Professor Sambanis, why do we need a new approach to learning?

We live in a world full of challenges, which can be frustrating, especially for young people. Digital transformation threatens to overwhelm the brain. It is constantly being bombarded with information and gradually loses its ability to concentrate on one thing for a longer period of time.

Besides that, wars, crises, and conflicts cause fear, exhaustion, and extreme stress. If we just carried on as before, learning would become another difficulty that we need to overcome.

So your idea is to make learning easier instead? Not only that, you think learning should make you happier. Is that an antidote to the challenges posed by current world events?

Learning can definitely contribute toward feeling better. Brain research teaches us that exerting our brain and mastering something such as solving a puzzle can make us feel happy. At that moment dopamine is released in the brain, and we experience a feeling of reward.

Why is that?

Humans are designed to learn, and not learning over a longer period of time can actually make people unhappy. Babies are generally extremely curious, and children ask so many questions because they want to experience the world and understand it. They are eager to learn. The brain wants to process knowledge and not just let information pass through it.

Why do we often perceive learning as an increasing burden as we get older?

Since the brain is highly plastic, it adapts to whatever it is offered. In the digital age, in which we are now living, every answer is just a click away. What we internalize is this: It is not necessary to learn anything since I can retrieve the information from another source any time. The brain is no longer challenged, and acquiring information is no longer coupled with the reward system.

With your concept of “happy learning,” you aim to reverse this trend. You think that learning, especially learning foreign languages, should make people happy and boost their confidence.

We call it positive didactics. Our goal is to associate learning with positive emotions. Language instruction should be a positive experience. People who are relaxed can concentrate better and retain the material more easily. So we impart strategies that help learners to relax and overcome negative feelings. Another important aspect is teachers’ experiences: We want them to enjoy teaching and therefore choose to remain active in their profession and avoid burnout.

In your seminars you work with students learning to become teachers. You also give workshops for teachers and go directly into schools. Does happy learning actually work for everyone?

Well, I would say that everyone benefits from our concept, and I would even go so far as to say that everyone can learn to enjoy learning. The earlier we start, the easier it will be for learners to recognize the positive aspects and their own strengths, which will make it easier for them to learn better over the long term. However, it is never too late to begin.

How do you start?

We always begin with an energizer. In elementary schools we emphasize physical movement. In secondary schools we find that elements from improvisational theater work well. That works best while standing in a circle, for example, moving together, throwing a ball back and forth, and sharing positive words. Breathing exercises can also be helpful toward achieving a positive mindset. Then we stop to analyze how we feel. What effects did this exercise have on me or my students? That is the first “aha moment”: There is something concrete that I can do to feel good. The goal, of course, is to be able to tap into this memory during the learning process.

And how do you proceed from there?

After this warm-up, the brain is ready for new information. In my seminars this is the point where I introduce research or theoretical components. If I sense that the learners’ concentration is beginning to wane, I might switch to a physical exercise. At the end we discuss the method and reflect on our experiences, in particular, asking: What did I gain from this experience that I can use in learning or teaching?

It seems that especially when learning foreign languages, many people feel inhibited about speaking out loud in class for fear of saying something wrong. Can your approach help with that?

Yes, many learners experience “foreign language anxiety.” Approaches from improvisational theater can help you get started speaking. Or you can just stand up and make yourself look very tall. That alone has a significant impact on the brain.

The book Happy Learning – Glücklich und erfolgreich Sprachen lernen that you and Christian Ludwig wrote, has recently been published in English as well. Can Happy Learning be applied anywhere in the world?

I travel internationally a great deal, and this question comes up repeatedly. In theory, much of what I do is applicable universally. However, in specific learning environments, for example, in a classroom in Cameroon with a hundred children, we adapt these strategies together with the teachers so they will work effectively in that context as well.

You focus on learning languages. Can positive didactics serve as a model for other subjects as well?

In general, when people learn, they are processing stimuli in the brain, regardless of the subject. When people enjoy learning anything, dopamine is released in the brain, and they experience a feeling of reward, as I mentioned before regarding the process of learning foreign languages. It would be wonderful if other researchers and teachers devoted to learning and teaching methods were to further develop our approach for their own subjects. And it would be wonderful if many more people could enjoy learning languages and discover happiness in the process of learning itself.

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Anne Kostrzewa conducted the interview. The original German version appeared in the Tagesspiegel newspaper supplement published by Freie Universität Berlin.