Teenagers learn best by doing things, they learn best in teams and they learn best by doing things for real — all the opposite of what mainstream schooling actually does.

Mulgan contrasts adolescents’ preferred modes of learning—experiential practice, collaboration, and authentic, consequential tasks—with the dominant “mainstream” school model, which he implies is more passive, individualised, and simulated (e.g., listening, worksheets, tests, and contrived exercises). The quote functions as a critique of institutional inertia: schooling is organised around what is easy to timetable, assess, and standardise rather than what best develops competence and motivation. It also gestures toward project-based learning, apprenticeships, and real-world problem solving as more developmentally aligned approaches, suggesting that engagement and mastery increase when learning is social and connected to genuine outcomes.