Continued from April 2008 Newsletter FEATURE ARTICLE : |
Make it stick! In last month's Newsletter we looked at four steps to making a course meaningful for the learner. They were:
This month we will take a look at the second step in the "4 Ms" and that is how to make your course content "Memorable". Here are four aspects for you to consider when designing memorable courses:
In these newsletters we have touched many times on the importance of producing engaging stories. I am reiterating this point yet again, because if you don't have an interesting or powerful story to build your course around, you are going to have a difficult time holding your learners' attention. I recently read an excellent book by Chip and Dan Heath, called "Made to Stick". In this thought provoking book, the authors discuss the various aspects of what makes ideas "sticky". How can we make our ideas stick in people's minds? What steps can we take to ensure the most important data is retained long after a story has been told? One good example they explore is "Urban Legends". These are stories that carry such powerful messages that people are drawn into the plot or situation, experience the emotions, whether they be elation or horror and are almost compelled to pass the message along. When asked to tell the story again at a later date, most people can do so effortlessly, weeks, months or even years later even though they heard or read it once! Now that is a compelling story! You may recognize some of these urban legends. Perhaps they have come across your computer screen via email from a "trusted friend" who also received it from a "trusted friend": Most urban legends zero in on negative emotions. We are disgusted by the horror of it all and fear for ourselves and our loved ones. But using positive emotions can be just as powerful. The trick is to make them believable! How can you use this information to build effective case studies, scenarios and stories that will ensure you Learners don't forget important facts?
Rich media is no substitute for a good script, but there are times when it can get the message across a lot quicker and more effectively. For instance, a video of a plane crash. By pulling your learner into the story of the passengers, pilot or air hostess, you engage their emotions. They experience the crash - something they are not likely to forget easily. One place I have seen this done very effectively, is a course I worked on for the Worker's Compensation Board. In the course, the learner would follow the real-life story of a few people who had experienced unfortunate accidents in the workplace due to negligence or lack of training. A couple of examples are a young man who was paralyzed after a forklift accident in a lumber yard; and a young lady who lost her fingers in a pizza machine at work. In the course, the learner was introduced to the individual, listening to what they had to say and how they were trying to cope with their disability. Some did not cope well at all - this fact itself made an indelible impression on the learner. They were introduced to the victim's family members and significant others, hearing their point of view and struggles in the situation. All in all, it was a memorable course for me, let alone the learners who went through it - and that was five years ago! Today I can still see their faces, feel their pain and wish things were different. It spurs me on to ensure my family members are well trained and take precautions in the workplace. Whether you use video, images, audio or animation, ensure they convey a powerful message.
A mnemonic is a phrase, sentence or poem which serves as a memory aid. They work best when they have associations or characteristics that give them "sticking" power, such as emotional qualities, visual representations, humor, and cleverness. They are particularly useful when the information you are trying to relay ranks "low" on the meaningfulness scale. For instance, how often will you be called upon to recite the order of the planets? Here are a couple of mnemonics you've probably used yourself: Or what if you wanted to remember the colors of the rainbow in order? You could use this one: Mnemonics are a great way to remember difficult processes. You can introduce these to your learner or give them an opportunity to create their own. Here's one I was taught decades ago in elementary school, as a way to remember how to spell GEOGRAPHY: "George Eats Old Gray Rats and Paints Houses Yellow". Now this seems like a ridiculous sentence, but it has stuck with me for a lifetime. The above examples illustrate how mnemonics can be used for remembering sequences and spelling, but they can also be used for important processes and checks. My husband is an aviator and has come across some great mnemonics in this field. Here are a couple: Conclusion: When the information is best learned by repetition or "rote", create an artificial association through mnemonics.
Challenges can be memorable, unless they are too easy. On the other hand, if they are too difficult the learner may only remember their failed attempts and frustration. However, if the challenge difficulty is "just right", the learner may fail on their first try. This is what we at Udutu call "Learning by Failing". It is a powerful process that draws resources and skills out of the learner. Instead of being bored by the simplicity of the challenge, they now have to focus and think in order to proceed. This is quite different from clicking through pages of information and then having to regurgitate it all in a quiz at the end. Learning by failing is by far the most memorable process. Even if learners don't remember how they fixed a problem, in future challenges they will remember that they figured it out and now have the confidence that they can probably do it again. They have learned a skill that can be repeated in the future. Remember to create challenges that are relevant and have utility. If you use an analogy or setting that is obscure, the learner is more likely to remember the irrelevant setting than the challenge.
Instructional courses should have lasting impact. The goal is not excellent grades on a quiz or post test, but for learners to successfully transfer their learned skills to other situations. By constructing memorable learning events, we can assist learners in transferring those skills effectively to their everyday performance. |
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