As a former primary school teacher and now a behavioural scientist, I’ve witnessed the shifting landscape of education from two crucial perspectives. I’ve also experienced it as a parent raising children born in ‘91, ‘98, and ‘07 — three very different eras of learning. Education has always evolved, but the stark contrast between the 1990s and the late 2000s raises important questions about how we learn, what we retain, and what skills we are inadvertently erasing.

The 90s: Learning Through Struggle and Repetition

In the 1990s, the classroom was structured around effort, repetition, and resilience. Learning required patience — if you wanted to understand a topic, you had to engage with it repeatedly. There were no shortcuts, no autofill answers, and no instant feedback loops beyond a teacher’s red pen.

Handwriting was a key component of learning. Writing something out wasn’t just about neatness — it was about encoding information through muscle memory. The process of forming letters, constructing sentences, and physically engaging with the material reinforced knowledge retention in a way that typing simply does not replicate. This wasn’t just about English or spelling; mathematical problem-solving, note-taking, and even art lessons followed a similar model of trial, failure, and improvement.

There was also boredom — long stretches of it. And while this might seem like a negative, boredom served as a catalyst for creativity. When children weren’t entertained by a screen, they were forced to engage their imagination, think critically, or simply develop patience — skills that are foundational for higher cognitive functions.

The Late 2000s: Gamified Learning and the Loss of Failure

By the time my youngest child entered school in 2013, education had shifted towards engagement over effort. Learning was gamified, and technology promised a more entertaining approach to acquiring knowledge. On the surface, this seemed beneficial — who wouldn’t want learning to be fun? But beneath the bells and whistles of interactive screens and digital rewards, the fundamentals of learning were quietly eroding.

The shift towards touchscreens and keyboards meant handwriting became less emphasised, reducing the cognitive reinforcement that writing provides. Failure — once a necessary step in the learning process — was increasingly bypassed through automated hints, multiple-choice options, and instant retries. Without the struggle, there was no real mastery; without real mastery, there was no transferrable skill.

Attention spans also began to dwindle. With instant feedback and dopamine-driven engagement loops, children became accustomed to constant stimulation. The ability to sit with a problem, to work through frustration, or to think deeply without immediate gratification became rare. Instead of fostering resilience, education started catering to short-term engagement at the expense of long-term cognitive development.

The Behavioural Science Perspective: Why This Matters

From a behavioural science standpoint, the human brain thrives on challenge and adaptation. Learning isn’t just about acquiring facts; it’s about developing the cognitive flexibility to apply knowledge in various contexts. Struggle and failure create the neural pathways necessary for critical thinking and problem-solving. When these elements are removed, we weaken a child’s ability to think independently and persist through difficulties.

Additionally, the decline of handwriting in favour of typing impacts more than just penmanship. Research has shown that the physical act of writing engages multiple brain regions responsible for memory, comprehension, and cognitive processing, not to mention fine motor skills. When children type instead of write, they lose a crucial method of encoding information deeply.

A Call for Balance: Blending the Best of Both Worlds

Technology in education isn’t inherently bad. In fact, it has provided remarkable opportunities for accessibility, collaboration, and innovation. But as with all advancements, balance is key. The challenge we face today is ensuring that we integrate technology without sacrificing the fundamental skills that build resilient, critical thinkers.

We must bring back challenge into learning — whether it’s through handwriting exercises, problem-solving without instant digital solutions, or allowing space for boredom to foster creativity. Education should prepare children not just to consume information, but to analyse, adapt, and innovate in a world that is constantly evolving.

The future of education shouldn’t just be about speed and convenience. It should be about depth, resilience, and the ability to think beyond the algorithm.