people who have trouble traveling and finding the resources they need in local schools, sometimes the best option is to take an online class. I remember taking a bunch of online classes so I could get my license early and if I took them in person, I would not have learned a single thing. There's a lot of people who feel the same, I'm telling you. Studying abroad is another good example of alternative learning. Let's say you're trying to learn a new type of language or a specific type of environment or culture. The advances in technology today we could literally see or theoretically be in another country on the other side of the globe, but sometimes the best option is the most simple. Learning by doing will always be my type of way to learn and why not learn in an environment where it will be good, where I'll be doing everything I can learn instead of just simulating what I should be learning in a classroom. The traditional idea of schooling started during the industrial revolution. Along with various other things at the time, efficiency was always prioritized over the quality of what came from it. We can improve so much about the current school system to focus on the quantity of our future workers over the quality. It scares me to think about what happened to students back then who had disorders like ADHD and felt they couldn't learn. Today there are so many resources that can help students learn better than they ever could in a traditional style education system. Well, that's a wrap for today's episode. I hope you found our exploration of alternative education both engaging and informative. If you have any thoughts, questions, or topics you'd like to hear on future episodes, please reach out to us. You can find us on our UConn email. Don't forget to subscribe to Alternative Forms of Education to stay updated on our upcoming episodes. Until next time, this is Nick Garcia signing off. Hey everyone. Welcome to Alternative Forms of Learning, the podcast where we explore education as a whole and find out other ways to learn and why we need them. I'm Nick Garcia and I'm thrilled to have you with us today. Today's episode, we'll be diving into a discussion not just talking about alternate forms of education, but why we need them in general. Whether you're a student or a teacher or simply just curious about the subject, there's something for everyone, so let's get started. When you think of alternative education, what comes to mind? Before I heard of it, I just thought it was just a natural way of learning, like alternative medicine uses stones and jewels and all that. Alternative education is basically just another form of education that is non-traditional to the school you go to. A parent or teacher sees that their child likes singing or acting, but their school doesn't have a program for it in their curriculum. The reason for needing these different ways of learning is because everyone learns differently. Some of the benefits of alternative learning are things like smaller class size, customized learning, so there's more focus on students. Research has shown that it can also nurture emotional intelligence and soft skills to help students grow up to be free thinkers and adaptable human beings who can communicate effectively. Let me say, I grew up in a big school and I'm not great at working with a team. Maybe this could have helped me while I was growing up. Another version of alternative learning can be online learning. For people who have trouble traveling and finding the resources they need in local schools, sometimes the best option is to take an online class. I remember taking a bunch of online classes so I could get my license early, and if I took them in person, I would not have learned a single thing. There's a lot of people who feel the same, I'm telling you. Studying abroad is another good example of alternative learning. Let's say you're trying to learn a new type of language or a specific type of environment or culture. The advances in technology today we could literally see, or theoretically be, in another country on the other side of the globe. Sometimes the best option is the most simple. Learning by doing will always be my type of way to learn. And why not learn in an environment where I'll be doing everything I can learn instead of just simulating what I should be learning in a classroom? The traditional idea of schooling started during the industrial revolution. Along with various other things at the time, efficiency was always prioritized over the quality of what came from it. We can improve so much about the current school system to focus on the quantity of our future workers over the quality. It scares me to think about what happened to students back then who had disorders like ADHD and felt they couldn't learn. Today there are so many resources that can help students learn better than they ever could in a traditional style education system. Well, that's a wrap for today's episode. I hope you found our exploration of alternative education both engaging and informative. If you have any thoughts, questions, or topics you'd like to hear on future episodes, please reach out to us. You can find us on our UConn email. Don't forget to subscribe to Alternative Forms of Education to stay updated on our upcoming episodes. Until next time, this is Nick Garcia signing off.