http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com support for Brain Friendly Learning practitioners Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:29:19 +0000 en hourly 1 http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/i%e2%80%99m-bugged-by-beliefs#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/i%e2%80%99m-bugged-by-beliefs#comments Tue, 27 Apr 2010 00:37:01 +0000 Paul http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/?p=1634 Recently while running a management development programme, Paul was stopped during the break by one of the participants who said they were leaving. They proceeded to give an account of the earlier session that made Paul wonder if they had been in the same room! In this post Paul explores the impact that beliefs and (pre)understanding have when a learner encounters new material that raises an alternative point of view. Related posts:

1. How to handle the questions we hate Has this ever happened to you…..? You are running...
2. Smelling mistooks dont mutter Researchers have shown that when we read, the brain looks...
3. Congruence – What is that about? We hear a a fair bit about being congruent...

]]> http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/i%e2%80%99m-bugged-by-beliefs/feed 7 http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/a-big-thanks-and-a-request-for-help#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/a-big-thanks-and-a-request-for-help#comments Tue, 30 Mar 2010 19:03:00 +0000 Ally http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/?p=1602 It’s just over 6 months since Paul and I started Brain Friendly Trainer. It began as an experiment. Work was light because of the economic downturn and we wanted to use the time wisely and do something to support others involved in designing and delivering brain friendly learning. We made a commitment to write 2 or 3 times a week for 6 months and see what happened. Well, this month has been our best yet, with over 1,500 visitors, most of you pop back every few days! Thanks to you all. So what’s next… No related posts.]]> http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/a-big-thanks-and-a-request-for-help/feed 4 http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/another-lesson-in-learning-from-children#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/another-lesson-in-learning-from-children#comments Fri, 26 Mar 2010 10:36:13 +0000 Ally http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/?p=1573 Learning is a funny thing. We have formalised a sytem of classrooms, evaluation, experts and students that can often reduce our opportunities to help others learn as well as limiting our own ability to learn Last week I wrote about 3 things I learned about change from my daughter and next week we’ll have an excellent [...] Related posts:

1. 3 things children can teach us about managing change Change can be traumatic. Often we feel unable to cope...
2. Learning by falling off. There is a new game show in the UK...
3. Great Learning State = Focus + Physiology The state of our learners is crucial to the quality...

]]> http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/another-lesson-in-learning-from-children/feed 1 http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/help-learners-learn-with-pragmativity#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/help-learners-learn-with-pragmativity#comments Mon, 15 Mar 2010 11:00:08 +0000 Guest http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/?p=1518 Have you ever been on a course and felt your heart sink when the trainer announces that "we're going to have some fun..." because you know you're about to experience some forced interaction without any apparent purpose? Are you a trainer who recognises this reaction in some of your learners? In this post Jooli Atkins share her concept of PRAGMATIVITY: a way of ensuring that creative interventions have a positive impact and are well received. Regular readers will not be surprised that purpose and application are high on the agenda. Keep reading to the end where Jooli applies 'pragmativity' to training evaluation. Related posts:

1. Experience or memory – how do you know your learners are happy? Last week, I watched a fascinating TED video called...
2. Take your learners to a concert (or two) The use of background music during lectures, vocabulary decoding, or...
3. Learners smell your fear New Scientist magazine recently reported a study that concluded...

]]> http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/help-learners-learn-with-pragmativity/feed 7 http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/brain-friendlyness-as-a-way-of-life#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/brain-friendlyness-as-a-way-of-life#comments Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:40:27 +0000 Paul http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/?p=1021 In his book “Blink” Malcom Gladwell makes several references to the work of  Dr. John Gottman. Gottman is well respected for his research on relationship stability by using scientific direct observations published in peer reviewed literature. This makes him a man worth listening to. While most of his work has been around predicting whether couples are likely [...] Related posts:

1. Brain Friendly tips for students For a lot of us, the exam season is...
2. Learn to drive in a day the Brain Friendly way. It’s a big day in our family. My eldest...
3. ‘Oprah neuron’ hints at nature of memory – life – 23 July 2009 – New Scientist Interesting article from New Scientist that reports development in...

]]> http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/brain-friendlyness-as-a-way-of-life/feed 6 http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/roi-and-double-standards#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/roi-and-double-standards#comments Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:52:02 +0000 Paul http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/?p=1472 Last time we talked about Kirkpatrick’s model for evaluation and how important it is to use more that just level one especially in today’s economic climate . While I was writing that piece I found myself getting more and more annoyed and, as I worked through why, the keyboard was taking more and more punishment, the [...] Related posts:

1. Evaluation is NOT hard… … but it is essential A couple of weeks...
2. Bop It and leadership We have had some discussions recently about management development...
3. There is no such thing as a difficult delegate Last week, Paul was running a workshop with a new...

]]> http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/roi-and-double-standards/feed 6 http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/3-things-children-can-teach-us-about-managing-change#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/3-things-children-can-teach-us-about-managing-change#comments Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:00:12 +0000 Ally http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/?p=1448 Change can be traumatic. Often we feel unable to cope and sometimes we may deny the need for it and seek to hold onto the past. A photo taken during a family holiday causes Ally to reflect on how comfortable children are with change and draws three lessons from his daughters ability to deal with change in a natural, stress free way. Related posts:

1. Another lesson in learning from children Learning is a funny thing. We have formalised a...
2. Where the Desire for Change Resides Part of the Scientific American 60 second podcast series,...
3. What Nonprofits Teach Us About Learning Really interesting article examining lessons the commercial world can...

]]> http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/3-things-children-can-teach-us-about-managing-change/feed 15 http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/multitasking-myth-we-are-good-jugglers#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/multitasking-myth-we-are-good-jugglers#comments Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:00:54 +0000 Ally http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/?p=1434 Whilst we know that our learners can absorb information on many levels simultaneously and our experience confirms that sensory rich environments deepen understanding and increase retention... it is also true that they can only pay attention to one thing at a time. In this post, Ally shares a great 2 minute video from Fast Company that illustrates this very well and offers a good, solid tip to increase productivity. Related posts:

1. The myth of learning styles. Another ” given” to be busted. One source –...
2. Busting the myth that e-learning is more effective than face to face Research on elearning effectiveness reported in the NY Times recently...
3. Visual, voice tone and words myth finally busted At last Mehrabian has gone very public to explain...

]]> http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/multitasking-myth-we-are-good-jugglers/feed 6 http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/congruence-what-is-that-about#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/congruence-what-is-that-about#comments Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:41:18 +0000 Paul http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/?p=1425 We hear a a fair bit about being congruent when delivering training and I have struggled at times to truly understand what that means. Recently I was watching a TV “reality show” involving Amanda Holden (to be fair she was the reason I was watching it….) and a very famous country and western singer ( see [...] Related posts:

1. 10 ways to split big groups into small groups or pairs As trainers we are constantly looking for fresh and...
2. Watch out for that tree! or You get what you focus on A few years ago I had the pleasure of...
3. There is no such thing as a difficult delegate Last week, Paul was running a workshop with a new...

]]> http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/congruence-what-is-that-about/feed 11 http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/10-fantastic-quotes-about-unlearning#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/10-fantastic-quotes-about-unlearning#comments Sun, 17 Jan 2010 23:10:41 +0000 Paul http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/?p=1307 Over Christmas I spent some time trawling the interweb for interesting blogs, thoughts and ideas and I came across these. I really love the idea of unlearning that which isn’t useful any more or is unsupported or is no longer relevent in todays world. Ally and I have already posted some “debunking” posts and I guess these [...] Related posts:

1. Why is it hard to “unlearn” an incorrect fact? Although this article focuses on ‘unlearning’ facts, could we...
2. What Nonprofits Teach Us About Learning Really interesting article examining lessons the commercial world can...
3. Do you want to boost recall by up to 15% This seems to indicate is that by doing all our...

]]> http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/10-fantastic-quotes-about-unlearning/feed 14 http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/podcast-interview-with-stella-collins-pt2#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/podcast-interview-with-stella-collins-pt2#comments Sun, 20 Dec 2009 22:01:30 +0000 Ally http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/?p=1283 In this second part of our interview with Stella Collins, director and consultant at Stellar Learning and co-founder of Brain in Business, Stella and Ally discuss Stella’s influences, how pirates got her into training and ways to enliven ‘dry’ subject matter. Click the green ‘play’ icon to listen now: http://static.brainfriendlytrainer.com/audio/stella-collins-pt2.mp3 In Part One of our interview, Stella and [...] Related posts:

1. Podcast: Interview with Stella Collins Part 1 This week we bring you a two-part interview with...
2. Podcast: Interview with Carly Morgan Each month we’ll bring you an interview with someone...
3. Do you praise effort or talent? In 1998 Carol S Dweck published a paper called “Praise...

]]> http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/podcast-interview-with-stella-collins-pt2/feed 0 http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/is-recall-understanding-or-remembering#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/is-recall-understanding-or-remembering#comments Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:42:05 +0000 Paul http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/?p=1260 While reading some interesting blogs the other day a thought gently emerged in my foggy brain which then led to a question. Is brain friendly learning, and pehaps more importantly recall,  about understanding or remembering? It’s subtle but I believe it strikes at the core of what brain friendly learning is all about. After pondering this question for [...] Related posts:

1. Do you want to boost recall by up to 15% This seems to indicate is that by doing all our...
2. Recall: It’s a bit like opening a document Our understanding of how the brain stores and retrieves...
3. Perishable skills and use by dates While mindlessly flicking through the TV channels the other night...

]]> http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/is-recall-understanding-or-remembering/feed 8 http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/podcast-interview-with-stella-collins-part-1#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/podcast-interview-with-stella-collins-part-1#comments Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:00:12 +0000 Ally http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/?p=1235 This week we bring you a two-part interview with Stella Collins, director and consultant at Stellar Learning and co-founder of Brain in Business. In part one, Stella and Ally talk about what Brain Friendly Learning means for Stella, how to engage learners and the difference between fun and enjoyment! Click the green ‘play’ icon to listen [...] Related posts:

1. Podcast: Interview with Stella Collins Pt2 In this second part of our interview with Stella...
2. Podcast: Interview with Carly Morgan Each month we’ll bring you an interview with someone...
3. A design for design Part 2 In the final instalment, Paul explains how the subject of...

]]> http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/podcast-interview-with-stella-collins-part-1/feed 11 http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/the-birds-the-bees-and-joy-of-learning#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/the-birds-the-bees-and-joy-of-learning#comments Tue, 01 Dec 2009 23:15:45 +0000 Paul http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/?p=1166 We have regularly mentioned the fact that humans are programmed to make meaning. It is this genetically hard wired need that has led to our position in the world today. What is the evidence for this? Imagine the scene: It is several million years in the past. Early humans have scrambled ( or more likely fallen) down [...] Related posts:

1. Learning by falling off. There is a new game show in the UK...
2. Top 10 activities for participant centered learning Following on from my “top 10” (ways to split...
3. Another lesson in learning from children Learning is a funny thing. We have formalised a...

]]> http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/the-birds-the-bees-and-joy-of-learning/feed 13 http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/when-f1-drivers-need-driving-lessons-and-the-importance-of-needs-analysis#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/reflect/when-f1-drivers-need-driving-lessons-and-the-importance-of-needs-analysis#comments Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:53:02 +0000 Paul http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/?p=1163 Occasionally we like to share real life examples of life as a brain friendly trainer on the road. This week Paul reflects on a challenging week where the training was not as successful as expected, exposing the importance of Training Needs Analysis and the consequences of letting this slide. Related posts:

1. Feedback with a stroke not a poke. The other day a colleague took me to one...
2. A design for design Part 1 Paul reflects on a highly enjoyable afternoon with a client...
3. Hash Teabags, teenagers and great questions Tony Dimech of Appleton Associates explains why we should re-think...

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