| ecstatic and playful learning |
From: Milton Chen (10/12/1999 19:11:00)
From Milton:
One of my favorite books on learning is George Leonard's Education & Ecstasy. You don't hear those two words together very often, if at all.Learning should be ecstatic and playful, if we look at preschoolers learning language, painting, playing with blocks, watching good educational TV that invites their participation, they are learning joyously, without inhibition. They are communicating, they love telling others what they're doing and getting advice, being collaborative. Learning and enjoyment are seamless. Learning is what distinguishes us as a species, we are wired to learn. But what happens when our children become 10, 15, or 20? Learning becomes divorced from that playful spirit. Learning becomes drudgery. Boring. Forced. Students are sorted, labeled, told they're not "good at learning." Anxiety, self-doubt, and punishment are great cripplers of learning. I'm trying to avoid words like entertainment, edutainment, and fun, which have often taken the discussions in the wrong direction (cf.Neil Postman) |
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