People gain knowledge in a variety of ways, but key in any educational platform is that the training is a memorable and rich experience. This is even more applicable for medical education where the content is sometimes intellectually heavy, and dare I say, often not delivered in the most appealing manner. At Mash, when tasked to provide training programmes, we strive to ensure delivery is interactive, entertaining and pitched appropriately to delegates’ everyday lives.
In a recent programme we’ve developed, the training was designed so delegates could discuss, think and report back to each other on the challenges uncovered during tuition, while minimising ‘chalk and talk’ lecturing. Delegates were also asked to step outside their own world and understand the challenges facing healthcare professionals and other members of their team. With the programme now running globally it’s clear from feedback that the different elements of this type of training fuel learning and, more importantly, motivation. The ethos behind the methods used in our training programmes is based on current thinking. At Mash, we believe in science, and that science is fundamental to what we do. A basic understanding of the functionality of the human brain in information retention is critical when we design and deliver any of our training courses, whether that is internally to clients or externally to healthcare professionals.
Some leading neurologists believe stimulation of different areas of the brain during the learning process improves the transfer of knowledge into long-term memory. However, the brain is made up of different areas with different and complex functions. All regions of the brain have different stimuli, so this is where broad-spectrum learning techniques are required to maximise retention of information in what is normally a short period of time.
Take the brain stem for example – responsible for basic vital life functions. If in a training environment, the brain stem is not satisfied and the student is scared, at the wrong temperature or hungry, the brain stem will distract from the normal higher-level learning processes. The retention of information communicated will decrease and the delegates won’t get the most out of the training. It’s of key significance to look at the bigger picture of the environment in which we will be communicating with our trainees.
Colin Rose’s method, outlined in his book ‘Accelerated Learning for the 21st Century’, focuses on information absorption and we firmly believe this is critical to running a successful programme. Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is the process by which, as humans, we absorb information around us. There are only a finite number of ways that information can enter our brain – the five senses, sight, smell, hearing, touch and taste. Essentially, a delegate will remember 95% of what they teach to someone else, 80% of what is experienced personally by them, 70% of what is discussed with others and up to 30% of what they see, read and hear.
In a corporate environment it is not always appropriate to use all of the NLP pathways. However, by maximising the number of senses stimulated, the amount of information passed into the memory will increase. If, simultaneously, you adopt a teaching method that utilises both linguistic and creative regions of the brain to be stimulated concurrently, then training efficacy is particularly enhanced.
Brain-friendly learning techniques are becoming increasingly common and gaining a larger following among educators. It has become clear that in modern society, traditional teaching methods have less of a role to play as science unlocks more information in the psychology of learning. A change of focus in the teaching methods from traditional styles, as well as a basic understanding of how the brain works, could unlock the potential in you and your delegates.
Daniel Baldwin
