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It’s not brain surgery. These 6 brain-science principles for learning, developed by Sharon Bowman, should be used by every trainer and teacher, every day. Period. What’s really cool is that the dozens of active learning techniques explained here can be applied to live or virtual training. You may also notice that many of the activities fall into several of the “trump” categories.
Keep the blood flowing to the brain. Experts suggest we should take breaks every 20 minutes. During online meetings and webinars, consider every 10 minutes! You can incorporate more movement into learning events and meetings by asking participants to:
Sometimes we need a little encouragement to get off our bums (for those who are able), but the minimal effort is worth it.
Bowman asserts that the one doing the most talking generally does the most learning. Make that be the students. The technique is effective for several reasons. When people speak their thoughts, they begin to own them. Then, as the words become their own, they start to believe and remember them. Talking exercises include:
Vision is humans’ primary sense and we think in images first. To make training memorable, build in activities that tie the content to visual images. For instance:
Writing has the combined benefits of being visual and requiring movement. We know that people love their devices — phones, tablets, computers — but welcome them to fall in love again with a favorite pen, marker, or notebook. Guide the group to take notes on specific topics that are important to recall. Consider these activities:
Some say we can stay focused for the number of minutes that match our age. 30 years old . . . 30 minutes. Others say this is hogwash and that EVERYONE benefits from frequent breaks. I expect it’s due to lots of reasons. Our primitive brains evolved to react to interruptions and changes. Moreover, with today’s barrage of beeping phones and commercial messaging, we’re not accustomed to focusing for long periods of time. An added benefit of sticking with shorter learning segments is that studies show people tend to remember beginnings and endings more than middles. Consequently, you’re likely to retain more information from three 10-minute lectures than one 30-minute presentation. To break up longer presentations, try interspersing some of these activities:
Habituation is the idea that we stop noticing and paying attention to anything that’s not new. When you first put up a new picture or hang new curtains in your house, you can’t stop looking at and noticing them. But, after time, they stop capturing your focus. Psychologists define it as the “diminishing response to a frequently repeated stimulus.” As trainers embrace the “shorter trumps longer” teaching principle, they can’t simply default to using the same activities every time. Of course, it would be easier that way, but also less effective. You can easily change each of these quick activities:
The ways to embrace the 6 brain-science principles for learning are truly endless. I’ve shared a bunch here, but once you get the hang of it, I’m sure you’ll be creating your own clever exercises, graphic note pages, and more.
I love the concepts shared to engage participant’s and to know that they are staying focus while on line. great reminder of participants focus time