Education extends far beyond the classroom walls. In our rapidly evolving world, fueled by technological advancements and an ever-expanding body of knowledge, lifelong learning is not just an option—it’s a necessity. However, many of us have experienced the frustration of poorly designed learning experiences, whether it’s struggling to stay awake through a monotonous lecture or battling the urge to check social media during a dull online course. The truth is, not all learning experiences are created equal, and effective learning is a result of thoughtful design.
Fortunately, if you are tasked with leading a workshop, teaching a course, or creating any learning opportunity, you can avoid the pitfalls of ineffective instruction. By understanding the principles of Design For How People Learn, you can transform mundane material into a memorable and impactful learning journey. This article will guide you through key concepts drawn from the field of learning design, helping you to create educational experiences that truly resonate and drive lasting knowledge retention.
Chapter 1: Know Your Learners: The Foundation of Effective Design
Imagine Sven, a talented head of graphic design at a thriving startup, preparing to lead a typography workshop for new hires. Sven is deeply knowledgeable and has meticulously prepared a wealth of material. Eager to share his expertise, he dives straight into the intricacies of typefaces versus fonts, the nuances of serif versus sans serif, and the precise art of kerning—skipping introductions entirely.
Herein lies Sven’s oversight: he is a typography expert, but he is not yet an expert on his learners.
Before Sven even begins his lesson, he needs to assess his audience’s existing knowledge. He might discover that Juanita, in the front row, is already a typography enthusiast with strong opinions on Helvetica, while Liam, at the back, barely recalls using Times New Roman for college essays.
Understanding your learners is paramount. It enables you to tailor your content to their current skill levels and align it with their motivations. Before you start teaching, consider these crucial steps to better understand your audience:
First, determine whether you are addressing a skills gap, a knowledge gap, or both. Consider a class on hiking the Appalachian Trail. An experienced hiker possesses the necessary skills but might lack specific knowledge about the trail itself—best routes, weather conditions, etc. Conversely, a novice hiker will need both foundational skills (like properly lacing hiking boots) and knowledge. Your approach must adapt accordingly, starting with basics for novices and progressing to more advanced topics for experienced individuals. Consider starting with short introductory hikes before tackling multi-day excursions and finally, the daunting 2,000-mile trail.
Next, explore your learners’ motivation. A motivated learner is significantly more likely to succeed. Teaching French to a Francophile? Their enthusiasm is already built-in! But what if you’re teaching French to someone passionate about the bassoon? While directing them to bassoon classes might be tempting, consider connecting French to their existing interests. Perhaps a lesson on the eighteenth-century French bassoonist Adolphe Blaise (yes, he was real!) could bridge the gap. Even if the motivation is extrinsic—like needing French for client interactions—linking course material to personal interests can significantly boost engagement.
Crucially, learning about your students is an ongoing process, not a one-time introduction. Foster a two-way flow of information throughout your course. Encourage students to explain concepts and demonstrate skills. This allows you to gauge comprehension, identify those needing extra support, and promptly correct misunderstandings.
Finally, empower your students by giving them input into the course. Allow them to vote on pacing or structure to foster a sense of ownership. For diverse skill levels, permit experienced students to opt out of sessions covering familiar material. Remember, the best teachers are not just masters of their subject matter; they are masters of understanding their students.
Chapter 2: Crafting Memorable Lessons: Engaging the Power of Memory
Let’s put your memory to the test. Try to memorize the following information:
“Nikola Tesla, born in Smiljan, Croatia in 1856, moved to the US and initially collaborated with Thomas Edison before their famous falling out. Tesla’s key inventions include the Tesla Coil and the alternating current (AC) motor.”
Ready for a pop quiz?
- In which Croatian city was Tesla born?
- Who was Tesla’s initial collaborator?
- What does “AC” in AC motor stand for?
The answers are Smiljan, Thomas Edison, and alternating current.
You may have answered some or all correctly. But will you recall these facts next week? Retention depends on how effectively information navigates your three memory layers: sensory, short-term, and long-term. Our brains are selective, filtering information and deciding what to retain and for how long.
Sensory memory acts as the initial filter, deciding which sensory inputs proceed to short-term memory. Short-term memory temporarily stores information for immediate use, like remembering a Wi-Fi password just long enough to type it. While short-term memory can hold a considerable amount, its duration is limited. For lasting learning, information must transition to long-term memory.
To facilitate this transition, employ a technique called chunking.
Consider these numbers: 549. Easy to repeat, right? Now try: 100,783,305,222. More challenging. But what about these chunks: 100; 783; 305; 222? Easier? This illustrates chunking—breaking down information into manageable segments. Applying chunking to your teaching, whether by dividing processes into steps or structuring text with headings and bullet points, enhances memorability and increases the likelihood of information reaching long-term memory.
However, simply reaching long-term memory once isn’t always enough. For information to truly stick, you need to create multiple pathways for recall.
Chapter 3: Contextual Learning: Shelving Knowledge for Easy Access
Imagine your long-term memory as a vast closet. Some shelves are meticulously organized, while others are cluttered with random items. As educators, our goal is to ensure new information finds its way to those well-labeled shelves. Ideally, information should be stored on multiple shelves for enhanced accessibility. But how do we guide information to the right places?
The answer lies in understanding your learners. Leverage the “shelves” they already possess. An English speaker learning Spanish has an advantage because of shared linguistic roots and grammatical structures. Your lessons should highlight these connections. Conversely, teaching Finnish to an English speaker requires building new “shelves” from scratch due to minimal overlap. In such cases, repetition becomes crucial for embedding new information in long-term memory.
Furthermore, guide learners in effectively “shelving” new knowledge. In an “Intro to Hip-Hop” course, avoid overloading a single “Hip-Hop” shelf. Instead, reinforce information by presenting it in diverse contexts and associations. For example, Run DMC’s career can be categorized across shelves labeled “East Coast,” “Def Jam,” and “Adidas.” The more connections, the better the recall.
Extending the closet analogy, remember that we access specific “shelves” based on context. A receptionist might flawlessly greet clients by name at their desk but fail to recognize them outside of the office. Therefore, encode your teachings within the environment where they will be applied. For court reporter training in shorthand, simulate a realistic courtroom setting. Ideally, conduct sessions during actual trials.
Emotional context is equally vital. The controlled, supportive classroom environment often differs significantly from real-world application scenarios. Role-playing stressful, real-life situations relevant to the skills being taught is invaluable. For telesales trainees, simulate interactions with demanding or frustrated customers.
In essence:
- Chunk new information into digestible parts.
- Help students shelve information precisely and intuitively.
- Align the tone and context of your teaching with the application environment.
Chapter 4: Foundational Design Principles for Exceptional Teaching
Incorporating sound lesson design principles will captivate learners and elevate your teaching. Here are five highly effective strategies to implement:
1. Action-Oriented Learning: Design lessons that emphasize application. Create opportunities for learners to actively use new knowledge and practice skills. This significantly enhances retention. Instead of simply stating that a balanced diet is around 2,000 calories, in a nutrition course, task students with creating a meal plan that meets this caloric goal.
2. Desirable Difficulty: Embrace “desirable difficulty.” While it may sound contradictory, psychologist Robert A. Bjork’s research indicates that learning is more profound and connections are stronger when students operate at the edge of their capabilities. Challenging tasks maintain motivation. Adjust difficulty as learners progress and gain competence.
3. Interactive Discovery: Shift from direct explanation to guided discovery. Instead of directly presenting a concept, guide learners to uncover it themselves. This interactive approach is far more engaging. For a job interview workshop, rather than providing a best practices checklist, show recordings of successful and unsuccessful interviews. Challenge learners to deduce the best practices themselves, providing guidance as needed.
4. Habit Formation: Cultivate good habits. Skill execution involves both conscious and automatic actions. Habitual actions significantly impact performance quality. Consider computer coding: programmers consciously design code, but establishing a habit of regular version control (tracking code changes) streamlines bug identification and error management. Facilitate habit formation by prompting students to identify a trigger—e.g., performing version control every time they save a file. Linking a desired habit (version control) to an existing trigger (saving) promotes automaticity.
5. Environmental Knowledge Design: Embed knowledge within the environment itself. Boston’s Freedom Trail, a red line on the sidewalk connecting historical sites, exemplifies this. Visitors learn about history simply by following the line. If learners are overwhelmed by information, explore ways to offload some of it into the environment—using signs, visual reminders, online resources, or workplace manuals.
By integrating these five design principles, you’ll significantly enhance your lessons’ effectiveness. However, the true measure of success lies in evaluation.
Chapter 5: Effective Assessment: Measuring Learning and Guiding Improvement
The pre-exam jitters are a familiar experience for students. Interestingly, designing effective evaluations can evoke similar stress in educators. Creating assessment tools that accurately measure competence can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be.
The most effective evaluation strategy is surprisingly simple: develop your evaluation at the course’s outset, not at its conclusion. This ensures your teaching directly aligns with the skills and concepts you intend to assess.
Reconsider the notion of evaluations solely occurring at the end. While summative assessments are valuable, integrate feedback opportunities throughout the course. This doesn’t necessitate weekly formal exams. Instead, provide informal feedback on tasks—during the task itself, if possible, or at lesson’s end. Encourage peer feedback by having students review each other’s work. Incorporate self-evaluation by prompting students to reflect on their progress and performance.
For formal assessments, prioritize recall over recognition. Consider this example:
“Based on this article, what is one way teachers motivate learners?”
a) Tell them the material is inherently fascinating.
b) Connect course content to their interests and goals.
c) Motivation is not the teacher’s responsibility.
Option (b) is easily recognizable as the most plausible, even without prior reading. To truly assess knowledge, require learners to recall information, not just identify it.
Instead, pose questions like:
“Your students lack motivation. Describe three teaching strategies to ignite their enthusiasm for the course material.”
This prompts them to actively apply learned strategies.
Finally, remember that feedback is as valuable for teachers as it is for students. Implement a brief, anonymous survey at course completion to gather student insights on what worked and what didn’t. If you’ve applied effective design for how people learn, prepare for positive feedback from engaged and satisfied students!
To design truly effective, engaging, and practical learning experiences, center your approach on design for how people learn. Prioritize memory-friendly information delivery, adhere to sound educational design principles, and diligently evaluate both learners and your own teaching methods.
And a final piece of actionable advice:
Don’t fixate on shrinking attention spans. Despite claims about declining attention spans in the digital age, consider that people binge-watch streaming series for hours. If your material is varied, captivating, and relevant, maintaining attention, even for extended periods, will not be a challenge.
