Blog

Updated July 28th 2023

People always learn faster and better when they are having fun and are being creative.
Change can occur only when the brain is in the mood: Change is enhanced by behaviour and circumstances. Learning occurs with focused attention and is inhibited by an intentional refusal to accept new experiences.

You know how when we were children, we played all the time? We learnt through playing. But then the education system kind of squashed that out of us, because we were told to sit still and listen.

And into adulthood, fun is often missing from approaches taken to learning and development.

Of course, fun and creativity is experienced differently by all of us, so be cautious not to make assumptions here! Our experience of fun can also change based on experiences we find ourselves in and the people we are surrounded by.

The brain is a social organ innately designed to learn through shared experiences. Brains grow best in this context of interactive discovery and through the co-creation of stories that shape and support memories of what is being learned. Evidence from the field of neuroscience shows us that we require positive social interaction and nurturance in order to learn.

Dorothy Billington, author of In ‘Life is an Attitude: How to Grow Forever Better’, has run studies on why some men and women continue to grow as long as they live — while others do not. For example, she has studied English-as-Second-Language classes for new immigrants, and comments that “In classes where students feel safe, where lessons are focused on current language needs, where students are asked for input on what helps them most to learn, where students are actively involved in interesting and fun exercises, where there’s lots of laughter and congeniality, students of all ages and backgrounds learn English fast and well. In classes where students are made to feel inadequate and threatened, little is learned.”

She comments, ‘these findings support the thinking of Malcolm Knowles (The Adult Learner: A Neglected Species, 1986), recognized as the father of adult learning; his trailblazing work underlies many of our most effective adult education programs. He reminded us that in optimal adult learning programs, where adults learn best, both students and faculty also have fun, for it is exhilarating to REALLY learn.’

My own experience is that a safe, trusting environment will support people to get in the mood and find themselves having fun when they least expect it.

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