I just took a little self-quiz to see how much I “know about learning.” The quiz was recommended by The Training Doctor and I’m pleased to note that I did fairly well because I’ve pretty much . I’m increasingly convinced what we think is about teaching is actually about learning.
Anyway, one of the answers to a question included the observation “many experts believe taking a nap after learning something new aides learning.”
Woo! This explains the behavior of some of my students!
It also means I’ll be able to justify more naps!
Seriously, there is a lot to be said for naps. Perhaps I should offer a course on napping. Imagine the potential for integrating experiential learning! “Do not disturb–learning taking place” would take on a whole new meaning.
If you’d like to take the quiz, follow this link. After you’ve taken the quiz, have a nap!
Students who’ve taken my “Stand up, Speak up, Shut up!” public speaking course know that one of the keys to effective presentation is to speak based on the listener’s perspective–it’s not about what you want to say, it’s about what the audience will hear, feel and think. This relatively simple truth should not be difficult to grasp, but we’re instinctively self-centered and tend to think more about what we’re going to say (or present) than what others are going to hear or see.
A six minute animated presentation on Brain Pickings makes the distinction and will tempt you to buy the book “100 Things Every Designer Should Know About People” by Susan Wenschenk. My copy is on order, but the preview available on Amazon demonstrates the validity of focusing on the listener/viewer/reader’s perspective whenever we design just about anything–a website, a course manual, a flyer…this all comes together when communication is involved.
Here’s a the last point of the six-minute presentation: “People imitate your emotions and feel your feelings.”
I’ll confess (please don’t hate me for this) that many years ago I did some telemarketing training. One of the exercises we’d conduct was to have students sit back-to-back so they couldn’t see each other’s face. An observer would count the number of times the marketer smiled during the conversation as would the “customer” who couldn’t see. The accuracy of the counts was amazing. People hear a smile. A third observer would watch the customer and count smiles–there was always a strong correlation between the marketer’s smile frequency and the customer’s. That customer unconsciously imitated the marketer’s emotions.
That’s only one sense–hearing–so we would do well to consider what all the channels (senses) are communicating regardless of the media. Most training or education involves auditory (speaking/hearing) and visual (slides/seeing). Watch the six-minute presentation and you’ll discover which one most often trumps the other.
An interesting (and ongoing–this is nothing new, really) debate in the public education sector includes the role of “vocational” education. Meanwhile, some of us are still wondering what happened to “shop” and “home economics.” During one session at the recent Financial Literacy Summit I chuckled a bit when a speaker asked how many schools were providing “consumer science” courses. “Oh, you mean home ec?” The speaker went out to point out that she’d counseled a college student regarding his financial problems only to discover that he was eating every meal out because he didn’t know how to cook.
A recent study conducted in the UK asked what type of qualification or training would help young people succeed in their career. The answers came back: on the job training (93%), apprenticeships (90%) and internships (84%) topped the table compared to 78% who said degrees. Now I’m not minimizing the value of a college education–any education has value–nor am I trying to start a political debate. But whether we are talking about adult education courses of the public education system in America, there’s a lot to be said for integrating “hands on” learning. I’m sure I’m not the only one who remembers the response to students who announced they were studying for a liberal arts or some other esoteric degree: “You want fries with that?”
Education at any and all levels is not a “one size fits all” proposition. The following is an article about an article that appeared in the most recent issue of Training Doctor News.
Here is a really fascinating article (http://www.thenation.com/node/167476) comparing the standard United States educational system approach of getting everyone the same, basic, k-12 education and the more pragmatic approach of other nations such as Switzerland and the Netherlands. The impetus for the article was a perceived draw back of the Obama plan and the recent announcement to invest 1 billion dollars to increase the partnership between high schools, colleges and employers.
Here are just a few highlights, we recommend taking 5 minutes to read the whole article:
A draw back of the plan is that it is focused on post-high school, while in many Western European nations, the final years of high school are customized depending on whether the student is going to go on to college, go on to a technical school, or enter the workforce (in other words, preparing young adults for the workforce is addressed much earlier)
Currently, the (US) youth unemployment rate (26 years and under) is 22%; in the Netherlands the youth unemployment rate is 5%.
In the United States, only 20% of 26-year-olds have a credential of some type.
The Swiss government analyzes business needs and the skills required to achieve those needs and plans for government sponsored schooling to feed the needs of business; in the US there are just a few non-profit organizations that bridge between the three: government, schooling and business.
Nancy Hofmann, author of the book, Schooling in the Workplace, is quoted in the article as saying: [in the US] “We behave as though nobody needs to learn to work. We behave as if somehow education alone will launch you into a career.”
No, I am not announcing retirement. That is what we call an “attention-getting headline.” Before you charge me with misrepresentation, understand that I’ve actually been “giving up teaching” for quite a few years now.
Ho Hum, we’re being taught.
When I substitute teach I introduce “Rule #2” into my classroom: “We will enjoy learning.” I convinced myself to follow this course because I do love to learn and, hope to instill that love in my young students. I believe learning should be as much fun as possible. When it’s not fun it should at least be rewarding. That’s no less true for adults.
A recent article in Harvard Review, Twilight of the Lecture, by Eric Mazur was very affirming. Mazur says he is “more interested in learning than teaching” and demonstrates with research that moving the focus away from the lectern to the “physical and imaginative activity of each student” is the key to improved learning. In practical terms,
The active-learning approach challenges lecturers to re-evaluate what they can accomplish during class that offers the greatest value for students. Mazur cites a quip to the effect that lectures are a way of transferring the instructor’s lecture notes to students’ notebooks without passing through the brains of either.
For anyone who teaches, this article is a “must-read.” I’ve witnessed this first hand when working with second graders through adult learners. Many second grade readers will stumble over a word and look at me with inquisitive eyes. My instincts are often to give them the answer, but I know that’s not very engaging. So we might “sound it out,” break it down, or consider the context. Sometimes we find a dictionary and look it up. They don’t always like it because it means work. But I think it also means learning and engagement.
Can’t you just tell me the answer?
Adults like this even less. Real estate pre-licensing courses require testing and passing grades. I introduce every course with this observation, requiring students to write it down at the beginning of their notebook:
If you study to remember you will forget. If you study to understand you will remember.
That sort of process doesn’t usually work very well when I’m lecturing–students are writing down and hoping they can remember what I say. The harsh reality is that I’m doing all the work and hoping they are “with me.” It seems a bit odd that we are both hoping it will work. Hope is a wonderful thing, but effort tends to get more results.
Interactive learning is more work for the teacher and the student. It’s also not traditional, especially with adults. Teachers/lecturers like maintaining control of their classrooms. What we need to understand is that interactive learning does not translate to giving up control of the classroom–it simply requires a different set of skills and a higher level of engagement on the part of all involved. The ultimate classroom management takes place when we engage the learners’ mind as well as their pencils. Mazur says, “Active learners take new information and apply it, rather than just making note of it.”
No, I’m not retiring… and I’m actually not really giving up teaching. But I’m constantly doing it differently because I think teaching is really about learning.
Walter Boomsma (“Mr. Boomsma”) writes on a wide array of topics including personal development, teaching and learning. Course information is also available here!
I just took a little self-quiz to see how much I “know about learning.” The quiz was recommended by The Training Doctor and I’m pleased to note that I did fairly well because I’ve pretty much . I’m increasingly convinced what we think is about teaching is actually about learning.