I am coaching my son’s soccer team this year (5 year olds).It has been quite the learning experience.

At times it has been like hearding cats.  It has also been an amazing opportunity for me to understand how people learn and how effective communications work.  I have a story to illustrate just one lesson I learned.

We were right in the middle of a great drill.  The kids were all engaged and appeared to be learning some essential skills.  I notice several kids were struggling with getting the ball in the goal and I knew I had to teach them to keep thier eyes on the goal. So being a good teacher, I asked a question.  “Where do we keep our eyes when we shoot the ball” I yelled out.  One boy, without hesitation, yelled back…”in our head!”  You have to love the beauty of honesty.

I went to Google and typed “good learning” into the search box. I then hit “I’m Feeling Lucky”. The second paragraph of the website I went to is below:

The unifying point in all forms of constructivism is that things and reality are not seen as given, inevitable, or natural, but as constructed by human beings or by human activities. Constructivism is often contrasted to behaviorism and to “transmissive” models of learning where human beings are seen as passive receivers of information.”

No wonder so many young people are afraid to learn. How could you not be inspired to join the “good learning” club when it is so eloquently and simply laid out for you as above (notice the extreme sarcasm in my voice).

If we are ever going to get GenY and GenX interested in true learning opportunities on the job, we have to start making it simple and fun!