Pick “n” mix of learning
This week I will visit the CIPD’s learning and development show “HRD” (Human Resource Development), so I wanted this week’s blog to focus on the changing face of learning.
The more unusual a learning experience the more chance you have of the knowledge sticking. One of my favourite stories is of a black Labrador walking into a history lesson. This was such a random thing to happen it made the lesson memorable, and ever since then a boy in the class that day can remember all the Tudor Kings and Queens.
Long gone are the days of “chalk and talk”, anyone who is a parent will know a “tell” approach just does not work.
A combination of approaches (pick “n” mix) that is appropriate for the learner will ensure it becomes embedded.
- Attend a workshop and follow up with social learning, a forum a discussion be it on-line or face to face, never underestimate the power of a crowd. The more chat and social interaction about the development area “working/thinking/talking out loud”, the more enriching the experience.
- Coaching as a follow up to workshop, making sure the group experience becomes just about the individual. Working 1:1 you can really understand the person’s particular learning style and then ensure the right approach.
- Encouraging team members to share any learning experience can now be done on open-source platform such as moodle. The White House website even operates on an open source management system called Drupal.
- If you want to know how to do a DIY job at home you now use YouTube, this is what we call “just in time” learning. Think in your organisation what could this look like. Short learning bursts from experts within your own community, e-learning bites or outside providers delivering (90 minutes of learning)!
- Google Glass will offer an immersive learning approach, imagine being a medical student and watching on a webcam a surgeon perform the operation with Google Glass. The narrative of the surgeon will be instant with the visual. Looking at the world with fresh eyes could be closer than you think.
- Of course there will always be the place for a book whether you read it on iPad or Kindle or simply like the paper.
The current Head at St Swithins says if we have a combination of extrovert and introverts in our classrooms it is up to us as the educators to listen to them empathetically and determine the best learning approach. Therefore as facilitators we need to listen to our audience and tailor the workshops to their styles and most importantly give them a selection of follow ups – “pick “n” mix”
Please do contact nuggets for a bespoke approach to learning bev@nuggetsoflearning.co.uk
