Revolutionary Learning Strategies with Design for How People Learn by Julie Dirksen

Embark on a transformative journey with Julie Dirksen’s innovative guide, “Design for How People Learn.” This pivotal work reshapes the educational landscape, offering a treasure trove of strategies that promise to revolutionize the way we impart and absorb knowledge.

Dive deeper into the realm of effective learning design; continue reading to discover how “Design for How People Learn” can elevate your educational approach to new heights.

Genres

Education, Instructional Design, Cognitive Psychology, E-Learning, Professional Development, Human Resources, Corporate Training, Pedagogy, Adult Education, Educational Technology

Recommendation

An effective learning experience doesn’t just give people knowledge, learning strategy and design expert Julie Dirksen writes. Designers must not only identify and bridge learners’ knowledge gaps but also motivation, habit, environmental and skill gaps. In this engaging text, Dirksen delves into core learning principles, memory and attention, and strategies for designing learning content that equips people to apply their learning in real-world contexts. ​​​​​​ The book itself embodies Dirksen’s research-backed arguments: Its analogies, examples and illustrations render complex concepts accessible, applicable and enlightening.

Take-Aways

• Effective learning is learning people can apply.
• “Knowledge gaps” differ from “skill gaps.”
• “Motivation,” “habit,” “environmental” and “communication” gaps also impede performance.
• Determine your learners’ motivations.
• Tailor your approach and materials to your learners’ skill levels and contexts.
• Clarify learning goals.
• Consider what and how people remember.
• Attract and hold your learners’ attention.
• Design to impart knowledge and skills, motivate, instill habits, leverage the learning environment and accurately evaluate learning.

Summary

Effective learning is learning people can apply.

Successful learning design does not focus solely on new knowledge. New knowledge is only as important as what learners can do with that knowledge: their ability to apply what you teach in their daily lives.

“The goal of good learning design is for learners to emerge from the learning experience with new or improved capabilities that they can take back to the real world and that help them do the things they need or want to do.”

Designing this sort of learning experience starts with investigating the gaps between where the learner currently stands and the end learning goal.

“Knowledge gaps” differ from “skill gaps.”

Filling knowledge gaps is usually a part of the process of helping the learner get where they need to go. Identifying knowledge gaps means determining the information people need to achieve learning goals, when they need it, and the best format(s) for conveying it.

Knowledge is not the only gap to consider. You may have a map of the Appalachian Trail, a compass and a good pair of boots, but that doesn’t mean you have all you need to complete the hike. Can you pitch a tent? Do you possess an adequate fitness level to journey 2,000 miles? If not, more knowledge isn’t going to help. You can’t learn to deal with an angry customer or to hit a tennis backhand by reading or watching videos. You must practice.

When identifying skill gaps, ask what learners need to practice in order to develop the skills they need to succeed and how to provide practice opportunities. Analyze novices and experts to identify differences in their approaches to relevant tasks.

If you aren’t sure if you’re dealing with a skill or a knowledge gap, ask yourself if the learner can achieve proficiency without practice. If they need practice, then the learning classifies as a skill and knowledge acquisition alone will not suffice. Consider the real-world application of any information to understand its practical use.

“Motivation,” “habit,” “environmental” and “communication” gaps also impede performance.

Knowledge and skill gaps are not the only ones you must identify and address. Gaps in motivation can undermine performance, too. Motivation gaps occur when learners don’t see the value of the learning goal, don’t understand it, feel anxious about making a change, lose focus or fail to see how the goal fits into the bigger picture of their career success.

You can’t force people to feel motivated to learn. But your course design can support learner confidence and interest or the opposite. When identifying motivation gaps, think about how learners may feel about the learning process and the factors that might make them less eager to try something new. Explore options beyond traditional training that might encourage correct behavior or practices.

“If you have a really clear sense of where the gaps are, what they are like, and how big they are, you will design much better learning solutions.”

Practices you want learners to follow must become habitual. When you ask a learner to try a new approach to a well-known task – a change to a more efficient technique or way of doing something – the person’s old habits will interfere. A manager may understand the importance of offering weekly feedback to each of her reports but still struggle to hold regular meetings with her team members because the new approach runs counter to how she is used to doing things. Consider habits learners must unlearn to commit to new behaviors.

Environment gaps occur when on-the-job processes, resources and rewards don’t support new skills or behaviors. To identify environmental gaps, look for contextual obstacles preventing workers from applying new knowledge and skills and determine what must change.

Communication gaps happen when learning objectives are unclear or poorly explained. If a client says they want training that will improve sales, for example, press for details. By asking questions that help clarify goals, you can determine if a communication gap exists.

Determine your learners’ motivations.

Optimize learning experiences by understanding who your learners are beyond their basic demographics. Recognize their motivations, preferences, reading and skill levels and worldviews. Understand whether a learner’s motivation comes from a desire to know the material – learning for learning’s sake (intrinsic) – or to gain reward or recognition (extrinsic).

Give intrinsic learners leeway to work on what interests them and encourage them to share their learning. Seek whatever compels extrinsically motivated learners and emphasize it. Instead of citing theory, use stories and real-life examples to gain their attention and sustain their interest. Bear in mind that, in most cases, people aren’t purely extrinsically motivated – you can find some degree of intrinsic motivation by asking them how they think the subject they’re learning could help them in their jobs or careers, showing how the learning could help with their “pain points” or presenting them with a compelling challenge they feel interested in tackling.

Tailor your approach and materials to your learners’ skill levels and contexts.

Your learners’ feelings about learning and ideal learning methods likely differ from yours. Deliver your learning at each learner’s level and in ways that align with the person’s contexts and needs. Provide more structured guidance for beginners and use stories, visuals, analogies and sample problems to help contextualize the concepts you’re teaching. Offer more comprehensive resources and autonomy to advanced learners. Assess whether learners possess prior understanding you can build upon, and offer new material that builds, incrementally, upon that prior knowledge.

To engage hesitant learners, provide them with choices in the learning process, such as selecting the sequence or pace of learning. Create opportunities for learners to practice and evaluate themselves in private settings free from criticism.

“Learning experiences for people who already have a lot of expertise should be efficient and should be more ‘pull’ than ‘push.’ Let them decide when they need it and how much.”

Identify attainable goals and encourage early achievements by simplifying the subject and having the learner run through a basic scenario in that simplified context. By beginning with easy – even humorous – scenarios, you can familiarize learners with a process or concept without overwhelming them. If you’re trying to teach people how to conduct scientific research, for example, formulate a simple problem and have them work through the basic steps that will lead them to a straightforward result. Gradually increase complexity as learner proficiency improves. Include reference materials within the learning experience, such as examples, definitions and help guides, that learners can consult during tasks.

Everyone benefits from sound teaching that mixes mediums and engages. Practice interactive learning, which allows you to gauge learner comprehension and misconceptions. Talk to your learners about their goals, challenges and past learning experiences. If possible, shadow some of your learners for a day to better understand their environments, activities and processes. Test new learning activities and refine them based on learner feedback.

Clarify learning goals.

Recognize and articulate the problem you intend to address with any given learning initiative, then clearly define the learning’s goal or objective. Analyze the differences between your learners’ current situation and their desired outcome to determine the extent to which that outcome is achievable, given available resources and constraints.

“Before you start designing a learning experience, you need to know what problem you are trying to solve.”

Many mistakenly begin learning projects by setting goals instead of identifying underlying problems. This can lead you to address less critical issues and neglect serious ones. Design material for an abstract concept – such as, for example, “understanding” – with a clear, observable outcome as your goal. Focus on getting learners to the place where they can apply or demonstrate knowledge in practical situations.

Ask, “Would learners actually do this?” and “Can I understand the factors that lead to their success?” Ask your learners to explain why what they are learning is necessary and the risks involved in failing to learn the topic. Help them articulate the purpose and objectives of the learning.

Consider what and how people remember.

Learning involves encoding information into long-term memory and ensuring its later retrieval. To capture learners’ attention amid today’s continuous stream of information, the material must be significant and relevant to your learner(s). Avoid monotony: Learners will tune out repetitive content. People’s working memories can only handle so much information at once – especially when they are novice learners. So, present information in manageable segments or chunks.

“Working memory acts as a gatekeeper for long-term memory, so if the initial information overloads working memory, it’s unlikely to make the transition to long-term memory.”

Mnemonic devices – associating terms with vivid stories or experiences – help learners store information on their “mental shelves,” enhancing recall. The more “shelves” on which you can place an item, the easier it will be for you to remember it. Linking new information to personal experiences and existing knowledge – such as familiarity with related languages or music genres – can help learners recall specific details. Information learned through rote memorization, such as by using flashcards, often resides on a single shelf, making it harder for learners to retrieve.

“With a few exceptions, learning almost always requires practice and repetition.”

Similarly, placing learning in the context in which people will use it increases the likelihood that people will remember what they’ve learned. Think about how learners will use the information you want them to remember. Do they just need to recognize it when it’s presented to them, or must they recall it or apply it without the help of a prompt? In most cases, people must do more than recognize correct information. You can teach safe driving principles in a classroom, but you can’t hope to become a proficient driver without behind-the-wheel experience. Encouraging learners to actively use information in the ways they will in real-world contexts – preferably repeatedly – helps them retain it and transfer it to long-term memory.

When the context of a given subject is emotional – learning to give your employees feedback, for instance – role-playing, storytelling or adding something that creates a feeling of pressure – like a time limit for a task – can help make the learning context feel closer to a real-world scenario.

Attract and hold your learners’ attention.

To attract and retain learners’ attention, engage their emotional and rational faculties through storytelling, novelty and mixed media. Gain their initial attention and maintain it in a way that’s relevant to the learning material. Irrelevant attention-grabbers distract and hinder learning. Have learners immediately apply the material to help them sustain attention. When immediate application isn’t feasible, simulate real-world scenarios or problem-solving exercises to generate urgency and relevance.

“If your learners aren’t paying attention, then it doesn’t matter what kind of learning experience you’ve created – they aren’t getting much from it.”

Intrinsic rewards, which often prove more effective than tangible incentives, require giving learners autonomy or choice. Allowing learners to control aspects of their learning journeys enhances their engagement and motivation.

Design to impart knowledge and skills, motivate, instill new habits, leverage the learning environment and accurately evaluate learning.

To enhance memory encoding and retrieval in learning, create difficulty, or “friction.” Social interaction can introduce this friction. If you are teaching people how to write a job ad, for example, you might put them into groups and have them draft their own ad or analyze the effectiveness of one they find online. When possible, demonstrate concepts rather than explaining them verbally. Aim for brevity. Avoid excessive hand-holding by allowing learners to explore and understand concepts independently.

To teach skills, emphasize practice and feedback. Never bombard learners with continuous new information. Allow them to gain proficiency with each new concept before introducing another. Learners need breaks to process and absorb information; otherwise, they will disengage. Effective learning also involves frequent, varied feedback and, when possible, assessing learners through real task performance.

Habits significantly influence the gap between weak and strong performance. Successful habit formation starts with identifying triggers – something you already do that prompts you to engage in the new activity. You might decide to take your vitamins (the new habit) right after pouring your morning coffee (existing habit/trigger). You must be motivated to develop the habit, get regular feedback on your progress, and ensure your environment supports the habit – making sure your cabinet is well-stocked with dental floss, for example, if you want to nurture a flossing habit.

Pilot your learning materials with a small group of users by employing practical assessments such as recall or performance-based tests. Supplement these with concise surveys, scenario-based multiple-choice questions, and evaluations – peer, self or through observation.

About the Author

Julie Dirksen is a learning strategy consultant and Learning Guild Guildmaster who has worked with Fortune 500 companies, international NGOs, technology start-ups and grant-funded research initiatives.