Learning is a process that involves the transformation of information and experience into abilities and knowledge. Learning, according to me, is a two way process that involves the learner and the educator leading to knowledge acquisition as well as capability.
What Is Learning? The Key Strategies
Learning means gaining new knowledge, skills, and values, both in a group or on one’s own. It helps a person to develop, maintain their interest in life, and adapt to changes.
There are many and different learning concepts and strategies held by students and ways in which the different views affect teaching and learning.
STRATEGY #1 – USE OF IMAGES
Most of us grasp a concept easily when drawings or images are incorporated to our learning. It makes it easier for us to remember and offers a way to link the concept to the image. In my training, I would post some welcome signs with each individual’s name on it. I would also summarize the key concepts of the discussion in a cloud or using mind maps or concept maps.
For example, to outline each module we can draw a mountain with flags on its peaks. Various kinds of visual aids can be used during a meeting or training. Whiteboards, flip chart, slides, video, PowerPoint presentation, mind maps, concept maps, handouts etc. to name a few. It increases the understanding of our topic, creates enthusiasm & makes an impact on the learners.
Most importantly it engages the audience & make the learning concept memorable.
STRATEGY #2 – REPETITION
Our brain ciphers information most efficiently when it is repeated in multiple ways. As mentioned in the PowerPoint slide it strengthens the connections in the brain. Therefore, by reading, hearing, seeing multiple times will increase our understanding and retention of the content.
It helps the learner pay attention to the concept and also helps them to understand the content in a different way when repeated several times. During training, I would do a one-minute review of the content to reflect back the material. I would also encourage them to have daily learning goals.
Note-taking would also encourage the learners to write down notes by themselves rather than giving them full copies. I would also assign small tasks at the end of the training which would require them to go back and apply the concepts covered.
STRATEGY #3 – ALLOW STUDENT CHOICE
I think it is very important to let the employees know why they have been assigned a certain task at work and why the goal they have assigned has some value.
Once the objective is predetermined by the management, I think it is important to allow the employees to decide how they want to reach or execute their plans and actions in order to achieve this goal. By doing this, it allows them to tailor their approach, preferences and abilities in carrying out the task with more confidence.
By letting them make a choice, their job performance increases. There are various ways and means of doing a particular job based on how the person chooses to do it.
STRATEGY #4 – LINK TO PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE
Learning becomes most efficient when it is linked to our prior knowledge and experience. It develops connection with the present content to our prior knowledge which helps us in building more relevant thoughts. It also makes sure we have a strong foundation. It also ensures to rectify any misconceptions that we had or have.
Some of the things that I would resort to during a meeting or training is to encourage the learners to attend field trips. In my profession especially, this will be grate help. I would also show them some videos, encourage them to read technical magazines, show them images related to the topic to recollect what they already know.
STRATEGY #5 – PROBLEM SOLVING
We all come across issues related to projects at our workplace regularly. These issues can be dealt efficiently with proper planning before executing them. Sometimes situations require problem solving skills.
The first thing that I would consider during my training would be brainstorming i.e., to identify what the problem is, then define what is the cause, expand on the various strategies and finally get to the solution. Team building activity would be another great way of problem solving.
I would also introduce team building games such as Office Trivia where I come up with a series of questions related to the topic that would help everyone. Group discussions is another way of promoting problem solving. I would make groups and assign them certain task, so they would find the cause and come up with feasible solution.
STRATEGY #6 – INCORPORATE MUSIC
Incorporating music at work place creates a positive mood and a happy mind and hence increases the productivity. It helps us to calm our mind and work efficiently especially if the tasks are repetitive. Since workplace these days are open spaces, it is very easy to get distracted by those around you.
Music helps us create our space from them and focus on our work. I would incorporate music which would help others to be active, productive, motivated, inspired, creative, calm etc. Depending on the time of the day or the kind of projects we are working on I would encourage them to listen to a certain playlist that would boost their positivity & productivity.
STRATEGY #7 – USE HUMOR
I believe humor is an important part of work. If there’s no fun, then employees’ resort to web surfing or day dreaming. By adding humor at workplace, it helps relieve tension, calms the mind, increases the productivity and the coworkers enjoy each other’s company.
According to me some of the fun things to do would be to have a dart board, take frequent walks, learn to solve a Rubik’s cube, play some games and get better at typing, have lunch together, pick a story from our weekend and share it with others, play improv games as a team, play tic tac toe etc.
STRATEGY #8 – STIMULATING ENVIRONMENT
Colors not only affect our mood but also impacts our productivity. It is essential to create vibrant & stimulating hues which creates a positive environment and increases our output and creativity. I would suggest having plants on our work tables because the color green helps us remain calm and efficient at the same time.
We can also have colorful notes and posts on the wall, family pictures, office party pictures, travel pictures, motivational quotes. I believe all these will have a positive impact on our mind during work.
STRATEGY #9 – USE COLLABORATION
We are all social animals and working together as a team can improve our learning. Learning in a team or group allows the learners to increase their understanding and they can retain information for a longer time. Collaboration allows brainstorming among a group of people and putting across a bunch of ideas together is the best way of coming up with a solution.
I would promote team building activities, hanging out for lunch together, playing activities that would help to know the members of a team, raising funds for a charity, volunteering to cook something together, creating chat forums etc. By doing all these it will help the team members to establish a common ground of values and beliefs that would result in having a successful team.
STRATEGY #10 – PHYSICAL MOVEMENT
Physical wellbeing has a lot of benefits not only on the individual but also has an impact on the work they do. Irrespective of the size of the company, it is possible to have various types of activities. Taking frequent walks is a great way of easing our mind from our hectic work.
Depending on how far the employees stay from their workplace, I would encourage them to bike to work once or twice a week. I would also encourage them to have more face-to-face conversation rather than shooting emails or chats to one another.
Simple activities such as lifting weights & stretches can be done in between work with a 10-minute break, encourage them to have weekly and monthly goals, having bulletin boards about nutrition and other health information can also be a great way of promoting health at workplace.
SUMMARY ACTIVITY:
Of the ten strategies mentioned above, I think I would to strengthen on the physical movement strategy. In most of the big companies both corporate & non-corporate companies, there is gym, basket ball court, tennis court, volleyball court etc. I don’t work for a company such as this.
Ours is a mid-size company with about 20 employees. We have no such facilities. All I can think of doing is to take frequent walks. Ours is a flat management and therefore there’s lot of work pressure since we are accountable for the entire project from start to end.
We get so busy at work that we get no time for ourselves to even take a break other than lunch break.
This has always been a concern for me and I have been thinking about it for quite sometime that I should include some physical activity at work and even after work. After having learnt about brain-based learning, I think it is very vital for our well being and for the functioning of the brain that we include some physical activities in our everyday life.
