Is TikTok the Future of Learning?

Dec 02, 2022 • Elementary School, High School, Homework, Videos

You might think that TikTok and learning don’t go hand-in-hand. However, the opposite seems to be true. Furthermore, TikTok might become the future of learning. 

If TikTok has one thing to teach us, it is that learning should be fun! 

Simple and useful educational content is fast and easy to access on TikTok, making it a great learning tool. 

There is an educational push on TikTok, and it’s opening up avenues for teachers to connect with Gen Z in an entirely new way.  Here’s what you need to know about why TikTok for education works.

Increasing Student Engagement

There’s nothing teachers love more than an engaged classroom. Luckily, TikTok is incredibly interactive, offering countless ways to grab students’ attention and get them excited about classroom content.

#LearnOnTikTok has around 450 billion views. 

The popularity of TikTok’s educational material fits into a trend toward micro-learning in a larger context. Many Gen Z love microlearning rather than long-duration courses. Microlearning boosts students’ engagement with the material, and TikTok is the perfect way to deliver microlearning. 

The Future of Learning Will be Social

TikTok is a powerful educational tool because it is both a learning platform and a social network. 

Users make new friends, scroll through the content, and discover new communities with like-minded people as they go. With 1.5 billion users, TikTok has surpassed more well-known social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, and Snapchat.

Although TikTok highlights many trends determining the future of education, it also has several undeniable drawbacks. The platform has an average video length of 60 seconds, which prevents users from receiving a comprehensive education or developing more advanced abilities.

However, it’s been shown that Gen Z has an attention span of 8 seconds. Hence, the educational content presented on TikTok perfectly suits them to capture their interest and keep their attention.

TikTok In-Class

Increasing student engagement is always the goal, and in this, TikTok is a valuable tool. Teachers are able to access resources in class using the hashtag #TeachersOfTikTok. There are many TikTok lesson plans and instructional videos for teachers on the platform.

Here are some educational TikTok ideas teachers have been using:

1. Starting lessons with a TikTok video to encourage discussion by asking students whether the video’s original poster was correct or not! Students enjoy dispelling rumours and learning more about a topic before sharing it with their friends.
2. Creating TikTok videos. Teachers have used the platform to post brief class summaries after class, to encourage review at home and prompt students to engage with their school lessons after hours.
3. Creating “stitch this” videos. Teachers create a video themselves and prompt students to duet it.

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Is TikTok Learning Right For Your Child?  

Any platform that supports and encourages student learning and that students actually use is a positive resource. Many students will not have considered that TikTok can, in fact, help them with school and learning. The next time your child struggles with homework or can’t find a solution, try turning to TikTok.

However, it’s important not to scroll aimlessly. Use a timer when turning to social media for homework to help keep homework focused and on track.

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