Every academic learning experience can and should be an interactive and enjoyable process

I will begin by negating one of my opponents initial suppositions. "I need only convince the reader that there are some instances where one or more of the considerations of interactivity or enjoyment cannot or ought not be primary." As the resolution does not state that considerations of interactivity or enjoyment can and should be primary. I did declare that academic learning experiences can and should be processes that include interaction and enjoyment. I did not attempt to change the resolution, I merely challenged the opponent to provide evidence to the contrary as it was my assertion that every experience could be interactive and enjoyable. "some academic learning experiences can be more meaningful when my opponent's criteria are set aside" This is another misconception on my opponent's part, as meaningfulness was not excluded or included or excluded in the resolution. Thus making it a non-issue. Setting the criteria aside would negate any reason for arguing the resolution, as meaning, while an assumed goal of learning, is largely subjective and dependent upon the student. "we should take it more as an aspiration that we make education interactive and enjoyable when possible." This is closer to addressing the contention of the resolution, yet, the true assertion is not based on making academic learning interactive and enjoyable when possible, feasible or convenient but at all times. A radical notion to some, but, to others a meaningful and logical expectation and goal. However,I do agree that interaction and enjoyment should be included whenever possible by instructors who do not think these guidelines can always be included. "More meaning when the criteria are set aside." Already addressed as a non-issue and subjective. There was no separation of meaning from the learning process in the resolution. I also assert that the claim that interaction and enjoyment make learning less meaningful is based on conjecture and circumstantial. Furthermore, solitude would suggest the absence of the instructor. Also, even in solitude, academic learning can be interactive and enjoyable. A student can interact with nature and be entertained while learning. This would arguably be better than being cramped behind a desk. "infeasible to achieve my opponent's two universal goals in concert" Addressed and illustrated that these goals can be attained in solitude. Learning in a natural environment vs. being in a bland setting that is likened to a jail cell as it is purposely isolated and bland. "..academic learning experiences that cannot or should not be enjoyable. Preeminent among these is failure. Some may believe that failure is necessary for success" The more pertinent question is should failure be punished or seen as a need to alter the way the lesson is presented or taught? Firstly, failure and success are subjective terms. I also would argue that failure can also be a result of poor or ineffective instruction as much as it can be a lack of comprehension or ability of the student. Failure is often confused with difference or variation, especially in an educational setting that values conformity or groupthink. One could argue that one of the US's greatest failures is its inability as a nation to recognize, value, and respect differences. This is partly because of the conformist mindset that is programmed into students during the educational process. If one considers the stormy past that the US has had with discrimination and prejudice you would think that some lessons should have been learned. Also, if developing the ability to empathize with and meet the needs of other is the goal, isolation would seem to be deleterious to achievement of that goal. Socialization is an integral part of the human experience. This is not to suggest that a student or individual should be allowed to put forth minimal effort or choose to do only what they view as acceptable or good enough, more that instruction should be tailored to promote and foster comprehension amongst all students and delivered in innovative or creative ways rather than in a one-size-fits-all manner. Labeling students or their achievements (or lack thereof) as unsatisfactory or failures do are counter-productive is the goal of instruction is for the student to achieve comprehension of the subject matter in that these labels tend to decrease the student's enthusiasm toward the subject matter and lower their self esteem. Effects of Grading and Labels Grades tend to reduce students" interest in the learning itself, Grades tend to reduce students" preference for challenging tasks, Grades tend to reduce the quality of students" thinking, Grades aren"t valid, reliable, or objective, Grades distort the curriculum, Grades waste a lot of time that could be spent on learning, Grades encourage cheating, Grades spoil teachers" relationships with students, Grades spoil students" relationships with each other. [1] I have even seen teachers use name calling and teasing to, I suppose, motivate the student? This is not an effective motivational technique, especially if done among the child's peer group. It also sends mixed signals when schools prohibit bullying, name calling etc. Why do labels carry such significance in an academic environment?...every label""slow," "bright," "trouble-maker," or "difficult""entails a set of expectations that are associated with it"expectations that, when made known to the student, may become a self-fulfilling prophecy, "an expectation which defines a situation [that] comes to influence the actual behavior within the situation so as to produce what was initially assumed to be there" ...When these standards are low, the student does not put any effort into his work or into improving his behavior because he has been labeled "slow" or "deviant:" this label has become part of his identity, and if he would achieve or behave in a way that is beyond that label, he would essentially be losing part of his identity...Similar to the concept of the self-fulfilling prophecy is that of the Pygmalion effect...the Pygmalion effect achieves the opposite, allowing a student to achieve beyond what he may have thought was possible simply because he has been told that he can. If a student who has been struggling with a certain subject for several years may want to give up, and his teacher tells him, "You will ace the test because I know you can do it!" he will achieve the Pygmalion effect by doing well. [2] This data would suggest that encouragement rather than assigning degrading gradations are the most productive in learning, if the desired result is comprehension and success. However, if classification or validation and maintenance of a classist structure and society is desired, grades prove to be most beneficial and effective. "a student also shouldn't be sold the irrational lie that he can accomplish anything" I disagree, as humans have proven to be able to exceed expectations and the alternative "telling a student that they can't" has a defeatist tone and has historically been used to maintain and encourage discrimination while discouraging the child. After all, how does a teacher truly know what a student can potentially achieve. "engage in possibly unpleasant exertion to achieve a goal." The resolution suggests that with innovative methods of presentation and interactive approaches (or approaches that highlight the students strengths) any exertion considered to be unpleasant can be seen as enjoyable. "unpleasant tasks...Memorizing calculus formulas..." Again, these tasks (in regard to learning) do not necessarily have to be unpleasant, as any task considered to be unpleasant by one is enjoyable to another. As you stated there are idiosyncrasies. However, if a group or individual find the learning process to be unstimulating or tedious a more effective, interactive, and enjoyable approach can and should be sought out. Even memorizing calculus formulas can be entertaining (i.e. make a game out of the formulas in a format like the Jeopardy game show) "discovered the formula ..."every" academic educational experience "can" be enjoyable? I think not." My opponent seems to have misunderstood the resolution once again. It does not say everyone should be expected to enjoy the learning experience by one standardized method of presentation. This, in many ways, is already in effect. Rather it suggests that varied, creative, and distinctive methods can be formulated and used to involve the student and engender more willingness to participate in the activity. A good example would be "The Book with No Pictures". As stated by the author, "There"s a really exciting way to show kids that the written word can be their ally...I thought it would be a challenge. Can you make a kid love a book without pictures?" The effectiveness of the book also required the adult to relate in an interactive rather than authoritative manner. [3] Another example would be sports. While one can read a manual on how to play the game or have it explained to them, it is typically considered to be a more enjoyable and interactive process to learn through participation in a sport with a group or team, even in individual sports like golf. In the adult realm, things like music and collaboration have long been used to make mundane tasks more enjoyable and interactive. In a society where social media has led to a decline in socialization and socialization skills, standard methods of teaching should be re-evaluated. Too often at events or parties, guests are attached to their smartphones tweeting or texting, but no one is truly engaging or interacting with the people around them. [5] Sources: http://www.alfiekohn.org... [1] http://www-scf.usc.edu... [2] http://www.vanityfair.com... [3] http://college.usatoday.com... [5]