When we understand how we learn, we become a more effective teacher, trainer, parent and
coach.
Why & how do we learn?
Learning is often of
interest to us so we can develop competence or gain confidence in an activity. The activity could be work related, such as learning to use a
new software application. Learning
can be recreational, such as learning to dance. Learning in these situations involves actually doing the
activities. Improvement in
performance requires practice over time and seeking guidance from those more
skilled in what you are trying to learn.
For example, mastering the Tango or a video editor software to edit a
video you shot on your smart phone requires you to first try to do the
activity. After we try on our own
we often realize our need to seek out someone more experienced than us.
In
real learning situations, there are three processes
1.
Acquiring relevant knowledge
2.
Thinking for understanding
3.
Doing
These three don’t
occur as separate processes, but are dynamic and mutually support the overall
learning process.
For
example, as we acquire more knowledge, think better about what we are doing and
practice more, we tend to become more competent at that activity – whether it
is work related or otherwise.
Pay Attention
If a learner is NOT
paying attention, learning is likely to be sparse and ineffective. A trainer’s ability to capture
attention is greater if they are motivated, well prepared and passionate about the topic. When the instructor is doing all the
talking, the learner’s attention tends to trail off quickly. This and others like
it are popular topics in Train the Trainer BootCamp.
The
implications of this for training are very important. It shows that long periods of talk by the trainer, without
opportunities for student participation, are likely to be ineffective as a method
of teaching. This is a typical
mistake made by trainers who think that more input by them equals more
learning. This is clearly shown to
be incorrect. Your own experiences
as a participant and student will fully bear this out.
Three
best practices that help with maintaining learners attention span are:
1. Presenting
training in modules that are limited to 8-12 minutes of instruction.
2. Always
including application and practice into each module
3. Bringing
the participants together after instruction and application or practice to
recap what they learned.
Trainers
must understand how their audience best learns to maximize their impact. Read back through the hows and whys of
learning frequently to continue to improve your training abilities.
Still
learning,
Honey
Interaction Training
281-812-0211
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