People learn in a variety of different ways, whether through listening to instructions or working in a team. Delivering content that works for a spectrum of different learners can be difficult, but there are ways to make the material easily digestible.
Lou Russell, the Director of Learning at Russell Martin & Associates, gave us some tips on how to appeal to many types of learners online in our on-demand webinar, How to Deliver Valuable E-Content. Below are three of the most important tips that Lou shared with us:
1. “Weird Wins in Learning”
Don’t be afraid to get weird, Lou says! Making students laugh or having a quirky method of remembering something helps students connect with the material more easily and sticks better in their mind. It wakes people up, and, most of all, makes them want to keep attending if they have a great time.
2. Integrate 3 – 4 Learning Styles
Every learner has three to four primary intelligences. There are eight in total, (seven shown above). It can seem daunting to attempt to use three to four of these in every class, but Lou shows it’s not as difficult as one would think. Starting a lesson with energizing music is a great way to pump up learners and get them excited for the lesson. Playing music with a slower tempo — called the Mozart Effect — facilitates concentration. Additionally, appealing to kinesthetic learners doesn’t mean having everyone do jumping jacks or click on the screen. Kinesthetic doesn’t just mean movement, it also means emotion. Like in the tip before, making the lesson weird and funny engages kinesthetic learners.
3. It’s Not About You
The most important thing to remember, Lou says, is that the lesson isn’t about you. It’s about reaching your learners. Create a safe and fun learning environment and they’ll be sure to retain a lot and enjoy their time in your classroom.
[Web
inar] How to Deliver Valuable e-Content
Learn how to better manage your classroom and more from Lou Russell by listening to the on-demand version here.