Learning and teaching as a leisure practice: A reflection on seven key concepts

In this presentation I argue that learning and teaching can be much more pleasant and prolific for all the education’s stakeholders, if we can experience and conceptualize it as a leisure practice. To construct this argument, I first define the meaning of “leisure” as a liberating experience and elucidate why we need to consider it as a fundamental base in the context of learning and teaching. Then I introduce seven key concepts that I believe can make a learning and teaching context more pleasurable and productive. These concepts are: freedom and autonomy, relevance and contextualization, slowness and reflection, meaningfulness and mindfulness, willingness and eagerness, and finally affiliation and sense of belonging. Although these concepts have already been profoundly discussed in various educational resources, I look at them from a new perspective which is based on the meaning and value of leisure. Leisure which means much more than idleness or laziness. My definition of leisure is based on its meaning in the literature body of the “leisure studies” with direct links to its philosophical roots in the ancient Greek philosophy. Leisure in this discourse is a freely and preferred practice that is enjoyable, has clear aims and provides value and meaning for our personal and social life. In this presentation I focus on the conceptual aspects about why having a leisure perspective in learning and teaching is important. Nonetheless, I also will briefly mention a few practical techniques that we need to implement to construct a more pleasurable environment in this context. As a result, after delivering an overview of the importance of these concepts I will discuss various possibilities that we can consider to implement the relevant ideas into practice. For instance, I will explain how promotion of a leisure-based view about learning and teaching can develop more cohesive learning communities and how these communities can help students to share their passion and enthusiasm and ultimately contribute in an emancipatory and liberating learning journey.