Does Education need to be Entertaining?

When was the last time you picked up an educational book like an encyclopedia to brush up on your general knowledge? The most probable answer would be - Never? 

It is a common answer but the closest you can get to that question is probably flipping to the Discovery Channel or National Geographic once in a while. If you were to do exactly what the statement above says, people would probably look at you with a cocked eyebrow. Education or general knowledge to be more precise is definitely a lacking factor plaguing the youth of today, especially in Malaysia. Before you ask why, let’s dig deeper as to why the previous generation possess more general knowledge.

Where did learn or get this general knowledge from? Once upon a time it was from books, but then came the age of the television... You sort of know where this is going right? 

Sesame Street! The missing piece of our childhood. It was from these kinds of interesting yet entertaining educational shows that makes learning fun. Sesame Street was a success naturally to the younger audience as we as humans are becoming increasingly more reliant on visual aid - after all we are visual creatures.

Sesame Street, one of the longest running children's programs combining both elements of education and entertainment is a great example. For a child to learn, the experience must be stimulating to the mind, humor, images, shapes, sounds and rhythm, are just some of the elements that make a child pay attention to something. 

If you grew up watching educational programs like Sesame Street or Bill Nye the Science Guy, then it is apparent that the entertainment factor plays an integral part of learning. The information boom doesn’t really help either as it overloads our intake of information and forces us to be selective of what we pay attention to. Take for example, would you rather learn about the history of World War 2 by watching images, videos and commentary found in a documentary or would you rather read from a huge text book detailing the events of that war? The answer is pretty obvious.

It’s noble to have a purely educational show; it would not work at this day and age where people are more hooked to the entertainment stimulant. Shows like Mythbusters or Man vs. Wild in the Discovery Channel draw people attention and yet stay informative with educational values in it. Even a young nerdy boy like Loh Soon Jun would confess to watching the Discovery Channel than to read an encyclopedia which takes time to search, read and absorb the information.

In a nutshell, entertainment aspects in an educational format is not entirely bad, it may even be beneficial to the program. Shows like Sesame Street have proven that the formula works, making it easier to digest the information presented to us. Educational entertainment could light the way to more interesting ideas and concepts to continue on the cycle of learning.

Tune in next week for the upcoming topic – 5 Reasons Youth Lack General Knowledge