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How to be a Brain Friendly Trainer

Begin with the Brain in Mind

Pam Welsby

FREE e-guide

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Managing in Times of Change

5 Steps in Successfully

Managing Changes

Pam Welsby CEO and Founder

How to be a Brain Friendly Trainer is an

internationally certifed Train-the-Trainer programme

developed by Stella Collins of Stellar Learning from the

UK. It is based on the principles of Accelerated

Learning initiated by Georgi Lozanov and developed

further by Colin Rose, originally in the field of language

learning. Today is it used by thousands of educators

from infants to adult learning and in all fields of study.

In today's busy environments, with a high rate of

change, learning how to learn is more and more

essential for all of us as a life skill, to enable us to

adapt quicky to changing environments and be able to

manage ourselves and our careers for the future. For

those of us who are trainers or work in the field of

Human Resources, knowing how to introduce

accelerated learning based development programmes

can save time and money for your organisation as well

as increase effectiveness or learning and make change

easier for all employees. This article shares more about

the principles that Accelerated Learning is based upon,

about Stella and her workshop as well as the practical

approach to Brain Friendly Learning along with

examples.

Brain Friendly Learning is a modern name for

something that is better known as Accelerated

Learning, which is the most advanced teaching and

learning method in use today. It's a total system for

improving the speed and effectiveness of the learning

process. Using Accelerated Learning Principles has

been proven to increase learning effectiveness while

saving time and money.

The Facts about Brain Friendly

Learning

Sofia University:

416 students to learn 1600 words of French in

31 school days, in 45 minutes class per day.

12% learned with bewteen 50 – 85& correct.

88% achieved over 86% correct recall.

This equals approximately 61 words per 45

minutes.

Berlitz quote 200 words after 30 hours.

Don Schuster Professor of Psychology at

Iowa State University:

'It produces at least 300% improvement in the

speed and effectiveness of learning.'

UNESCO in Educational Technology:

'It is a tool that allows students to absorb and

retain a 2 year language course in as few as 20

days.'

Georgi Lozanov (July 22, 1926 in Sofia, Bulgaria – May 6, 2012

in Sliven, Bulgaria) is credited as starting

Accelerated Learning. Georgi was a Bulgarian

educator and psychiatrist who developed

suggestopedia / suggestopaedia, a learning /

teaching theory based on his early 1960s study of

suggestion. Lozanov's theory and practice triggered

an accelerated learning movement in the West

where Colin Rose pioneered how to apply the

method for students, teachers and language

learners. However the method is certainly not the

work of just one person. Dozens of universities,

research psychologists and professional educators

have contributed to produce this unique way of

learning and presenting new information.

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It's obvious to us that people have

different bodies: a clothes shop that

offered only one size, or a health club

that assumed everyone had the same

level of physical fitness would be

ludicrous; and yet it's often assumed that

people's brains are pretty much the same.

Of course they're not. Whilst most of the

brains' neurons are in place at birth (there is

still controversy over whether any new brain

cells are replicated after birth) few of the dendritic

connections are in place. Intelligence depends on the

number of connections which are established. The number

of connections depends on the kind of experiences a person

has. The period up to the age of about six is particularly

crucial - however, the human brain retains some plasticity

throughout its life.

One of the consequences of these developmental

differences is that we each have a different portfolio of

intelligences. Howard Gardner has identified eight distinct

intelligences. We all possess each intelligence to a certain

degree, but most of us will be more highly developed in

some areas more than others. The key implication is that

people are different and learn in different ways. Honour

each individual's unique learning style.

About Accelerated Learning

Myth 2: Emotional and Rational

Thought are Separate and

Distinct Processes

In everyday life, emotions are often

contrasted with rational thought, as if

they were distinct processes. This

dichotomy is to some extent

reflected in brain structure. The

limbic system handles emotions and

the cortex rational thought. However,

these two areas do not operate in

isolation. In fact, when they are isolated,

both learning and the ability to live a normal

life are severely diminished. Effective learning

occurs when both emotions and rational thought are

engaged, so we need to learn how to incorporate both in a

learning process to make it stronger and more memorable.

Myth 3: Brain and Body are Separate

Systems

unconscious part of our brain

Many skills which are practised at a high level of

competence - playing sports, playing musical

instruments, touch-typing, even speaking, are

performed with little or no conscious involvement.

This is known as unconscious competence.

This means that paying attention to physiology is as

important as psychology. The food we eat affects our

learning - for example eating protein rich foods can increase

the levels of specific neurotransmitters (which are after all

just proteins) which increases our ability to learn. Because

our brains and bodies are part of the same system, just as

mental processes can affect physical performance, so

physical activities can affect mental processes - both by

changing state and by stimulating linkages in the brain.

The body's natural rhythms affect learning. There appears to

be a 90-minute cycle where we repeatedly go from a stage

or left brain alertness into right brain dreaminess. Within

each cycle alternating focus and diffusion works particularly

well.

Finally, although the role of sleep is still not fully

understood, it plays a key role in learning. There is evidence

the hippocampus uses the time when we are asleep to

ensure that learning is deeply embedded.

Do we experience an emotion in our brain, and then signal to

our bodies to shake with fear, glow with pride or whatever?

Or is it the other way round, we know we are experiencing

an emotion only when the somatosensory cortex in our

brains registers that something is happening in our bodies?

If you think in terms of causality, the question makes

sense - either the brain causes a feeling in the body, or a

bodily change causes a sensation in the brain. But thinking in

terms of causality is no longer a helpful way to think about

the brain - any more than it is helpful to ask if the sun causes

the earth to orbit around it, or vice versa. Instead it is more

illuminating to think in terms of systems - the sun and

orbiting planets form a solar system, a rainforest constitutes

an eco system, and the brain and body together constitute a

human system. Changes in any part of the system cause

changes elsewhere.

Myth 1: Consciousness runs the Show

Myth 4: One Brain is Pretty

Much like another Brain

People operate on the basis of skills, knowledge and beliefs

to which they may have little or no conscious access. For

example, when you touch a hot stove, you withdraw your

hand before you have any conscious awareness that the

stove is hot. When you are driving a car, you will brake in

response to slowing traffic before you are consciously aware

of having done so. Many skills which are practised at a high

level of competence - playing sports, playing musical

instruments, touch-typing, even speaking, are performed

with little or no conscious involvement. This is known as

unconscious competence.

We can learn how to create unconscious competence and

how to tap into the unconscious part of our brain in order to

take in information faster and easier than the conscious

mind can.

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Myth 5: Your Brain is Like a Computer

A computer

Stores information as a series of zeros and

ones.

Information is either there or it isn't.

The storage of fresh information is not

dependent on existing information.

Where the information is stored doesn't

matter.

Computers memory is uniform.

A computer can run out of memory.

Your Brain

Stores information as a pattern of neurons firing.

The stronger the pattern of

firing neurons, the stronger the memory/sense of certainty.

The strength of firing patterns created by new information

depends on associations with existing information.

Different kinds of information are stored in different parts of the

brain. The shape, colour and movement of, say, a passing bus are

stored in different parts of the brain.

Left brain and right brain have different preferences and so our

brain functions in different ways.

A brain's capacity for learning is virtually unlimited.

In recent years the computer has been the dominant metaphor for understanding the brain. But your brain is

different from a computer in a number of significant ways.

The Author and the Event

Stella Collins

has a BSc in Psychology, an MSc in Human Communication, along with

significant technical experience within the IT industry. All of which has

given her a strong theoretical background to apply to practical learning

solutions.

“I set up Stellar Learning in 2001, to “help organisations get a better return on their learning investment,

through innovation, creativity, and active involvement in learning. My style and passion is to breathe interest

and vitality into information and learning which has traditionally been seen as dull or hard to learn. With my

blend of creativity and pragmatism, I will come up with practical, workable solutions, laced with fun –

whatever you challenge me with! I will fire you with the enthusiasm and confidence to put all the ideas we’ll

share into practice.”

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In 2011 I met Stella Collins and learned about her

passion for Brain Friendly Learning. Stella had really

fell in love with this topic and along with her

colleague Ann Grindrod had taken the principles of

Accelerated Learning added in some useful

neuroscience and creativity and created an

Internationally Accredited Programme (by the

Institute of Training and Occupational Learning)

that uses Accelerated Learning principles to teach

trainers how to incorporate the principles of

Accelerated Learning into their own programmes.

This programme became known as How to be a

Brain Friendly Trainer.

I asked Stella to explain more about Brain Friendly

Learning and specifically what makes her

programme so successful:

What’s all this ‘fluffy’ stuff I hear about

connected with brain friendly learning?

“There are soundly researched reasons why true brain

friendly trainers use colour, props, themes, toys,

music, share humour, pay attention to the

environment and nutrition, regularly check that the

learning is meeting individuals’ needs, etc. You’ll

quickly learn why we do what we do, and understand

the difference it makes; knowledge that we want you

to have in case you ever hear the phrase ‘it looks just

like school!“

Everyone has too much to digest these days; how

can I give my learners information in a way which

sticks?

“Making it stick is one of the cornerstones of effective

learning transfer and is the only way to promote

change in an individual and make a difference to

organisational performance. By keeping the brain

constantly in mind and encouraging learners to take in

information in the way they were ‘designed’ to –

effortlessly, joyfully, naturally – learners can achieve

up to 100% memory retention – with lasting results

for the individual and the organisation.“

How do I handle ‘difficult learners’?

“We want to debunk the myth of ‘difficult learners’

right from the start – this is a phrase we never use

and, unsurprisingly, we don’t have ‘difficult learners’.

What brain friendly learning gives you is the

knowledge that every individual has a unique way in

which they learn best and how to tap into that. During

the event, you will experience an interactive

demonstration, of brain friendly learning applied to

technical information, and learn how it’s designed to

handle a wide range of learning styles.“

Is it possible to deliver learning effectively

without using PowerPoint?

“If you have previously attended one of our

programmes, you will know that we don’t always use

PowerPoint – to the obvious relief of our audiences!

However, in trained hands it can be a very powerful

tool especially when music is added to review

learning. Throughout the event, we’ll be showing you

how to use PowerPoint with a light touch, yet deliver

your messages with great impact.“

On the workshop How to be a Brain Friendly Trainer

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Step Implications for us as trainers

State of mind for learning

How we feel and what we believe about ourselves, the trainer, the topic and

our ability to learn will absolutely impact our success.

Our task is to prepare people to learn, show them the benefits this will give

them, build their confidence that it wil be easy and make it a pleasurable and

enjoyable experience.

This puts importance on what we communicate before a learning event, creating the right environment for learning, welcoming people and enabling them to feel relaxed, safe and comfortable and building trust with them and maintaining their motivation throughout, as well as keeping them motivated after the programme to practise and apply their learning in the real world.

Taking in new information

The only way we take in new information is through our senses, the more

senses are stimulated the stronger the learning experience and the easier to

remember and use the learning.

Our task is therefore to find creative ways to stimulate all 5 senses throughout

the learning experience.

We need to use flip charts, slides and posters to create a strong visual input, encourage discussion, sharing and explanations to stimulate hearing, have physical exercises that involve movement as well as explore how we feel about what we're learning in order to stimulate 'feeling' about the learning and find ways to bring taske and smell into the learning environment which can act as great anchors for memory e.g.drinks and snacks, aromatherapy, scented marker pens etc.

Making sense of the new learning

This honours our uniqueness as individuals as learners by enabling each of us to

learn according to our own learning style, our own values and motivations and

our and use our unique intelligences and experience in the process.

Our task is to provide opportunities to enable people to do this in different

ways, encourgaing them to do what works for them.

This means much more creativity and flexibility with exercises, group and individual work, individual support for each person and in fact a full focus on the learner and not yourself or your topic, being trully learner centred.

Remembering what you've learned

With so many things going on for us everday the learning has to be memorable

and inspiring as we will never apply and use what we bearly remember.

Our task is to use the principles of retention and recall to ensure the

information goes in, stays in and can be recalled to use when needed.

The Theory Behind Brain Friendly Learning with Examples

The principles of Accelerated Learning as taught around the world can be packaged into 6 steps. Each of

these 6 steps is essential in achieving the results that Brain Friendly Learning brings us in terms of

increasing learning effectiveness while saving time and money:

1

2

2

3

4

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This means use of emotion in learning, connecting something new with something they already know, stimulating all the senses, using colour, movements, sounds etc to create 'sticky' learning.

Proving to ourselves that we have learned

This is where we realise that we now know and can do something new of

different. This is essential for building our self confidence and motivating us to

use what we've learned.

Our task is to enable each person to get that 'aha' moment, where suddenly it

all makes sense and they see the application and use of it all and we can help by

making practise perfect.

This means using exercises and demonstrations, enabling them to experience what they've learned, making it real and applicable, moving the learning from theory to practise.

Transfering learning to long term memory and applying it

In the end if we do not use what we have learned then the knew knowledge

and skills mean nothing. In the end, learning is about change so this last step

facilitates that change.

Our task is to refresh and remind them of what they've learned, get them to

repeat and use the learning as soon as possible so it quickly becomes part of

their 'comfort zone' and a new habbit. Once this is done we often forget we've

even changed something, the new state has become normal and we have

unconscious competence.

This means summaries during the learning and exercises to repeat and remind

them of what they've learned and how to use it. It means a strong follow up

process after the learning event to further refresh and remind them and

encourage and support the application of the learning.

5

6

Find creative

ways to stimulate all 5

senses throughout

the learning

experience.

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Stella has been providing this programme for more than 5 years now and during this time has

learned a lot about how to make her programme a live example of the tools and techniques she is

sharing.

What’s most important to help people learn and retain new knowledge or skills?

“Part of our answer to this question revolves around the major topic of motivation (or ‘state’). As a

participant at our event, you will experience first-hand what we do to motivate learners to learn

before and during an event, and retain learning long after – ideas which we’ll be delighted for you to

take away and act upon immediately! We use over 40 memory triggers to aid learners’ recall – and by

the end of the event, we’ll have shared them all with you.“

I’ve actually learnt some of this stuff before, although I’m not using it all the time. What more

can you teach me?

“Knowledge is only data unless you act upon it. At our event you’ll learn: the important stuff about the brain; a rigorously tested process to apply to all learning; and how to use creativity throughout. Plus, you’ll be given design templates to follow. You’ll walk away with a clear blueprint of what you can do with every learning application, and how to apply your knowledge consistently.“

I’m responsible for Learning & Development in my organisation. What can I do to breathe new

life into our learning delivery, enhance our performance, and make a difference long-term?

“Participation in our programme, including the 3-day workshop is the best way to actively immerse yourself in what can be done differently in learning! Throughout, you will work on your own business applications, supported by us, and leave enthused to create and influence a sustainable difference to the learning needs of individuals and organisations.“

If you need an in-depth advice on Brain Friendly Learning and how to apply it in practise consult the author Pam Welsby at pam@fastforwardonline.com or call Ana Barić, Client Manager, on +386 40 600 779 or write to her at ana@fastforwardonline.com.

The Workshop and the Results

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