Why we need a little fun in our learning! - Stairs Volkswagen Commercial.

It is easy to be very earnest about learning and teaching.  We all take it very seriously, sometimes too seriously.  We are all, (in schools, in Local Authorities, at Ofsted and in Government) very aware of the pressure to get the best examination results for students.  However, we must guard against the drive for effectiveness and efficiency actually having a damaging effect and turning our students away from learning. 


Why do I suggest this?


Well, we do not always look forward to or do what is best or good for us, do we?  How many of us eat foods high in salt and saturated fat, knowing what harm it can do?  How many people smoke, knowing full well of the dangers this entails?  Why do we do these things? Simply becasue they are pleasurable. 

So what has this to do with learning and teaching?  In fact what does it have to do with any type of leadership? 

Well if we want to get people to do things differently or get people to change their behaviours; it is not enough to explain to them why it would be better for them to change - we have to make this change more attractive or more fun.  So within the classroom, and in particular as we prepare for revision, we have to try to motivate our students to work hard and give up time that they might otherwise be spending playing in their X-Boxes or Playstations. So if we plan a little fun into our lessons by using games and competitions to learn; or by doing other mad -cap things that put a smile on our students' faces then we have a fighting chance of getting them to do that extra bit that might lead to success. 

I know it is not easy to always keep things fun but it is worth trying our best to get some fun in where we can.

Takeaway Teacher

The English department has launched a YouTube channel to help with revision and to store key bits of learning - here's a sample video: These videos have proved popular and effective with students, and have certainly helped them to focus. A quicker alternative is to use Jing (free downloadable software, discovered by TLa), which allows you to record what you are doing on your computer screen and adda voiceover. This is very quick and easy - it doesn't look as flash but may well be just as effective - here's a sample of a video made with Jing: If you'd like to have a go at this to support your own teaching or department, please contact TBo; for example if you have a presentation of a particular teaching point that you'd like to make available to year 11, this will be straightforward to organise and upload to the Takeaway Teacher site: http://www.youtube.com/user/CheneyTakeaway