TJ - The Publication for Learning and Development

Accelerated Learning: Myth or magic?

By Michael Tipper (August 2005 Issue)
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Michael Tipper explains how understanding and harnessing the power of our brains enables us to learn more efectively.

A few years ago, I thought I had a bad memory. Now that is not a very startling revelation, because many people think they have a bad memory. However I was only 16 years old at the time. Undeterred by this shortcoming in my thinking development at such an early age, I sought out and discovered ways of improving this apparent shortfall. To cut a long story short I later competed in the World Memory Championships, coming second after memorising a ridiculous amount of cards, numbers and other random lists.

Driven by wanting to help people with similar perceived limitations, I used my success as a memoriser to begin teaching others how they could improve their memory and get more from their thinking. I also continued my research into memory which expanded to cover learning in general and in doing so I discovered this thing called Accelerated Learning (AL).

I'm not going to go into detail about what the principles of AL are, because more learned people than I have written about the subject in earlier articles. What I am going to do, is give you some general thoughts based on my experience of personally teaching over 60,000 people these ideas and being instrumental in the delivery of these principles to over half a million children and thousands of teachers. First, let's look at the term AL. It implies that if you do ‘something’ you are ‘adding to’ your current learning abilities thus making them ‘better’. For that reason AL is probably a bit of a misnomer because rather than bringing something additional to our thinking, these techniques allow us to use more of our brain and unleash more of the capabilities we already have.

Simple examples of this are activities which involve both sides of the brain rather than just the previously educationally focused left side, or ones which use a range of different learning styles instead of just concentrating on the one favoured by the teacher or trainer.

The net effect is that there is a measurable improvement in the learning process and so AL was quite a reasonable term to describe the techniques used. However using this term in this way is akin to thinking that the sun revolves around the earth because that is what it appears to do.

A better description might be Brain Based Learning because many of these techniques focus on the better understanding that we have of our brains and how we think. But even that may be slightly off track and so I prefer to use the terms Effective Teaching and Learning when I am working in education and Effective Training and Development when I'm working with corporate clients. The point about using the latter terms is that they focus on the result rather than the process.

Let's look at the process in a little more depth. Having read many books and articles of learning and its improvement, I have discovered that some experts have almost made it into a bit of black art, using the psychological and physiological research on which many of the ideas are based.

There is really nothing difficult or complex about Accelerated Learning/Brain Based Learning/Effective Training and Development (call it what you will). What AL provides is a suite of tools and techniques that increase the probability of engagement, enjoyment, understanding and retention by providing for a much wider range of learner traits and preferences.

It is all about making learning more interesting and engaging; you will know whether you have got it right or not because the audience will vote with their attention. It is really that simple whether you are working with a class of 6 year olds or a group of senior corporate executives.

 I have had the pleasure of seeing the joy in a 10- year-olds face when she rattles off a list of 20 things she learnt in less than two minutes – a pleasure is only rivalled by the satisfaction I got when the teacher’s jaw dropped because by 'conventional assessment’ the child was not capable of what she has just done.  

However, it is not just in schools that AL principles have value. Thanks to the limited approach that schools have had in the past there are innumerable ‘wounded learners’ out there in the corporate world. AL could help these people learn what's necessary through an easier, faster and more enjoyable process.
AL – myth or magic?  Well, clearly, applied in a half hearted, piecemeal fashion by those with a smattering of knowledge, it is definitely a myth. Happily, in the right hands and the right environment, with willingness and an open mind, magic can definitely be made.

 

Having run away from home at the age of 16, Michael Tipper joined the Royal Navy, completed his submarine qualification in record time, was the top graduate of the Nuclear General Course and became an officer in the elite submarine service.

Since leaving the Navy, Michael set about informing others of the techniques that not only allowed him to exceed all expectations in the armed services, but also become a Memory Grand Master. Michael can be contacted on +44 (0) 1202 242424 or visit www.parliamentspeakers.com


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