LARPPATIKUL 278

Liu Shisa Larppatikul

Mr.Abel Cadias

English 10 / 1004

June 4, 2018

How Does Hands-On Learning Affect Students’ Exam Learning at

Mahidol University International Demonstration School ?

Most students around the world are struggling with their education.

There are many factors which influence their education and the way they learn is

one of them. At Mahidol University International Demonstration School (MUIDS)

or other schools, learning style influence students’ performance in class. Many

styles of learning are used to improve students’ ability to learn. Hands-on learning

is one of the learning styles which helps student to improve their learning skills.

Hands-on learning is a learning style which allow students to learn from their

experience and decision. Rather than learning from the books or lecture, students

will be able to learn directly through their activity and experience. Hands-on

learning also helps students to cope with difficult or uncomfortable situations. The

purpose of this research report is to observe how students use hands-on learning at

MUIDS in order to identify which style they prefer and why they prefer hands-on

learning style. The author uses eight different academic articles from different

sources and a survey to gather data. Hands-on learning allows students to learn

from their experiences and mistakes.

 LARPPATIKUL 279

Advantages of Hands-on Learning

Hands-on learning is really helpful for people who likes to learn from

their experiences. It allows learner to learn directly from their action and

experiment. Hands-on learning can also increase a retention rate, a rate which

measure how much a person can remember the lesson. According to a research

collected by Microtek(2017), people who learn through presentation only retain

only 5% of the lesson and people who learn through demonstration can only retain

30% of the lesson. In the other hand, people who learn through hands-on learning

or learning by doing can retain 75% of the lesson (Microtek, 2017). Hands-on

learning can also increase engagement and keep the learners focused on the lesson

(Microtek, 2017). It also give the learner opportunities to give comments and

reflection on the lesson (Microtek, 2017). This is important because if the learner

can give comments and critique, they can improve their work (Microtek, 2017).

Hands-on learning also allows learners to practice and perfected their lessons

(Microtek, 2017). In addition, it also give the learner a chance to solve problems

and take risks (Microtek, 2017). Hands-on learning prevent students from getting

bored in class because they have to be active all the time to be able to complete

the tasks or assignments.

 LARPPATIKUL 280

Survey Findings and Discussions

From the survey taken by 1004 class at Mahidol University

International Demonstration School (MUIDS), 80% of the class chose hands-on

learning style because it helps them to learn and remember materials in class.

There are particular subjects that students would prefer to learn in hands-on

learning style which are physical education, computer, music, art, and biology.

According to Biosciences(2018), especially in biology, it teaches the learner to

learn based on what they find and on evidence. By using hands-on learning,

students or learners to apply what they learn to solve problems in class and in real

life situation (Biosciences, 2018).

However, hands-on learning may not be applicable to apply to all

subjects. According to the survey, learners gives an opinion that hands-on learning

works the most with physical education. Most of them give reasons that

movements or sport skills cannot be achieve by only watching and listening.

Computer Technology, Music, art, and Biology are other subjects that learners

believe hands-on learning works.

 LARPPATIKUL 281

Conclusion

The purpose of this research report is to find the most effective and

efficient style of leaning to improve the quality of learning in Mahidol University

International Demonstration School. People around the world are struggling with

their education because they cannot remember all the materials that have been

taught in the class. Based on the survey, hands-on learning helps people to

remember the lesson and it also helps them to concentrate on the lesson. While

hands-on learning is effective for most people, other people prefer other learning

styles to help them understand and remember the lesson. The effects of hands-on

learning in Mahidol University International School and the students are helpful

for the students to learn in a particular subjects and topic such as a lab in biology

class and sport games in physical education class. The fact that the students can

learn from their experiences and decisions are the purpose of the hands-on

learning because students can fix a problem by themselves, make decisions, make

mistakes and learn from it.

 LARPPATIKUL 282

References

Chloe, C. (2017). Hands-on Learning Benefits. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from
https://demmelearning.com/learning-blog/hands-on-learning-benefits/

Elizabeth, M. (2012). Hands-on Learning Boosts Success in the Classroom and

Beyond. Retrieved May 20, 2018, from https://
www.huffingtonpost.com/elizabeth-marincola/stem-teaching-hands-
on-_b_1865146.html

Hands-on Learning as a Teaching Advantage. (2015). G-Biosciences. Retrieved

May 16, 2018, from
https://info.gbiosciences.com/blog/hands-on-science-as-a-teaching-
advantage

Hannah, V. (2017). The Importance of Hands-on Learning in Education. Retrieved

May 16, 2018, from https://edtechnology.co.uk/Article/the-
importance-of-hands-on-learning-in-education

Rebecca, W. Timothy, P. W., and Eileen, M. (2016). Accelerating Progress in

Education with Hands-on, Minds-on Learning.Retrieved May 16, 2018,
from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/education-plus-development/
2016/07/14/accelerating-progress-in-education-with-hands-on-minds-
on-learning/

Samantha, C. (2018). Hands-on is Minds-on. Retrieved May 20, 2018, from http://
www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3751901

Top 5 Benefits of hands-on Learning Approach. n.d. SystemAdmin. Retrieved

May 16, 2018, from https://www.universities-colleges-schools.com/
top-5-benefits-of-a-hands-on-learning-approach#

7 Benefits of Incorporating Hands-On-Learning into Your Classroom Training.

(2017). Microtek. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://
blog.mclabs.com/7-benefits-of-incorporating-hands-on-learning-into-
your-classroom-training