I watched an exciting webinar today on accelerating learning. One thing that coincided with my recent experience was that I recently completed a piece of learning and had difficulty remembering much of it a few days later. The design was good, the content was interesting, but still, I have not remembered much.

This is a problem we often have when we create learning interventions. The digital versions look sleek, with lots of graphics, but the content somehow does not stick.

What transpired is that power to forget is much greater than the power to remember. 

It is so for several reasons.

One, how our minds work. We discard information that we (subconsciously) deem unimportant.

Two, the complexity of information is too much for our minds to process (and remember) in one session.

And three, remembering takes effort. For the learners to exert that effort, there needs to be personal motivation, the right environment, personalisation, and design that considers the problem.

So how do we overcome those challenges?

Possible solutions could be:

1. Strip the learning of everything that is not essential. Bring it down to simple and easy concepts to remember and understand.  Bring down the number of concepts (or items) learners need to remember immediately in one session. Enough to understand and create the basis for later learning.
2. Implement and expand learning over time and in small chunks.
3. Use technology to supplement learning with the knowledge required later and that is available to access quickly and efficiently – LMS, Desk aid, Knowledge Banks, and similar.
4. Try to personalise the learning – good learning needs analysis to include more than just the role of the learners.
5. Ensure that design is such to engage the learners and motivate them to invest the effort.
6. Use adult learning methodologies thoughtfully, for example, repetition, recall, immediate use and practice.
7. Allow learners time to step back and focus on learning.

Be willing (and brave) to test and experiment with learning design.

“If you wish to forget anything on the spot, make a note that this thing is to be remembered.”
― Edgar Allan Poe

[post-views]

I watched an exciting webinar today on accelerating learning. One thing that coincided with my recent experience was that I recently completed a piece of learning and had difficulty remembering much of it a few days later. The design was good, the content was interesting, but still, I have not remembered much.

This is a problem we often have when we create learning interventions. The digital versions look sleek, with lots of graphics, but the content somehow does not stick.

What transpired is that power to forget is much greater than the power to remember. 

It is so for several reasons.

One, how our minds work. We discard information that we (subconsciously) deem unimportant.

Two, the complexity of information is too much for our minds to process (and remember) in one session.

And three, remembering takes effort. For the learners to exert that effort, there needs to be personal motivation, the right environment, personalisation, and design that considers the problem.

So how do we overcome those challenges?

Possible solutions could be:

1. Strip the learning of everything that is not essential. Bring it down to simple and easy concepts to remember and understand.  Bring down the number of concepts (or items) learners need to remember immediately in one session. Enough to understand and create the basis for later learning.
2. Implement and expand learning over time and in small chunks.
3. Use technology to supplement learning with the knowledge required later and that is available to access quickly and efficiently – LMS, Desk aid, Knowledge Banks, and similar.
4. Try to personalise the learning – good learning needs analysis to include more than just the role of the learners.
5. Ensure that design is such to engage the learners and motivate them to invest the effort.
6. Use adult learning methodologies thoughtfully, for example, repetition, recall, immediate use and practice.
7. Allow learners time to step back and focus on learning.

Be willing (and brave) to test and experiment with learning design.

“If you wish to forget anything on the spot, make a note that this thing is to be remembered.”
― Edgar Allan Poe

[post-views]

I watched an exciting webinar today on accelerating learning. One thing that coincided with my recent experience was that I recently completed a piece of learning and had difficulty remembering much of it a few days later. The design was good, the content was interesting, but still, I have not remembered much.

This is a problem we often have when we create learning interventions. The digital versions look sleek, with lots of graphics, but the content somehow does not stick.

What transpired is that power to forget is much greater than the power to remember. 

It is so for several reasons.

One, how our minds work. We discard information that we (subconsciously) deem unimportant.

Two, the complexity of information is too much for our minds to process (and remember) in one session.

And three, remembering takes effort. For the learners to exert that effort, there needs to be personal motivation, the right environment, personalisation, and design that considers the problem.

So how do we overcome those challenges?

Possible solutions could be:

1. Strip the learning of everything that is not essential. Bring it down to simple and easy concepts to remember and understand.  Bring down the number of concepts (or items) learners need to remember immediately in one session. Enough to understand and create the basis for later learning.
2. Implement and expand learning over time and in small chunks.
3. Use technology to supplement learning with the knowledge required later and that is available to access quickly and efficiently – LMS, Desk aid, Knowledge Banks, and similar.
4. Try to personalise the learning – good learning needs analysis to include more than just the role of the learners.
5. Ensure that design is such to engage the learners and motivate them to invest the effort.
6. Use adult learning methodologies thoughtfully, for example, repetition, recall, immediate use and practice.
7. Allow learners time to step back and focus on learning.

Be willing (and brave) to test and experiment with learning design.

“If you wish to forget anything on the spot, make a note that this thing is to be remembered.”
― Edgar Allan Poe

[post-views]

I watched an exciting webinar today on accelerating learning. One thing that coincided with my recent experience was that I recently completed a piece of learning and had difficulty remembering much of it a few days later. The design was good, the content was interesting, but still, I have not remembered much.

This is a problem we often have when we create learning interventions. The digital versions look sleek, with lots of graphics, but the content somehow does not stick.

What transpired is that power to forget is much greater than the power to remember. 

It is so for several reasons.

One, how our minds work. We discard information that we (subconsciously) deem unimportant.

Two, the complexity of information is too much for our minds to process (and remember) in one session.

And three, remembering takes effort. For the learners to exert that effort, there needs to be personal motivation, the right environment, personalisation, and design that considers the problem.

So how do we overcome those challenges?

Possible solutions could be:

1. Strip the learning of everything that is not essential. Bring it down to simple and easy concepts to remember and understand.  Bring down the number of concepts (or items) learners need to remember immediately in one session. Enough to understand and create the basis for later learning.
2. Implement and expand learning over time and in small chunks.
3. Use technology to supplement learning with the knowledge required later and that is available to access quickly and efficiently – LMS, Desk aid, Knowledge Banks, and similar.
4. Try to personalise the learning – good learning needs analysis to include more than just the role of the learners.
5. Ensure that design is such to engage the learners and motivate them to invest the effort.
6. Use adult learning methodologies thoughtfully, for example, repetition, recall, immediate use and practice.
7. Allow learners time to step back and focus on learning.

Be willing (and brave) to test and experiment with learning design.

“If you wish to forget anything on the spot, make a note that this thing is to be remembered.”
― Edgar Allan Poe

[post-views]