There’s a belief I’ve battled with in the past that if we make learning fun, it undercuts the seriousness of the subject.
Whenever I have an internal conflict like this I always come back to outcome. What is this really about? What are we trying to do?
Well with the learning I deliver, my big bold outcome is to bring it to life for the kids. Words can also betray us a bit here, because you hear a word like ‘fun’ and that might conjure images of a hectic classroom, a ball bouncing off a window and no one listening to each other.
So maybe the word ‘fun’ isn’t the right word.
What I’m really looking for is life.
There is life in a kid’s eye when they are transfixed by a giant digger doing construction next door. There is life in their eye when they notice an adult is in a bad mood. And there is indeed life when they are learning something they love.
The only thing that can trivialise learning is a trivial intention.
If you’re looking to make ‘fun’ of something, yeah you’re probably going to be a bit disrespectful.
If you’re looking to bring something to life, though? Well now you’re playing a game I like. And there are a million and one ways to bring something to life. There are quiet ways, big ways, busy ways and gentle ways.
Let’s take seriously our job to create vibrant, living connections to the learning we share.
That sounds fun to me
