When Learning Seems Like Play

If the subject we dislike was taught to us differently in school/college — made more engaging and practical — would we feel differently about it today?

Each subject has a richness and beauty of its own. How we are taught makes all the difference. 

The reason why many of us don’t find our true calling early on in life is that we are not given the right motivation to learn. Learning becomes studying for marks, competition, or graduating — which is a limited way of approaching something as important as learning. 

I am currently doing an MBA Bootcamp at Stoa School. We don’t have exams here, but teamwork-based case studies. We don’t get good marks if we do well, but cash prizes if we win the case competitions. Almost every facilitator who takes the stage makes it an interactive experience encouraging us to ask questions. Oh, and we have a Discord server with channels where we exchange memes, share music, and talk about a lot more!

Changing the dynamics of a learning experience to a more positive-sum makes all the difference. 

Now that I’m in a healthy learning environment, I can feel the difference not just on a cognitive level, but in my body as well. I now look forward to a session as compared to getting a diary remark and demeaning look for reaching school at 8.01 am with the gates closing at 8 am. 

I truly wish that learning was a more fun experience back in school. If it wasn’t for marks or competition or just graduating, learning would’ve been what it is always meant to be — fun!

How can we create beautiful learning experiences for one another? By giving people a reason to learn something. This sets the stage for a lifetime of learning. 

A good teacher does not teach facts, he or she teaches enthusiasm, open-mindedness and values. — Gian-Carlo Rota