Education Short List

Cobalt blue is my favorite color; the bluish-purplish color. There’s something about it that I’ve liked since I first saw it in high school. And Kelly green – the brightest and most vivid of the greens, reminds me of Ireland. Everyone has a color they like, or a color that evokes a response. Color can be an important element in the classroom as well. Doodling and coloring are probably ever kindergartner’s favorite activities; well, maybe naps and recess are (do those even exist anymore?) And it seems like once students get out of elementary school, any form of color, or artistry, is lost. Coloring and colors can provide teachers and students with new ways to understand, organize, and study their lessons. Color can break up monotony and give students mental stimulation.

Here are my Top 6 suggestions on simple ways to integrate color into your classroom or curriculum.

1. Colored Pencils, Pens, Markers, or Crayons
Use colored pencils instead of lead ones (markers or pens) with a multiplication table or periodic table. Learning how to break down parts of speech or learning new words.

2. Colored paper
For worksheets, tests, notes. You can use color copier paper or construction paper, post-its, notecards, flyers, classroom signs.

3. Organization
It’s so so important for students to be organized and to have strong study skills. Colors become critical for this area. Colored notecards to differentiate classes, highlighters for key points, colored pens/pencils when writing vocabulary and definitions; colored pens for writing important dates.
– Colored notecards are good for organizing
– Highlighters bring attention to various terms, points, or parts of work.
– By using a particular color, with violet for vocabulary, and only using that color for vocabulary – you can
reinforce certain learning subconsciously.

4. Presentations
Use color in a presentation to get people/students to give more focus to it.
Important words, key points; or use a dark-colored background and light-colored wording to make the presentation stand out, images are great for this as well.

5. Pictures & Images
Having a colorful visual can help bring another way to retain information and break up monotony.
With science and social studies it may seem easier; but what about learning writers or seeing works of
literature?

6. Literally coloring
Give students the time to draw out what they are working on. Math – let them use colored pencils to draw a picture or the graph. Essay writing – draw out pictures before starting the outline. Science draw the animals that you are studying, or plant life, or the chemistry equation. Economics – money is a color – and maybe that’s what makes people want it so badly?

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For students, black & blue pens, or lead pencils, are all that is permitted in the classroom. But, by being flexible you are finding new ways to bring your students’ focus back to what the lessons are. Color can be a way to invigorate the students and make a curriculum less dull. It can engage students, especially older ones, and make teaching fun too. Remember too, the theory of multiple intelligences, by using colors you are creating more visual ways to educate your visual and spatial learners.

Research also shows us the value, relevance, and importance of having color in the classroom. Think about fashion, food, pictures, movies, photographs, camouflage, animal adaptations. All of these topics have articles and research devoted to coming up with the most visually appealing format to engage their participants. Why should the classroom be any different? I hope that these ideas will create opportunities to utilize color more in your classroom. I would be interested to know if you have found additional ways to incorporate color in your room (or business)