May 5 CANPD

1. I Told Them, So Why Don’t They Know It?
Pamela B. Pfeifer, MS, RN-BC Manager, Clinical Training, NM Academy,
Northwestern Memorial HealthCare
What Research Tells Us About the
Learning Process
• Cognitive neuroscience explains basic brain physiology
concepts for basic learning processes:
o Humans are genetically coded to learn to adapt
to the environment
o New skills mastery creates new neural pathways
 Short-term memory can hold 5 +/- 2
“chunks” of information at a time
 Endocytosis causes new information
(short-term memory) to decay rapidly
(within 10 to15 seconds)
 Repetition reinforces neural
pathways and moves working (short-
term ) memory into long-term memory
o Incremental steps of skills mastery stimulate
dopamine release (pleasure)
o PET images show decreased glucose
metabolic rates after several weeks of practice
(less energy needed to maintain new learning)
o Stimulation of the limbic system makes
emotionally charged events easier to remember
o Neurotransmitters are depleted after 8 to 10
minutes of stimulation (cognitive overload)
o Stimulating more than one area of the brain at a
time increases memory by increasing the number
of neural pathway connections
 However, if multisensory input is not
well integrated it can have a
decremental effect by overwhelming
information-processing capabilities
(task switching vs. multi-tasking)
How Can You Be a Better Trainer?
• Getting learners to learn
o Move away from telling them WIIFM (What’s
In It For Me?) to showing them WCIDWT
(What Can I Do With This?)
• A model for creating terrific learning sessions:
Making Learning Research Work
• Useful training approaches and learning activities
o Design with a bias for learner-centered
methods
o Minimize lecture-driven experiences; encourage
learners to collaborate, elaborate, verbalize,
draw and share what has been learned
o Insert frequent practice to allow repetition
o Chunk “like” concepts
 Condensing several pieces of
meaningful information into one
“chunk” reduces short-term memory
overload (e.g. use acronyms such as
NEWS or HOMES)
o Link concepts to previous knowledge
 Scaffold information to allow
incremental skills mastery (gaming
strategies)
o Design training sections to be no longer than 20
minutes in length with planned “brain breaks”
between sections
o Ensure learners are focused on one task at a
time, but vary the learning format through active
engagement:
 Facilitation
 Simulation
 Games
 Role play
o Use emotion to activate learning:
 Ask learners to share successful as
well as difficult learning experiences
 Use reflection
o Use terms such as “learning check” or “practice
exercise” to decrease the stress associated with
the words “exam” or “test”
 Testing is important to verify if
training objectives were met and to
identify opportunities for feedback
• The bottom line on training activities:
o Don’t just transmit information but transform
learners
o Focus on a “learner-centered, performance-
based” approach
o Focus on meaningful interactions to transform
learners
References
• Doolittle, Peter (2009). Multimedia learning and working memory capacity. In Cognitive Effects of Multimedia Learning, , IGI Global,
Publisher.
• Quinn, Clark N. Engaging Learning, 2005, Pfeiffer Publishing
• Stolovitch, Harold D. and Keeps, Erica J. Telling Ain’t Training, 2002, ASTD Press.
• Silberman, Mel. Active Training: A Handbook of Techniques, Designs, Case Examples, and Tips, 3rd Ed., 2006, Pfeiffer Publishing
• Schell, Jesse The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses ;2010, Elsevier, Inc.
• Sawyer, RK, ed. (2006). The Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences. New York: Cambridge University Press.
• VanDam, Nick (2013). Inside the Learning Brain. T+D ; April ,67(4): 30-35.
Abstract
Education specialists struggle to find ways to make
learning engaging and memorable, yet so many are
unsuccessful in their attempts. Why? How many
times have you heard this statement: “I told them what
they should do, so now they should be able to do it?”
The purpose of this poster is to explore how education
specialists can prepare effective, engaging learning
activities based on basic brain physiology concepts
that explain the learning process.
fMRI illustrating the difference in brain
activity during interactive play and passive
exposure
Rationale
Objectives
Activities
Evaluation
(corrective)
Feedback
OK?(confirming)
Feedback
Yes No
Why Learning is Not Easy
• There’s usually a disconnect between what trainers say
about how they learn and how they try to help others learn
• Trainers try to transmit information, without remembering
that learning is about change/transformation
• The bottom line on adult learning principles
o Readiness—focus on your learner’s needs
o Experience—connect to what they already know
o Autonomy—allow time to explore new concepts
o Action—connect to immediate application
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/3/prweb9293984.htm