Learning Styles

For several years learning professionals were writing and reading about different learning styles. The talk was about how different people learn more effectively from different styles of content presentation. In more recent years some educators are saying that learning styles are not a factor. They are saying that all learners can learn from good presentations regardless of the modality.

In a January 9, 2019 Inside Higher Ed article Greg Toppo, a senior editor at Inside Higher Ed., discusses the topic of learning styles.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/01/09/learning-styles-debate-its-instructors-vs-psychologists

“But Daniel Willingham, a cognitive psychologist and professor at the University of Virginia, said the categories themselves ‘haven’t been shown to mean anything.’ Nonetheless, recent surveys have found that about 90 percent of Virginia students believe in them.”

In this article Toppo also says there are learning professionals who very much support the concept of different learning styles.

“Richard Felder, a professor emeritus of chemical engineering at North Carolina State University who has written in support of learning styles, said psychologists have spent decades working to debunk the theory. ‘On the other side are literally millions of people who have used learning styles to design instruction’ and to help students become better learners, he said.”

A quick search of scholarly articles about learning styles produces a host of articles. In recent years there have been many learning professionals who have written to deride the concept of learning styles. At the same time there are many others who have written scholarly articles based on the theory that different people learn differently.

A good number of learning professionals continue to develop and deliver learning products designed to deliver instruction geared to different learning styles. I am not sure there is any harm in doing so, even if it is true that the learning styles theory is invalid. I also believe that the learning style theory is a comfortable concept. We believe we understand what needs to go into content for each type of learner. We can include graphics and pictures and so forth for the visual learner, audio for the auditory learner, and materials that can be handled for the kinesthetic learner.

However, I believe that a good learning professional, using whatever methodology works for them, will provide what is needed for learning to occur. It is the design of the learning product as well as the instructor’s delivery of the content that will provide the learner with what they need to grasp the content not the learner’s perceived learning modality.

I am perplexed at how much time and effort is being put into arguments for and against the concept of learning styles. I understand that the research that has been reported is that learning styles do not have merit. I think it is time for researchers to design some new studies. Learning events that make use of different modalities to deliver the same instruction should be developed. In addition instruction covering the same content using various modalities should also use different instructors’ preferred delivery styles.

Each of these instructional units should administer the same evaluation instruments to each group of learners. Comparisons of the outcomes should be informative and might help us to understand if there are indeed differences, or if all well designed and well delivered modalities lead to effective learning outcomes.

Innovations in Learning 2018

Of late there seems to be renewed interest in finding new ways to make learning happen. It isn’t just new ways to deliver training, which of course is good, but what I’m coming across is more innovative ways of helping learners absorb and apply content. This is exciting because there are many areas to explore as learning professionals seek to find new and better ways to make learning, and more importantly, the application of learning happen.

Now more then ever learning professionals are working toward active learning that involves engagement of both intellectual and physical activities. And with all our modern technology we can share what is being done, the results and learnings to the greater community of learning professionals. We may actually be at a point where we can better affect how learning can be applied for better results.

While research shows that interactive learning is superior to passively listening or reading, most corporate learning events continue to offer passive instruction. Research is also showing that not only is interactive learning superior to passive learning, it is also finding that small group interactive learning improves long term retention of concepts that can be applied to job responsibilities.

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/education-plus-development/2018/05/30/learning-about-learning-meaning-matters/

In the May 30, 2018 post “Learning about learning: Meaning matters”

Andres S. Bustamante and Kathy Hirsh-Pasek discuss the work of Professor Noah Finklestein of the Physics Department at the University of Colorado. He and his colleagues are working to transform the approach to educating undergraduates.

“…students are both engaged in hands-on minds-on learning and are much more likely to retain the content than their peers who were talked at or lectured to. Irrespective of age, people learn best when learning experiences are active, engaged, meaningful, and interactive.”

Most course developers in business environments are tasked with developing instructional content with templates that are in need of updating. At this point most corporate course developers are using new media and others forms of instructional tools and are moving away from lectures and slides. But the instructional templates that they are often required to use are in need of being refreshed and updated. The good news is that academic institutions are working to deliver content that will hopefully provide templates for the future development of business learning events.

“In a move away from the classic lecture format, Dr. Finklestein is using an ‘interactive-engagement’ approach where students work in small groups and apply the content in computer simulations and hands-on activities. The data show that student-learning outcomes of the most seasoned lecturers are equal to the lowest performing interactive-engagement classrooms, and when done well, the interactive-engagement format vastly outperforms the top lecturers with students learning more than double the physics content.”

At the beginning of November 2018, several institutions of learning jointly sponsored an event at which some of the new educational practices in use at those institutions were presented, discussed and practiced during the day-long session. The event contained three tracks, “Deepen” “Design” and “Dissent.” All the attendees rotated through each of the tracks during the day. The planners and organizers of the event included faculty, staff and students from the several institutions of learning that sponsored the event.

http://olin.edu/the-wire/2018/remaking-education-offers-new-perspectives-tools-reforming-education/

One notable difference from other types of events is that for this event students played a major role in designing and facilitating the sessions. Participants in the sessions were composed of people from various backgrounds all interested in advancing learning.

Attendees had an opportunity to participate in collaborative, hands-on activities, mentorship, contextual learning, and to hear about and participate in discussions of how these activities can impact educational practices going forward. Not only did the event talk to how to change how learning can be presented, the entire program modeled the educational practices that were being presented and advocated.

In the “Deepen” session participants had an opportunity to learn by doing and also to recount episodes from their own life where they gained knowledge from learning that they achieved through experience. During the “Design” session attendees experienced hands-on learning as they worked together in small teams to produce a product that required cooperation and collaboration. In the “Dissent” session participants were tasked with identifying ways that pieces of the current educational system could be removed and replaced with different and better methodologies to achieve the same goals. The idea was to better meet the needs of all learners, instructors and the institution to achieve the needed end results. The participants worked in small teams to develop their recommendations.

The event was all about presenting new ideas about how education and learning can occur. I hope that there will be follow-up information about how successful the people who attended the event were in implementing the concepts presented within their organizations. An understanding of what worked, what didn’t, and why will help to move new concepts and techniques forward.

Reviewing New Learning Techniques for Business Learners

I am presenting some of the changes different organizations have made in their training strategies which have shown good results. Hopefully these reports can inform what other organizations might do going forward into 2019. I look forward to reading the 2019 reviews of additional changes that were implemented in 2018 and how successful they have been. I will share what I learn in future blogs.

Below are just a few of the comments, predications and recommendations that have been presented during this past year.

https://trainingindustry.com/magazine/nov-dec-2017/trends-2018-speed-is-the-heart-of-the-learner-experience/

“Training organizations that perform at a very high level are those that are deliberate in their approach to improving the speed of learning and performance change. The key trends for 2018 reflect the challenge and opportunity for training professionals to develop learning experiences that enable learners to reach proficiency in the shortest amount of time.”

“Blanket, one-size-fits-all training is no longer adequate to meet the unique needs of learners. They expect and require training that is customized to fit into the context of their workflow and meets the specific needs of their job role and function. To do this, learning leaders must shift their focus from creating learning programs to designing customized learning paths that encompass the entire learning experience – from the point of job entry to when the learner achieves expert performance.”

….

“Workforce learning is not about courses, it’s about the entire learning experience and how we build competencies and skills unique to the individual.”

….

“Research shows that the best way for a learner to master a skill comes not from the course or event, but from how deliberate they are in practicing and improving their skills over time. High-performing training organizations focus on competency models as a comprehensive approach to learning design, curating all aspects of learning from onboarding, to structured courses, to on-the-job training, to coaching and mentoring, and to the deliberate practice of skills.”

https://joshbersin.com/2018/06/a-new-paradigm-for-corporate-training-learning-in-the-flow-of-work/

“While learning in the flow of work is not necessarily the solution for every application, it’s coming fast and I believe it’s the paradigm you should design around whenever you can.”

Here is a review of what the diversified financial services company United Services Automobile Association (USAA) did when they recognized that their instructor-led course needed to be updated.

https://trainingmag.com/training-top-125-best-practice-usaa%E2%80%99s-credit-card-training-reinvention/

“The new course reflects USAA’s approach to building member relationships, and:

Includes a hands-on simulation

Provides a similar look and feel throughout the entire training

Teaches learners how to identify the right credit card to fit the member’s needs through added simulations and facilitated evaluations

Additionally, the training solution uses a military base town as its e-learning background. This ensures that the member experience and lifestyle is front and center to the learners as USAA is a leading provider of financial planning, insurance, investments, and banking products to members of the U.S. military, veterans, and their families.

By incorporating on-the-job performance support tools and USAA’s knowledge management system, the program was shortened by 15 days. Thus, employees spent less time memorizing and more time role-playing, practicing skills, and even more time taking live calls. This returned 15 days of labor productivity back to the business.

After evaluating four classes and following 30, 60, and 90 days of post-training performance data, USAA also noted a reduction in the number of calls to the help line and shortened average handle time. The new course also decreased USAA’s financial risk by meeting and documenting new regulations.”

https://trainingmag.com/4-learning-strategies-embrace-2018-and-beyond/

“It is well understood that most things people learn in their lives come not from books or classrooms, but from experience and collaboration. Until now, it has been difficult, if not impossible, for organizations to participate in that type of learning.”

…..

“Now, the technology available allows learning to conform to learners’ needs. This digitization means that all aspects of learning can be facilitated and measured with technology. Learners are able to access learning wherever they want, whenever they want, thanks to the cloud and mobile devices. Learners are more connected to experts and one another than ever before, thanks to advances in collaboration software.”

….

“All the learning experiences that happen spontaneously and without anyone’s knowledge can be measured against behavior and performance improvement. Companies that already are well on their way in this transformation journey report a strengthened link between learning and both individual and organizational performance. In fact, high-performing organizations (those with increased year-of-year key performance indicators or KPIs such as revenue, market share, engagement, customer retention/satisfaction, and employee retention) are far more likely to deliver a blend of formal, informal, and experiential learning opportunities than their lower performing counterparts”

….

“Companies with effective strategies are also twice as likely to use social/collaborative platforms, video servers/channels, and branded Websites to reach their audience. These companies are far more likely to report that extended enterprise learning has helped their business across multiple metrics.”

I am very much looking forward to learning about what other successful learning organizations have done in 2018 to improve learning and how they directly impacted the company’s bottom line.

Confessions of a New Yorker, 3rd in an Occasional Series

This past weekend I once again went home to NY, but this time I’m not going to talk about the city. This time I am going to talk about a birthday party for a relative who turned 90. It was a wonderful event. It was all about getting caught up, eating and drinking, and everyone generally having a good time. However, something interesting also happened. It was something that I was not expecting, but a good learning experience for me.

As the afternoon wore on, people showed pictures of other family members and friends. Everyone was truly enjoying the party. I noticed that although there were many attendees who were of a certain age, only one or two people had a cane. Everyone looked very fit regardless of age. However, my big learning was when I sat and visited with different groups. Invariably almost all of the conversations at one point or another turned to politics. I’ve known for years that the family is politically active, supporting both republicans and democrats.

As I listened to the different conversations I was very impressed with the genuine conversation. Both sides were being respectful to each other. Additionally, people were knowledgeable and engaged in what is going on in the world. The discussion groups contained adults of all ages and political persuasions. The 90 year olds particularly impressed me. These people were right up-to-date on what is going on in the nation and the world. I found it interesting that some of people in this age group are not what we would call life-long learners. Well at least not in the traditional sense. They don’t actively seek to learn through classes or discussion groups or other formal learning events. But, they constantly learn from life and their interactions with others.

Some of the men play cards on a daily basis with others in their senior communities. They play from early morning until the late afternoon. They eat lunch while playing. But, what they also do is discuss current events. Others play golf almost daily and they too appear to learn from each other. The women also interact with others on a daily basis. They too play golf, they also go to the gym, eat lunch together, attend plays and movies, and often perform in plays as well. And yes, they also go to dinner as couples. They all have active social lives that lead to interest in life and informal learning.

My learning this weekend was that life-long learning can happen in any way in any setting. It is just important to keep listening with an open mind to what is being communicated by others. That doesn’t mean you have to agree with what you hear, but it is important to listen to what is being said. When I watch the political conversations on TV, all too frequently the people on the opposing sides talk over each other, making it very difficult to even hear what is being said let alone having the opportunity to digest and think about what each side is saying. Another learning for me this weekend was that one is much more likely to learn and perhaps change one’s way of thinking (or not) when able to truly hear what the other side has to say.

As I said I had a wonderful time this past weekend and while not expected, I learned a lot more about informal methods of learning and interacting with others.

Telling Stories

Long before recorded history humans were telling stories to pass on important information. Research has consistently shown that presenting information in story format results in effective learning. Story telling can also be used in a business environment to convey different concepts and information.

https://www.nyu.edu/faculty/teaching-and-learning-resources/strategies-for-teaching-with-tech/storytelling-teching-and-learning/when-to-use-stories.html

“Storytelling can provide variety in the learning experience and enhance the ‘chalk and talk’ approach. They can be used in the very beginning of the sequence as a way to gain the attention of the learner. They can be used in the middle of the sequence when introducing a complex concept. They can be used at the end of a sequence as a way to summarize information.”

http://www.harvardbusiness.org/blog/what-makes-storytelling-so-effective-learning

“Good stories do more than create a sense of connection. They build familiarity and trust, and allow the listener to enter the story where they are, making them more open to learning. Good stories can contain multiple meanings so they’re surprisingly economical in conveying complex ideas in graspable ways.”

Telling a story of how to address a business problem is more impactful than listing the steps that need to be taken. By conveying what the problem was that needed to be addressed and explaining how the individual or group went about solving the problem usually gains the learners attention more fully than a set of “how to do” instructions.

It is also likely that telling a story after explaining a problem or opportunity will engage the learner in the solution. A topic can be introduced followed by a story and then the learners can be given an exercise where they will need to use the information provided in the story. Learning by doing is a proven learning technique. Combining both story telling and hands on practice both of which are proven technique for learning is likely to provide the results businesses need from the training they offer.

Even when the training involves new products or services a story can be incorporated into the training. New products and services are developed based on a perceived need or opportunity. Telling a story about the need a business has and explaining how the product can contribute to addressing that need can be an impactful story.

I recommend that if you are developing training on any topic that you think about how the subject of the training can be enhanced by a story.

A Snapshot of Learning Today

These days there are many people presenting new and exciting ways to make learning happen. There are also many techniques that have been around for a long time and are still valid. It might do us well to revisit the existing techniques as we find the need to employ different methods for improving learning.

In this blog I am going to overview some of these techniques. The references from Wikipedia, wikihow, and Business Insider are not marketing materials. The other two references are from marketing materials, but in spite of that, the materials present interesting techniques for improving learning. Please note that I am not advocating purchase of these products, but rather I believe the concepts underlying their creation are valid and worth covering in this blog.

4 New Effective Teaching Methods To WOW Your Students

4 New “Effective Teaching” Methods To WOW Your Students
Ari Sherbill

This article presents four attention grabbing ways that the author, Ari Sherbill, believes can hold students’ attention. The first way he presents to get and keep learner’s attention is to tell them up front what is in it for them. This is a concept that is used in many different circumstances. Advertisements tell you the benefits of the products they present, for example food that tastes good, clothes that make you look great, medicines that will cure your problem. Since learners hear about different benefits in their every day lives, telling them the benefits of completing the training is very likely to be familiar to them. Therefore, this method should grab the learner’s attention.

The next method presented is finding ways to show the learner what they will miss if they don’t learn what is being presented. Here the learner needs to hear about the impact to them. For example, if they don’t learn what a healthy diet is they won’t have the ability to choose foods that are good for them. Perhaps they need to learn how chemicals interact with each other. The instructor might need to mention up front that the training will cover which products can be used together and which can cause an unsafe condition if mixed. It is all about telling the students the impact to them if they don’t learn what is going to be covered in the lesson. The benefit to them for learning is to avoid the pain that comes from not knowing whatever it is that will be covered in the training.

The third benefit presented by the author is to create anticipation of what will be taught; to give a preview of what they will learn later.

“Think Hollywood. They never just release a movie, it’s against attention hacking DNA. Every movie ever released from Hollywood is first launched with a Preview.”

The fourth and final attention grabber presented by Ari Sherbill is what he calls VAC, an abbreviation of what has been presented as the three main types of learners – Visual, Audio, and Kinesthetic. Recent research is now discounting classifying learners into these three types. However, Sherbill does say that learners need to be stimulated with all three types of presentations and therefore is talking to the need for all learners to be exposed to all three types. “The IDEAL learning environment is when the Student sees, hears, and feels the material themselves.”

http://www.businessinsider.com/auditory-visual-kinesthetic-learning-styles-arent-real-2018-2
Hilary Brueck Feb, 20,2018
Title: “There’s no such thing as ‘auditory’ or ‘visual’ learners”

Hilary Brueck presents even more thought and research on learning styles in her post in Business Insider.

“For decades, there’s been an idea that people have set “learning styles,” which are often categorized into three types: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. Some people also believe that some learners are more concrete while others are abstract.”
….
“In fact, research shows that teaching students according to different learning styles has no effect on how they perform on assessments. Every time scientists have tried to prove this theory, they’ve failed.”
…..
“The ‘learning styles’ myth is dangerously flawed
Promoting the idea that some people learn better in certain ways is not only ineffective, it’s also harmful and potentially discriminatory.”

So, while the idea of crafting a learning approach to an individual learning style is now deprecated, the effectiveness of presenting to all three styles has been shown to be effective. No matter which kind of hook you use to grab the attention of your learners, the end goal remains the same: Help the learners commit the material to long-term memory and to give them the ability to use what they have learned.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsC9ZHi79jo
How to triple your memory by using this trick | Ricardo Lieuw

A Ted Talk caught my attention this past week. This talk is about memorization. When this talk was recommended to me I first thought “memorization? We really need to do it so little today with all the electronic tools we have.” But, of course I stopped and realized I myself need help with memory. Every time I meet someone new it is a struggle to remember his or her name, especially when I meet more than one person at the same time. So I watched the Ted Talk, twice actually. I was impressed with his presentation. In reality I have read articles about memory techniques in the past, but I never attempted to apply the techniques as I had an excellent memory. However, that was the past, it is now no longer the case, so the Ted Talk was the right information at the right time for me.

Essentially my take away was to tie images to a person’s name, or anything else you’d like to memorize. Yes, I have heard this before but the presentation in this talk helped me to internalize how to use this technique.

Two other references about how to use these methods to improve memory are also in my opinion worth reading.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Method_of_loci

https://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Memory-Palace
Perhaps, like me, this information will be something that comes at the right time and you will be interested in trying out these techniques.

There is always a but…

As we move into 2018 it is good to think about the progress we have made in the last few years with regard to how we develop and deliver learning products. For example, I believe the process of chunking learning is now being widely used. And I believe we have truly made some very good progress. But, there is always a but… we still need to learn about the application of our learnings to different instructional situations.

One of the best instructional situations I have ever experienced was when I learned some intermediate skiing techniques. This was before I knew about chunking and I didn’t realize just how effective it would prove to be.

http://theelearningcoach.com/elearning_design/chunking-information/

“Chunking refers to the strategy of breaking down information into bite-sized pieces so the brain can more easily digest new information. The reason the brain needs this assistance is because working memory, which is where we manipulate information, holds a limited amount of information at one time.”

The ski instructor told our class of 6 people that he was going to teach us 3 techniques and only 3 techniques but that at the end of the session we would be able to execute them on any terrain. As the session began I thought something to the effect of, I paid for a full lesson and I was going to come away knowing only 3 new techniques. After all, in every other ski lesson I had taken the instructor had covered much more than just 3 techniques. But, I was there on the mountain and was not about to leave.

The instructor explained each technique to us. He also demonstrated each technique. Then one by one he had us do the first technique. He watched us and gave us feedback. We all of course heard and learned everything he said to the other people. When we each showed proficiency he moved to the next technique. He then had us practice the three techniques together.

I was so wrong about that lesson. It was the best lesson I have ever had on any topic. I was able to perform each maneuver on every terrain I tried to do it on. But, here I go with a “but” again. What if I was a more proficient skier and was trying to learn something a bit more advanced. Would just 3 steps be acceptable?

What if I was an experienced programmer and wanted to learn a new language? Where should my instruction begin? How many steps should be covered in each lesson? Should the mini lessons I take cover the same number of concepts as I move into more advanced topics?

Does the age of the learner make a difference? We know younger learners often learn more quickly than older learners. But, should the lessons for younger people contain more material or should the amount of content be dictated by other factors?

Should the type of learning factor into our decisions? Various psychologists have defined and named different types of learning. Should the type of learning factor into how we design our learning events?

Do our learnings for one field apply to another field? Do our learnings map to all populations? Do recent college grads learn at the same rate and same proficiency   level as experienced professionals?

I don’t know the answers to these questions. But, I hope that as some us begin to apply our new findings, we will begin to find answers. When we learn more about how people learn in different situations at different levels we can add to what we know. And hopefully, those of us developing new learning materials can use these findings to develop new (and improved!) learning products.

Social Learning: Is it new or has it been around all along?

Creators of learning products have, for the most part, successfully transitioned from almost exclusively delivering learning through classroom events to multiple methods of delivering instruction. I am pleased to see that people are now investigating better ways to deliver the good aspects of classroom learning through other methods. Yes, we have heard the complaints about the classroom-less methods that we are currently using to deliver training. Today most learning professionals agree that learners learn most effectively when they actively participate and receive feedback. Newer learning products don’t always do this well. But integrating social learning into learning products is being recognized as a way to offer some of what is missing from some of today’s training offerings.

 

Altman, Ian. DEC 5, 2017. The Top 10 Business Trends That Will Drive Success In 2018. Retrieved from https://www.inc.com/ian-altman/the-top-5-business-trends-to-watch-in-2018.html

 

“Social learning is the process of learning through peer social interaction. The most common example of traditional social learning is the chance encounter at the workplace water cooler. Two or more people run into each other, share ideas, and walk away knowing a little more in the process; this is social learning.”

…

“The most successful online learning programs include a digital community where participants can share their experience, ask questions of each other, and engage in social learning that goes beyond the course curriculum.

 

As companies adopt more social learning, so too will they adopt tools that support mentoring and coaching that leverages the internal expertise organically.”

While I am very much a proponent of social learning, I need to add a word of caution. We need to find ways to validate what we learn from social learning. I believe we need to develop methods for testing what we have learned so that we can add this knowledge to what we can reliably use.

There are still many things that need to be explored and tested, as we move forward in developing better learning products. I believe social learning is a move in the right direction. However, we have always had social learning. What we perhaps now need to do is to find ways to ensure the information imparted is correct and up-to-date. We also need to be able to measure the effectiveness of what people learn through social learning methods.

Years ago, many companies would bring new hires into the company and put them through weeks-long extensive training programs so that they could learn about the product and services they were hired to support. As part of my role as a consultant I would speak to learners who had graduated from these programs to see how they were integrating into the organization. What I often heard was that it wasn’t until they were actually in a role that they understood how to apply what they had learned. This is an area where we likely need to improve how we measure the effectiveness of both our training events and also the effects of social learning. Perhaps we can encourage learners to develop questions that will help them integrate what is covered in the learning events. Once they have answers to the questions, the questions and validated responses can be added to existing FAQs or new FAQs can be developed to support these learning events.

Social learning is helping to bridge formal learning and peer-to-peer learning, which I believe will lead to better learning and better performance.

 

What I Learned Today

So there I was minding my own business. I’ve been gradually cleaning out closets and storage areas in my house. My town has made it very easy for me. I can put out a bag of just about anything in any shape to be picked up and repurposed for a new life. No washing, no cleaning, just put it into bags provided by the company that does the repurposing. Yes, the company makes a profit, but they also pay the town for the privilege of collecting our discards. Yes, many people in the town object to giving reusables to the for-profit company, but I like that the town benefits and – as importantly, I don’t have to clean or think twice about donating something.

As I was saying before I wandered off topic, I had a few things in my spare bedroom on the bed ready to go into the bag. But when I lifted the pile I also pulled up a blanket I had folded at the end of the bed. Nuts and shells poured out. OK, maybe just a few fell out, but it seemed like a lot at the time. I know that no one was eating in that room and if, on the off chance someone had, it certainly wouldn’t have been the nuts that were now on the floor. I knew that I had a problem, but being from New York City (or as I say it, “the ciddy”) I wasn’t sure what type of animal could have caused the situation. I decided that whatever it was, I would need help.

I left the room taking the bag I had filled. I then headed to my office to see if anyone had any ideas of what type of situation I was facing. I was the first one in and logged on and began reading my mail. As luck would have it my local Nextdoor web site had several posts from people talking about the squirrels that were getting into their homes. ‘Ah ha!,’ I said to myself, ‘I now know what is causing my problems.’

I contacted two pest control organizations and got the name of two more from friends. One friend told me he’d had a squirrel problem and it cost him a thousand dollars to fix the situation. ‘Oh my goodness,’ I said. ‘I think I’ll start with the service I have been using for carpenter ants, poison ivy, etc. ever since moving into my current home.’ Their web-site says they do rodents too. They are a small family owned company and I hoped they would have availability to handle the situation the same day. I called them and they told me yes, they had availability, but it would cost $400 to trap a rodent. What choice did I have? It sounded better than $1,000, at least. Although people on the local web-site had offered solutions to the problem, I know that the solutions they listed are way beyond my skill set. So I said yes, please come ahead and fix the situation.

When the service person arrived, he inspected the outside of my house and then came inside and looked at the room where the incident had occurred. He asked me if I had recently brought anything down from the attic or anywhere else and put it on the bed. I assured him I hadn’t. He explained to me that he saw no evidence of any squirrels. He told me he had been in the business for over 30 years and it was likely mice.

He went into the attic and basement and inspected the bait he had placed there at the beginning of the winter. Sure enough, he found evidence of mice activity. He said they often come into the attic and then come down to other rooms. He said they bring in the nuts that I showed him. He upped visits to my house from twice a year to four times, which my current contract covers. So today was a “free” visit.

So in the end I learned that it is important to seek expert advice and not to jump to conclusions when I don’t know what evidence I should be looking for. As a learning professional, I am always telling potential clients that there are professional resources that they should consult before implementing a strategy to solve a problem. So yes, I hope the next time I need a professional service I won’t tell them what the problem is, but rather allow them to identify what is needed and make a recommendation for how to proceed. Just like I tell clients when they want to hire me to implement a solution that they have identified rather than allowing me to use my expertise to recommend a strategy for their needs.

Even though we are professionals, we sometimes forget to follow our own advice to achieve the needed end result! I hope to do better in the future. And I hope to have fewer non-paying tenants eating nuts in my spare bedroom.

New Year, New Blog

Happy New Year Everyone!

A while ago I was speaking to a women who taught English to recent arrivals from Spanish-speaking countries. She told me that one of the most important things for teaching them how to pronounce English words was to not show them the written word. She said she has had much more success by keeping them from pronouncing words as they would in Spanish when they encountered a new written word.

Remembering this conversation got me to thinking about how we train people. Would we get better results if we presented information in the abstract? Would we get better results without telling them where the new content connected to what they already know?

Yikes, I can’t believe I even wrote that paragraph. I have always been a big believer in telling the learner where things fit into what they already know. But, I have also been thinking about flipped learning and the Khan Academy practices. While this blog isn’t about applying these concepts, it is about looking for opportunities to think outside the box, which is what both the flipped learning and Khan concepts do. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking_outside_the_box)

My thought is that, while we have had some good successes in improving learning, we are still looking for additional ways to improve how learning happens. In particular, I want to address learning in business environments.

Perhaps we can apply some strategies that wouldn’t be applicable to university settings. Perhaps in some business cases, it might be that people need to learn how to do specific things in a specific way. Given that we are starting with this premise then people only need to learn how to do the specific activities and how to correct any missteps. In this situation, you wouldn’t need to teach the context, the history, or any of the whys or wherefores. Yes, I’m out on a limb here, but please stay with me.

So for these specific situations, we could begin by creating a list of what learners need to be able to do. Then we could break each topic into all the steps that need to be taken. Next we divide each topic into what the learner needs to do step-by-step, and also what the learner needs to know to take the step. Then we identify where things could go wrong and how to apply fixes. Next, list just the minimum actions that the learner needs to take. Finally we can create an exercise that the learner will need to be able to do in order to demonstrate that they know how to do the activities.

One of the best ways to identify the steps that need to be taken is to have someone perform the steps while someone else takes notes. After each step, discuss what could go wrong and document it. Then integrate how to recover from the missteps as part of the instruction.

Once you are satisfied with the process, review the write-up and remove extraneous content. Does a new learner need to learn everything that has been documented? Also is there anything else that needs to be added to the steps?

Document the steps but don’t add any instruction. Next have someone who has the prerequisite background but doesn’t know the new activities test out the instruction. Sit with them and ask them to “think out loud” about what they understand about what needs to be done, as well as anything that they don’t understand or anything that confuses them.

I realize what I’m suggesting requires a bit of up front work but I hope that the results will provide better learning and performance. It is, at the very least, an experiment worth trying, I think.