We Have Two Kinds of Long Term Memory and Each Is Important for Learning and Performance

Last week we wrote about long term memory and memorization. Usually when people talk about long term memory they fail to distinguish that learners have two types: Explicit (or declarative) memory Implicit (or non-declarative) memory Explicit memory is things you know, that you can express in words. For example: Albany is the capital of New …

In Defense of Memorization

Way down at the bottom of Bloom’s Taxonomy is “knowledge” (Original Taxonomy) or “remembering” (Revised Taxonomy), otherwise pejoratively referred to as "memorization."                                      Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy Any instructional designer worth his or her salt knows that we never …

Learning Myth #9: 70-20-10

Is the 70-20-10 rule a learning myth? Not exactly. But did you ever wonder where those numbers come from or do you just accept them? For those not familiar with the 70-20-10 approach to training, a quick explanation: The idea is that in a corporate environment training comes in many forms and that the optimal …

Is Virtual Reality Effective as a Training Methodology?

Anyone who has been around the fields of education and training for a while (as I have) knows that our field is prone to fads and herd mentality, seizing on the next bright shiny object -- whatever it may be. And now, the use of virtual reality (VR) is being strongly promoted by a number …

The Promise of Personalized Learning

Personalized learning is the holy grail of education. Imagine if each learner had an educational plan customized exactly to his/her strengths and weaknesses? Back in 1984, Benjamin Bloom (yes, the same one from Bloom’s Taxonomy) published a research paper that showed the benefits of one-on-one tutoring. Bloom demonstrated that one-on-one tutoring can have a huge …

Improving Job Performance with Microlearning

In this blog we write a lot about using microlearning to ensure long-term retention. Combining the spacing effect with the testing effect results in Retrieval Practice, which is the key to long term retention. But there’s a second way to use microlearning that is at least as important. Let’s think about some of the attributes …

Learning Myth #8: People Are Either Left-Brained or Right-Brained

How often have you heard someone say: “I’m a left-brained person.”? By which, they presumably mean, “I’m logical and analytical.” The notion of “brainedness” (analogous to “handedness”) is pretty prevalent in our culture. Some companies have even claimed to develop training materials that are optimized for either left-brained or right-brained thinkers. But what does the …

The Benefits of No Stakes Quizzing

Large numbers of studies have demonstrated the benefits of repeated testing. Requiring learners to retrieve and process previously learned information reinforces what they know and strengthens the neural connections, leading to long term retention. Most of these studies use classic experimental design. They split a learning group in two: One group studies in the normal …

Learning Myth 7 ½: The Cost of Microlearning

This wasn’t on my original list of learning myths but it caught my eye when I saw it on a vendor’s web site: Compared to traditional courses, microlearning videos cost 50% less and take 300% less time to produce. First, this raises red flag #1: If the numbers are nice and round they are, at …

Moving the Measurement Goal Posts

By now most of us have bought into the idea that learning needs to be a process, not an event. Without a continuous learning process we get the dreaded post-learning event forgetting effect: But, if we want our learners to be able to apply what they have learned one month, three months or six months …