Thirty years ago, John Goodlad, an American educationalist, asked: 'Why are schools not places of joy?' Author Alfie Kohn, who speaks widely on human behaviour, education and parenting, responds to the question by commenting that some people worry about 'excessive enjoyment' and believe that it is a signal that not much learning is going on.
Joyful learning is a phrase embraced by those who believe that to successfully improve the effectiveness of learning and teaching in our schools - and levels of well-being within society - we must change the way we think about teaching and learning. Successful education is so much more than test scores; it must be about helping children to find joy in learning. We all learn best when we're happy.
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