Risks involved when fun learning becomes the goal

FUN learning – an educational approach that integrates enjoyable, engaging and interactive methods into the learning process – is increasingly seen as the benchmark of good education.

However, from an educator’s perspective, this expectation risks distorting what learning truly requires.

Deep learning is often uncomfortable. It involves confusion, sustained effort and delayed understanding.

Inquiry-based and self-directed learning are not designed to entertain but to develop thinking, resilience and independence.

When enjoyment becomes the primary indicator of success, teachers are pressured to prioritise performance over substance.

Education should not compete with entertainment. The role of education is to equip children with the ability to focus, struggle and learn beyond structured environments – skills that matter far more than short-lived classroom excitement.

LEE QIAO HUI

Batu Ferringhi