The 'F' Word | David Sheppard | TEDxYouth@Jingshan
David Shepherd argues that "fun" in education is not mere play, but rather creating an elective experience built upon choice, chance, creativity, and shared knowledge. He asserts that the key to better learning is embracing risk and unpredictability, citing research showing enjoyment improves reading and math skills, and challenges educators to overcome the "fear of failure" by intentionally failing, laughing often, and taking bold, unpredictable chances.
## Speakers & Context
- David Shepherd: Professional educator for **12 years**, with a background spanning preschool, elementary, middle school, high school, and college teaching/internships.
- Speaker's overall career length in education: **34 years**.
- Event context: A gathering of student speakers, at which Shepherd delivers a talk on education.
## Theses & Positions
- *Fun* in education is defined as "creating an experience that we want to be in by choice."
- Fun is not equivalent to allowing students to do "whatever they want whenever they want," nor is it making things "easy for students."
- School environments should be places that are "a little bit unpredictable that allows students to use their creativity and imagination and allow students to share what they know and to give students choices about their own learning."
- The foundational belief is that *fun* (having fun while learning) leads to better retention: "if you're having fun while you're learning you're more likely to learn it quicker and better."
- The primary barrier to incorporating fun is the "fear of failure," which causes educators to become overly reliant on rigid "curriculum unit planners."
- The ultimate goal is for students to have an experience that evokes a feeling of "wonder" upon entering the classroom.
## Concepts & Definitions
- **Fun:** An experience students choose to be in, characterized by four elements:
- Chance (element of chance, like games, because "no two games ever turn out the same way").
- Creativity/Imagination (often linked to the arts).
- Sharing knowledge (humans are social and like to "be good at things that we're good at").
- Choice (liking to be in control of one's own destiny).
- **Dirty Word in Education:** The concept of "fun" being taboo or difficult to discuss within the educational field.
- **Artificial Rigidity:** Traditional teaching methods, exemplified by students in "perfectly neat rows," are considered "antiquated and old."
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **The Bubble Experiment (Example):** In fourth grade, Mr. Del Gado used a box fan, industrial-strength plastic strips taped to it, to create an enclosure where students were restricted to only one activity inside.
- This activity demonstrated how a controlled, fun environment enhanced learning, specifically in reading.
- **Research Findings (British cohort study, starting 1970):** Confirmed that having fun while learning increases retention and improves skill sets beyond the subject being learned.
- Positive correlation noted between fun/reading and the improvement of "math skills as well."
- **Physiological Mechanism:** Laughter and fun are linked to the release of "endorphins," which "lowers stress and anxiety" and "improves short-term memory."
## Timeline & Sequence
- **1970:** Start date of the "British cohort study."
- **Fourth Grade Experience:** Mr. Del Gado's demonstration utilizing the box fan and plastic strips.
- **Historical Shift:** Transitioning thinking about teaching from a rigid structure to one comparing possibility to an "all-you-can-eat pizza buffet."
## Named Entities
- **Mr. Del Gado:** Fourth-grade teacher who created the "bubble" experience.
- **Roald Dahl:** Author of the book *The BFG*.
- **The Three Stooges:** Used as a reference for self-deprecating humor.
## Numbers & Data
- Duration of Shepherd's professional education involvement: **34 years**.
- Study tracking duration: **17,000 students** over an educational career.
- Specific improvement correlation: Fun while reading improves "language skills" and "math skills."
## Examples & Cases
- **The Bubble:** Pushing desks to the edges of the classroom, taping plastic to a fan, creating an air-filled structure for activities.
- **The Graffiti/Mural:** Creating a "giant mural to hang up on the door" after the class read *The BFG*, designed to make students feel "dwarfed by this giant" upon entry.
- **Self-deprecating Visual:** Showing a picture of himself in sixth grade with "ridiculous pretty absurd" hair, glasses, and shorts.
## Tools, Tech & Products
- **Box fan:** Used in the classroom to power the "bubble."
- **Industrial-strength plastic:** Material used to create the physical enclosure for the activity.
## References Cited
- **The BFG:** Book by Roald Dahl, read to the class.
- **British cohort study:** Research tracking 17,000 students from 1970 onward.
## Trade-offs & Alternatives
- **Traditional Model (Antiquated):** Students in neat rows, beholden to curriculum units and unit planners.
- **Ideal Model:** A pizza buffet where possibilities are endless, promoting elective, fun-based learning.
- **Negative Action to Avoid:** Letting learning become solely driven by fear of failure or curriculum completion mandates.
## Counterarguments & Caveats
- Acknowledging that the "bubble" activity might "violate several international safety protocols."
- Recognizing that the shift in pedagogy requires overcoming the deep-seated "fear of failure."
## Methodology
- **Educational Design:** Implementing "experiential learning" through constructed, engaging physical environments (e.g., the bubble).
- **Research Synthesis:** Drawing conclusions from longitudinal data (British cohort study) connecting emotional state (fun) to cognitive outcomes (learning speed/quality).
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- **Three actionable steps for educators/parents:**
1. Go into school and fail (to train parents).
2. Have a good laugh (and specifically laugh at oneself).
3. Do something bold (take a chance/risk/be unpredictable).
- Educators must remember that "nothing great ever happened without taking risks."
## Implications & Consequences
- If education emphasizes *fun*, the resulting knowledge retention and skill development (reading/math) are demonstrably higher.
- The consequence of fearing failure is the stagnation of pedagogical innovation.
## Verbatim Moments
- *"this is a dirty word in education"*
- *"I'm talking about creating an experience that we want to be in by choice"*
- *"we like to be good at things that we're good at and we like to share that with others"*
- *"it's just the hardest part for a lot of students is getting started"*
- *"if you're having fun while you're reading you're not only reading and language skills improve but your math skills improve as well"*
- *"the fear of failure or to put it another way it's the what-ifs"*
- *"nothing great ever happened without taking risks"*
- *"go into school and fail"*
- *"have a good laugh at yourself"*
- *"do something bold take a chance take a risk"*