Inspiring learning

This is a personal blog about inspiring learning in people today. Although chiefly regarding today’s children and young adults who are currently merely learning how to survive the tedium of national curricula and standardized testing, the same principles apply for anyone aged 5 to 95. And learning never stops. Even at 95.

Learning also doesn’t stop when you leave school or higher education. Indeed, it could be said that ‘real’ learning only starts when you are hit by the harsh reality of the world of work, where elegant theory is no longer important or much-rewarded and your salary isn’t protected by persistant grade inflation.
Surely the biggest obstacle to real learning in traditional educational establishments is the lack of real, authentic purpose for the work carrried out therewithin. In fact teachers often tell me that children in their classes are very aware of this – e.g. ‘why should I make much of an effort if only you and I are going to read it, sir/miss?’

That children are aware of this situation is a key point that shoots downs many people’s false assumptions that children, if given a choice, would rather mess around, do nothing or just play, than actually learn.

When actually children are desperate to learn. They have a natural, burning curiosity that literally thirsts for knowledge. Furthermore their fear of failure is so low compared to adults that they are probably in the most effective period of their life to learn. Indeed, studies have shown that children who learn languages before the age of ten have been shown to greatly increase the size of their brain.

What children and young people dislike, above all else, is having their time wasted by pointless activities that have no real signficance or audience. After all, even the youngest child drawing their first picture with crayons can’t wait to show their finished work to mummy and daddy for their approval.

The way to engage today’s young learners, therefore, and even older ones for that matter, is to increase the authentic purpose of the activity they are working on wherever possible.

For example, if creative writing is the activity, why not give them an audience beyond just teacher and child by including other children in school, parents, friends and relatives at home, even other learners with similar interests, wherever they may be. Geography is no longer a limitation or an excuse.

Allowing the child to publish their work to the web via a blog or podcast can make a huge difference to that child’s engagement and the quality of the work they produce.

Why would anyone not use every advantage possible to ensure that children are as motivated as possible to do the very best work they can?

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