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In March, we had the pleasure of working with Laetitia, a specialist in cognitive psychology specialized in the discipline of learning with new technologies. We decided to pass iTooch apps through Laetitia’s scrutiny, here is her diagnosis :

Applied to education inclined to Information Technology and Communication, cognitive psychology uses its theories to optimize the transmission of knowledge and skills. We will try to highlight why iTooch apps are ideal fun learning solutions for children in this article :

Simplicity and efficiency

The design of iTooch apps derives its inspiration from two major areas : teaching and video game approaches. Their major advantage,accessibility through touch screen devices, arouses curiosity in children who are in most cases attracted by screens thus allowing ease of interaction through the sense of touch.

Their simplicity allows children to recognize shapes they are familiar with easily, chapters and sub-chapters of learning material is at their disposal. The implementation of learning content allows the child to intuitively navigate through the application. Children are unlikely to encounter attention defficiency or be distracted from the main goal which in this case, is learning.

During the exercises, the student has the possibility to access a lesson summary which is availed upon request. Systematic illustration of lessons which is very useful, especially in geometry, enables the formation of optimal mental representation of the elements an engaging visual approach , and thus an integrated understanding of the lesson in two forms: pictorial and recited. The opportunity for the child to use cues during the exercise helps him to retrieve important information concerning the lessons from his memory. (Usually referred to as Cued Recall)

Active Learning

Another important aspect of iTooch apps is the fact that the child learns at his own pace: he can choose the exercises that he wants to work on, he is not obliged to work following the order of the chapters. That is precisely what increases his commitment (called intrinsic motivation) and the effectiveness of learning. He is not passive but active in his willingness to learn. A child who chooses to work on his exercises at his own will is more motivated than a child who is given an order to work on the same exercises.

Another aspect of motivation is derived from iTooch applications: one based on reward mechanisms. Psychological researchers interested in motivation believe that the use of virtual rewards such as badges or trophies, used in video games, are effective ways to increase motivation and engagement of students in learning. These means of virtual rewards appeal to the so-called extrinsic motivation.

The approach of gamification in learning provides a positive reinforcement to the learner’s behaviour. In parallel, it incites the child to yearn for more badges and therefore increase their levels of learning. In iTooch applications, this is materialized in the form of a judo belt which is attributed to the child at the end of the assessment, and also after each achieved level and the accumulated points.

In addition, children in general suffer attention abilities compared to adults, so it usually takes more time when they are doing their homework. iTooch apps are designed in a way that  the exercises are short and programmed to last for a short period of time enabling the parent or the guardian to follow closely the child’s understanding and performance.

By blending transmission of knowledge and play on iTooch apps eduPad has created the perfect recipe for learning!