As I reflect back on my education, the most memorable learning experiences were…fun. That’s right. Teachers who made learning fun gave us our most unforgettable learning activities. I recall painting large murals mapping and depicting a Revolutionary War battle; I remember dancing the vocabulary twist with “Chubby Cheska” (AKA Mr. Cheska as Chubby Checker); I remember writing and publishing books in third grade, and building a refractor splitting light into a rainbow, but... “listening to lectures” isn’t up there on the same list. In fact, I remember falling asleep at 11:15 every day being lectured in chemistry by a low level monotone voice. It’s a wonder I still recollect that oxygen is a player in a redox reaction.

Student-centered learning is meant to include an element of fun. If the students are engaged, enjoying, and manipulating the curriculum content, then learning will be magnified. That is why we, as educators, need to intentionally plan learning adventures that are engaging. Over the last twenty years in education I can say that my colleagues and I created lesson plans that included Vocabulary Raps and iMovies called Our Constitutional Moment. We debated the pros and cons of reintroducing wolves into the Adirondack Mountains or the advantages of genetic engineering. We’ve played fact or fiction with databases, reenacted heroes, placed books on trial, and created vanity plates for suffragettes. We’ve simulated history through “night of the notables,” raised money to support causes correlated with history, taken virtual field trips, created historical public service announcements, and printed historical journals—all to learn. 

We are librarians likely because we believe reading is fun, vital, a key to success, and a superpower which we can transfer to our students. To transfer that superpower, we have to make it fun. My goal was for students to learn deeply, but also to graduate with the understanding that the library was a great place of discovery, fun, entertainment, and  lifelong learning.

Having fun while learning embraces the Edgar Dale Cone* of learning which suggests that students learn more by “doing” than by “hearing.” This is not new, but actually old news—which should be packaged differently for the connected generation. As new standards encourage teachers to leave the lecture behind for inquiry-based, or problem-based learning, we need to be ready with ideas. Real-world learning experiences that connect to the student’s lives, require students to wonder and investigate, think, synthesize, conclude and communicate are very apropos for a generation that wants to connect, conclude, create, and communicate. They can do that best in our library or via our cybrary. Are you ready? They are.

In this issue of School Library Connection, we are excited to offer a number of great fun learning examples that are easily replicated in both collaborative and “Lone Ranger Librarian” environments. Don’t miss this month’s “Serious Fun in the Library” article by Kim and Carolyn Loucks who have written the book on serious educational fun. Don’t miss the fun non-fiction recommendations by Kay Weisman. And most importantly, don’t miss the opportunity to embed fun learning activities into your instruction during winter.   

*Editor’s note: The Dale “Cone of Learning” has many tags (e.g., Learning Pyramid) and the research from his 1969 position may have been flawed by today’s research standards. However, most teachers know from experience that students who manipulate the curriculum content in a hands-on-constructivist way have positive learning results.

http://www.workingoutwhatworks.com/~/media/researched/red%20files/briefings/learning-pyramid.pdf