Accelerated Learning Techniques
We leverage some of the most effective learning styles
available, with the ReadySetPass focus on PMP Exam Prep.
We show you how to put some amazing tools to use that
will decrease your study time and increase your
knowledge retention. Our philosophy is simple: “Bring
value to the world of Project Management through the
best learning techniques available.” Our PMP Readiness
materials, questions and e-course are designed around
Accelerated Learning, Active learning, Mind Mapping and
our very own “Memory Enhancement” techniques. In order
for any accelerated learning technique to be effective
the course material must be designed to incorporate both
left and right brain activities. Our course material was
developed to enhance this principal. We created our
materials with this in mind:
People remember –
20% of what they read
30% of what they hear
40% of what they see
50% of what they say
60% of what they do
We combine all of these together so that you can retain
the maximum amount of information presented to you.
Accelerated learning has really come into its own. It is
being put to good use by teachers across the world. An
accelerated PMP Course can be very different from a
traditional class in a variety of ways:
(1) In a classroom, the learning environment is of prime
importance - a great deal of attention will be focused
on the use of color, the temperature in the room, the
positioning of furniture, background music, smells,
textures and so on. Also, posters and displays may have
been carefully selected with the aim of helping students
to absorb vocabulary and ideas subconsciously. Posters
containing vocabulary for a unit which may not be
introduced for a few weeks may be present in order to
gradually familiarize students with the vocabulary in
advance.
(2) State setting may be important - this is done partly
through the learning environment (see number 1), but
also through the use of body language by the teacher,
the type of music used throughout the lesson - this
might change depending on the mood/atmosphere the
teacher wishes to create at any given time, the tone of
voice employed at any given time by the teacher, the use
of color in presentational materials and so on. The
emphasis is likely to be on making the student feel
comfortable, relaxed and free from anxiety and stress.
(3) Mnemonics may be frequently used to help students
retain and recall lists of vocabulary. Instead of
relying on vocabulary lists, flash cards and repetition
drills, the accelerated learning teacher will often
employ these creative techniques when first introducing
a new topic. Students may be encouraged to use their
imaginations to link items of vocabulary to parts of
their body or to locations in the classroom (Loci). This
injects a sense of fun and usually promotes a more
relaxed and free-flowing learning environment.
(4) Over-stimulation: whereas in many language
classrooms, the teacher is wary of throwing too much at
the student at once, the accelerated learning teacher
may bombard the student with material knowing that the
human brain can often assimilate around 80% more
information than we assume. Using longer texts,
dramatizations and the like allows students of varying
levels of ability to take what is useful for them at
that stage of their learning.
(5) Pattern spotting and learning in broad strokes:
often accelerated learning teachers will introduce broad
concepts to their students, enabling them to learn a
great deal in a short amount of time.
(6) Theory of multiple intelligences application: MI
Theory (proposed by Howard Gardener) asserts that there
are 8 types of intelligence: interpersonal,
intrapersonal, logical-mathematical, verbal-linguistic,
spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical-rhythmic and
naturalist. In the traditional classroom environment,
the verbal-linguistic and logical-mathematical
intelligences are often over represented. Accelerated
learning attempts to redress this imbalance by including
activities which allow for the activation of the other
intelligences such as: games which involve movement, use
of color on worksheets/mind maps etc, use of songs, raps
and music, manipulation of objects (word cards, etc.)
and so on.
(7) The use of Chunking (psychology): chunking lessons
into shorter periods takes full advantage of the
attention cycle of the human brain. We are most likely
to retain information presented at the beginning and end
of a session; therefore if a lesson is divided into
smaller chunks, we are creating more beginnings and
endings and so increasing the amount of information
retained.
(8) Objective setting: this practice is very wide-spread
in education now and is also a vital aspect of any
accelerated learning lesson. The student must understand
clearly what he/she is going to learn in any particular
lesson and how this is going to happen. There is then a
predefined goal to work towards and a higher sense of
achievement at the end of the lesson (particularly if
the lesson objectives are listed on the board and can be
ticked off as the lesson proceeds). What's In It For Me
(W.I.I.F.M) is a key phrase to remind teachers that
students want to know how what they are going to learn
is relevant to them and their day-to-day experiences.