That's No Fun

I also added cards in my recent piece.

They think I am insane, because when I say that learning shouldn't be fun, it goes against everything they believe.

Would it not be great if we could just touch a book and knew what it was about? Because apparently now reading is boring...

Also today I got a comment that said that:

did you know your posts could get better curation if you increased your word count to 250 words and above?

Is that true?

Interesting and I would agree once I read it through. I don’t know if learning should be boring but it shouldn’t be fun necessarily. It should just be a normal activity instead of a fun or boring one. I do think we are causing issues in the long run if what they are doing is fun all the time. Getting them addicted to the dopamine of it is bad.

This post resonated with me.
As my kids age, 11 and 13 now… I see signs of this fun addiction. As studies get harder they really demonstrate a lack of desire to push through tough math or science. I notice aversion to any struggle at learning. They soak up praise and the feeling of how good they are at a thing. But when the hit that wall they hit it hard….my dad talk of ‘It’s not meant to be easy, mistakes are part of this’.
Is met by. ‘I can’t, it’s too hard’
Maybe I have blocked out my own struggles learning, but I don’t recall so much whining when the learning got tough. 🧐🤦‍♂️

Honestly I'm glad I decided to follow your articles, sincerely speaking the problem in question is the process of learning, whether it should be fun or boring?. I honestly agree with everything you have said, because judging from physical training experience it was insanely painful and the insults where hash until I started getting accustomed to it and I could do more, even to the extent of attempting calisthenics skills that alone made me believe the process is fun, as it leads to the end point and that end point leads to another.

I believe that's the mindset we need to enjoy the process not the end go, and also realize a top is nice but it's also a bottom to another top, and the process is where you would always be, so it might feel hard but isn't it worth it that your growing ?. Thanks for sharing such profound insight.

Wow! As a secondary school teacher and college professor for the last two decades in mathematics, all I can say is: very well said.

The basic symbol manipulation of Algebra, for example, while in one sense is the primary goal of a lesson, in another is almost ancillary...the ability to sit and focus on something that is not fun, not entertaining, even mentally challenging/draining is a superpower in these times.

What we want, ultimately, is people who can analyze problems and bring tools to the table to try and solve those problems...this doesn't happen in the nice, prepackaged, thirty second chunks their brains have been trained to consume.

Creating fun addicts becomes an even worse disservice when learning that isn't fun becomes an insult, an assault to the student. They will tend to resent and revile it and view the education as a form of oppression...a mindset in which very little can be learned, fun or not.

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I think we get so bored studying because we create the habit in children. We limit them many times believing that there is a certain age to learn. But from the time they are born they are constantly learning. They are learning to talk, learning to walk. The other day I was watching an experiment in which they put 3 and 4 year old children to study every day for 3 months. And at the end, those who listened to the reading, the stories the teacher read to them, preferred to paint and fix, to explore the books than to play. Evidently. The other group just wanted to play.

Yeah, much like prayer or praying to God is boring to others but is super beneficial actually whenever we do it. 🙏 It is not done for fun or getting that "spiritual high". We can even pray not only for ourselves but we can even intercede to help other people too.

Extraordinario enfoque sobre el aprendizaje

I don't think I have any high level skills to be honest. I am one of those people who is a jack of all trades, but master of none. I know a little bit about a lot of things and that is pretty much it. My wife hates it. She can't understand how I have all these useless facts and trivia floating around in my head but I can't remember to empty the dishwasher. I think learning shouldn't be too fun either. Unfortunately, we are starting to lose control over that in the education system. If you don't make it fun enough the children complain. Who do they complain to? Their parents, then the parents come and complain to the principal and who gets in trouble because it isn't fun enough? The teachers. I totally understand why so many educators are quitting these days. It's a different world and no one has their back.

The best way to educate a child in this digital-spatial age is to foster a balance between the use of technology and the development of social and emotional skills. Integrating digital tools in an interactive and educational way, while promoting outdoor activities, reading and creative play, will allow children to develop a critical, adaptive and balanced mind, preparing them for the challenges of the future.

I think the balance between technology and social skills is crucial. Technology is a powerful tool, but a child's holistic development also requires real-world experiences, social interaction and fostering creativity. Every child is unique, and tailoring education to their specific needs, incorporating both digital and traditional, is probably the most effective way to prepare them for the future.

I would like to believe that passion is more important than fun, long-term. Should be fun learning the ropes, but should be also hard and challenging after, in order to master it.

Interesting read, thanks for the share

Playing chasey/tag with your friends won't turn you into a marathon runner.

It could be a fun for those at such ages, but we can't call learning fun when they are teeanage as what they will learn will be essential for their education life and future at last, such as university and choosing a job.

Dead right. As a teacher I'm expected to 'make learning fun'. Wtf. Sometimes it's just hard work. The joy is in the a-ha moments. It's the feelings of accomplishment you get after struggling through a problem. And believe me, sometimes games teach you jack shit - they are too busy 'having fun' to absorb and experience deep learning.

I think I might have mentioned this to you before...it's about bring intrinsically motivated. Then learning itself isn't actually boring at all.

the excitement and enjoyment coming from the ability to apply what is learned well.

Yes. And to just experience the pleasure of learning itself. I mean, learning is just cool, isn't it? We know that!

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In my opinion learning is best accomplished when it is fun. The mistake made in many cases is due to the presumption that learning can be made to be fun extrinsically.