Mastery Mondays

“We love to learn because learning feels good. It both satisfies and stimulates curiosity. Reading a good book, having a meaningful conversation, listening to great music—just doing these things make us happy. They have no extrinsic purpose. To give them one takes away from their joy.” ― Zander Sherman

It’s indisputable that in our culture, there is a link between obtaining an education and “doing well.” It’s not that there aren’t many stories about people who dropped out to pursue a passion – the Tumblr billionaire whose own mother suggested he quit school at 14 is a recent example. There are thousands of others who didn’t “fit” in the standard school system and then ended up paving their own way and doing just fine.

However, for every one of those examples, there are thousands and thousands of others where a person did not fare well in the traditional system and so dropped out. These people are struggling every day to survive and make ends meet. The working system is stacked against those without an education. Just finishing school is the ultimate goal for some people, and many take years and years to complete an education of any kind, while feeling a sense of dread each time they think about the classroom or studying.

I know, from my work with personal interests and values, that education and learning are not motivating to everyone. I have a high “Theoretical” value, and so I see the entire world as a schoolroom. There are opportunities to learn around every corner and my choices, as a consultant and college professor, also involve teaching in all that I do.

Why doesn’t everyone place a high value on learning and experiencing something new? I believe it’s because the school environment and the way we are taught – with sitting and listening, with regurgitation of information and with homogeneity as the norm – is inconsistent with our natural innate qualities of curiosity and spontaneity. Maybe, if we could make learning fun, even the kids and adults who struggle to grasp ideas could enjoy the process and learn as they go.

If we could teach students in the lower and college school systems in a more enjoyable manner, it’s possible they would grow up to be voracious learners in adulthood. Unfortunately, the favored teaching approach in most school systems zaps the enjoyment out of learning and makes it grueling for many. Once the student gets to adulthood, they are more than happy to leave the school and learning environment behind once and for all!

But learning is critical to improving. Learning is important to continue to be relevant in the workplace. Learning opens our eyes to new ideas and new opportunities. If we could make learning fun at the very beginning, maybe it would continue to be appealing throughout adulthood.

What would it take to recapture the experience one has in preschool, where every day is an adventure? Here are my five remedies to bring a bit more fun and enjoyment into the learning environment. Some might say they are not practical or cost-efficient, and yet destroying the desire for learning is costing our economy untold billions every day. What could happen in the classroom to ignite desire to learn?

1. Engage the senses. Not many people can sit still and listen to a lecture for hours on end, day after day, on the same subject matter. We were created with five senses because we need them all to interact in life. How can the lesson be developed to engage the senses? Is there a smell associated with what’s being taught? Are there visuals in the form of slides or movies? Is there something tangible someone can touch to enhance the experience? Instead of just delivering the history lesson, make the history lesson come alive. Think about the power of song. I can still sing every word from my seventh-grade favorites, and yet I don’t remember much of what I learned in the classroom from that period at all.
2. Focus on beauty and aesthetics! It’s appalling to me to hear my high schoolers talk about the fact that they never see or experience the outdoors once they go inside school in the morning. Many school interiors are just drab. Schools, hospitals and mental institutions are some of the most visually depressing and dreary places you can be. There is a whole world outside those walls! Either brighten up the interior, or let the students take a walk and get outside for a different view during the day. Make the visual aspect uplifting and appealing – make it look like a place you want to be.
3. Practice and play. Once a new concept is taught, allow for time to play with it and practice it. In English class, if they learned about Old English Lit, have them don clothes from that era and practice speaking in an old English style. Have them walk around the room and introduce themselves as the author, and talk to other students about why they wrote what they wrote. Have them interview one another and say why the writing is relevant to their current day-to-day life. Allow students to live the information and make it relevant. Don’t just teach it; tie it to something and help the students to bring it alive.
4. Bring reality to the classroom and bring the classroom to reality. If the subject is science, have a scientist come and speak about the career. Why do they do what they do? What’s great about it? What don’t they like? Take field trips and visit places the students are learning about. Remind them that there are people and places out in the real world that connect directly to what is being taught. Find ways to bring those connections in so that students see them.
5. Let them MOVE! The research is compelling that shows how directly poor health, obesity and illness are tied to how much time we spending sitting all day long. And yet, our school environments are built on sitting. Let students stand. Let them change seats during the class. Let them walk around the classroom a couple of times during the lesson. Jumping jacks, stretching and running in place can all be done in one small area. Don’t just assume that because they walk from class to class (if they even do that), it’s enough. Get them to move and be in their bodies. We know the mind and body are interconnected – stimulate the body, and you can’t help but stimulate the mind.

Passions & Strengths

What is something that is on your bucket list to learn this year?