Active Learning
Engaging Participants in the Learning Process
ac·tive learn-ing — Active learning is generally defined as any instructional method that engages participants in the learning process. In short, active learning requires participants to do meaningful learning activities and think about what they are doing.
For example, active learning within a business context might include performing more academic activities like reading, writing, analysis and evaluation, as well as participating in discussion and problem solving groups, or even participating in game-like simulations.
Why "Active Learning"?
Well, for starters, it just works better. The days of lecturing through the dim glow of PowerPoint slides has come and gone; at least for companies trying to maximize the value of their training dollars. One of the most common refrains after an Empowering Voices, Inc. training session is “what a great day” and “that was fun” and “I actually learned something at this training session.”
In short, our participants walk out the do excited and able to do things different and better than before we began.
It may not be Shakespeare, but we take quotes like those to heart as a measure of true success. At the end of the day, if we can make training FUN , MEMORABLE, and IMPACTFUL, we’ve accomplished something substantial. And you get a great value for your training dollars.
Why is Active Learning so important? It isn’t just that we “can’t pay attention” anymore and that society is more fast-paced, instant-gratification, now-now-now culture and all the other somewhat valid hypotheses bandied about – it’s more simply how our brains function in terms of learning and retaining ideas, concepts and skills.
Traditional Classroom Learning yields a 20% retention rate.
Columbia University did a study that concluded a professor generally speaks 100-200 words a minute. The average student hears about 50-100 of those words. Even more concerning is that the average person only pays attention about 40% of the time. Doing some advanced math, that means people generally “get” about 20% of the information spoken. I speak and train for a living, so I’m not going to lie and say I don’t enjoy the microphone… but at that ROI? Why bother?
Rather than lecture all day, we do things a little bit differently. We get participants UP and MOVING, discussing and debating and most of all, THINKING CREATIVELY and COMPETING throughout the day. To this point, just about everyone (except the good folks at PowerPoint, I suppose) has loved it. 99.6% of audiences have said they “walked away with valuable new ideas” and 99.7% said they found the training “beneficial”.
99.6% of our audiences “walk away with valuable new ideas.”
The end result is training sessions that accomplish the mission of training in the first place; to improve results, to impact behavior and to create a memorable impression that inspires positive change. So let’s get Active and put together the perfect training program for your organization today!
Chris Scheeren
Learning Presentation and Executive Presence Skills by listening to a lecture is like trying to learn a sport by watching on TV – at some point, you gotta get on the field and play…
