Brain Friendly Trainer » Theory http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com support for Brain Friendly Learning practitioners Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:29:19 +0000 en hourly 1 Is this the most important and exciting piece of research in years? http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/is-this-the-most-important-and-exciting-piece-of-research-in-years#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/is-this-the-most-important-and-exciting-piece-of-research-in-years#comments Tue, 29 Jun 2010 20:29:37 +0000 Paul http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/?p=1958 Recently, we discovered a little about the prefrontal cortex, looked at David Rock’s “actors on the stage” metaphor and applied it to the early driving experience of Paul's son. In this post we get down to the nitty gritty of what is going on and how brain friendly trainers can apply it to learning in any situation. Related posts:
  1. Your brain is a stage with only four actors In his book Your Brain At Work David Rock likens...
  2. Desire, dopamine and successful set ups As we discover more and more about neuroscience and...
  3. Learn to drive in a day the Brain Friendly way. It’s a big day in our family. My eldest...
]]> http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/is-this-the-most-important-and-exciting-piece-of-research-in-years/feed 9 Your brain is a stage with only four actors http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/your-brain-is-a-stage-with-only-four-actors#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/your-brain-is-a-stage-with-only-four-actors#comments Wed, 23 Jun 2010 20:24:11 +0000 Paul http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/?p=1955 In his book Your Brain At Work David Rock likens the pre-frontal cortex to a theatrical stage. At various times there will be actors on the stage and it is these actors that we are describing when we talk about what we are focussed on. So right now you may have a reading actor on your stage as you read this, you may also have a musical actor on stage if you are playing some background music, you may have your e-mail sorting actor on stage and / or potentially one or more of many. Related posts:
  1. Is this the most important and exciting piece of research in years? Recently, we discovered a little about the prefrontal cortex, looked...
  2. Learn to drive in a day the Brain Friendly way. It’s a big day in our family. My eldest...
  3. Desire, dopamine and successful set ups As we discover more and more about neuroscience and...
]]> http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/your-brain-is-a-stage-with-only-four-actors/feed 3 Desire, dopamine and successful set ups http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/desire-dopamine-and-successful-setups#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/desire-dopamine-and-successful-setups#comments Tue, 01 Jun 2010 20:36:25 +0000 Paul http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/?p=1932 As we discover more and more about neuroscience and how the brain works, I find myself making more and more connections to learning and training. For sometime Ally and I have been talking about the importance of really good set-ups in brain friendly learning; whether it’s the pre-programme invitation or the set up for the day [...] Related posts:
  1. Where the Desire for Change Resides Part of the Scientific American 60 second podcast series,...
  2. Your brain is a stage with only four actors In his book Your Brain At Work David Rock likens...
  3. Is this the most important and exciting piece of research in years? Recently, we discovered a little about the prefrontal cortex, looked...
]]> http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/desire-dopamine-and-successful-setups/feed 5 What goes around goes around… http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/what-goes-around-goes-around#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/what-goes-around-goes-around#comments Wed, 19 May 2010 20:00:57 +0000 Paul http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/?p=1888 I sometimes think it’s interesting to take a step back, reflect on progress and to analyse some aspect of our industry. Whenever I do this however I am more often than not struck by one thing – It’s funny how things go around. Many years ago I recall my first inspirational training boss (There have been too [...] Related posts:
  1. Dale’s Cone of Learning figures debunked Edgar Dale was a US educationist and professor of educations...
  2. Beyond unconsciously competent Pt.2: keep in the flow In the Beyond unconsciously competent Pt.1: Now what? we...
  3. Are your’s firm or fluffy? (Outcomes that is) Over the years Accelerated Learning has, in some quarters developed...
]]> http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/what-goes-around-goes-around/feed 5 Brain Friendly tips for students http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/brain-friendly-tips-for-students#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/brain-friendly-tips-for-students#comments Mon, 17 May 2010 22:45:30 +0000 Paul http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/?p=1886 For a lot of us, the exam season is upon us;  for some it’s mocks, for others it’s the real thing. Whichever is your current situation, all over the land parents can be heard encouraging their loved ones as follows: “Turn off that (delete as needed): laptop x-box playstation ipod TV mobile Wii … and DO SOME REVISION!” So I thought I would share some [...] Related posts:
  1. Learn to drive in a day the Brain Friendly way. It’s a big day in our family. My eldest...
  2. Brain Friendly(ness) as a way of life? In his book “Blink” Malcom Gladwell makes several references...
  3. 6 Tips for training in a recession For many of us the economic downturn has brought added...
]]> http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/brain-friendly-tips-for-students/feed 5 Experience or memory – how do you know your learners are happy? http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/experience-or-memory-how-do-you-know-your-learners-are-happy#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/experience-or-memory-how-do-you-know-your-learners-are-happy#comments Tue, 04 May 2010 23:13:21 +0000 Ally http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/?p=1644 Last week, I watched a fascinating TED video called ” The Riddle of Experience vs. Memory“. In it, Nobel laureate and founder of behavioral economics Daniel Kahneman revealed how our “experiencing selves” and our “remembering selves” perceive happiness differently. The blurb describing the video content said: This new insight has profound implications for economics, public policy [...] Related posts:
  1. Working Memory: laptop battery or fading light A short article on SciAm website reports research by...
  2. ‘Oprah neuron’ hints at nature of memory – life – 23 July 2009 – New Scientist Interesting article from New Scientist that reports development in...
  3. Take your learners to a concert (or two) The use of background music during lectures, vocabulary decoding, or...
]]> http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/experience-or-memory-how-do-you-know-your-learners-are-happy/feed 3 Do you praise effort or talent? http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/do-you-praise-effort-or-talent#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/do-you-praise-effort-or-talent#comments Thu, 22 Apr 2010 22:19:54 +0000 Paul http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/?p=1650 In 1998 Carol S Dweck published a paper called “Praise for intelligence can undermine (children’s) motivation and performance” in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Paul put the brackets around the word children because he thinks this applies equally to adults. The study compares the impact on performance of praising effort and praising natural talent. The results may influence our reactions to learner behaviour in the training room (and how we respond to our own children). Related posts:
  1. Feedback and the X-Factor In April, Annabel shared how her experience of restoring...
  2. Brain Friendly(ness) as a way of life? In his book “Blink” Malcom Gladwell makes several references...
  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/theory/do-you-praise-effort-or-talent/feed 4 A different way of looking at the training cycle http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/a-different-way-of-looking-at-the-training-cycle#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/a-different-way-of-looking-at-the-training-cycle#comments Mon, 19 Apr 2010 23:39:20 +0000 Paul http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/?p=1625 While reading "The Age of Absurdity: Why Modern Life Makes it Hard to be Happy", Paul recognises the similarities between the concept of the Quest Saga described by Michael Foley and the experience of learners in our training rooms. Beginning with the Wizard of Oz and ending with a child 'drifting' their push bike, discover an alternative 4-step learning process. Related posts:
  1. 6 Tips for training in a recession For many of us the economic downturn has brought added...
  2. Acoustic guitar and flexible training design Ally shares a remarkable acoustic guitar performance that inspired insights...
  3. Make the Training “Stick” pass this on… Make the Training “Stick” « Gina...
]]> http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/a-different-way-of-looking-at-the-training-cycle/feed 12 Dale’s Cone of Learning figures debunked http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/dale%e2%80%99s-cone-of-learning-figures-debunked#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/dale%e2%80%99s-cone-of-learning-figures-debunked#comments Wed, 03 Mar 2010 20:16:20 +0000 Paul http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/?p=1487 Edgar Dale was a US educationist and professor of educations at Ohio State University. In 1946 he developed his most famous model, the cone of learning.Since then it has been quoted frequently, far and wide as the definitive evidence for how we retain information when delivered in various styles and mediums and has informed how to design training courses in specific ways. This is unfortunate, because the figures we associate with the model are meaningless. In this post, Paul explains why and encourages to be careful when sharing 'facts' with others. Related posts:
  1. The Mozart effect debunked For many years I have been aware of the...
  2. History of Accelerated Learning by RapidBI-Mgt Mike Morrison over at RapidBi.com has written a great...
  3. Learning by falling off. There is a new game show in the UK...
]]> http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/dale%e2%80%99s-cone-of-learning-figures-debunked/feed 13 Watching the Brain Learn http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/watching-the-brain-learn#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/watching-the-brain-learn#comments Sun, 21 Feb 2010 20:40:04 +0000 Paul http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/?p=1161 Following a link a few months ago I found this facinating article written by R.Douglas Fields on Scientific American website called “Watching the brain learn” It seems that only half of the brain is “grey matter” The rest is made up of  relatively un-researched white matter which, as this article says, appears to be extremely influential [...] Related posts:
  1. Learn to drive in a day the Brain Friendly way. It’s a big day in our family. My eldest...
  2. Your brain is a stage with only four actors In his book Your Brain At Work David Rock likens...
  3. Do we learn more from successes or failure? A report about an MIT study that sheds light...
]]> http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/watching-the-brain-learn/feed 2 Recall: It’s a bit like opening a document http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/recall-is-a-bit-like-opening-a-document#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/recall-is-a-bit-like-opening-a-document#comments Sun, 13 Dec 2009 20:11:16 +0000 Paul http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/?p=1064 Our understanding of how the brain stores and retrieves data is still in the early stages of development. What is clear though, is that the result of learning (memory?) is stored in many places in the brain. Rather than being a problem, this provides us with many ways of accessing memory when we want to [...] Related posts:
  1. Do you want to boost recall by up to 15% This seems to indicate is that by doing all our...
  2. Is recall understanding or remembering? While reading some interesting blogs the other day a...
  3. Brain Friendly tips for students For a lot of us, the exam season is...
]]> http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/recall-is-a-bit-like-opening-a-document/feed 1 The Mozart effect debunked http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/the-mozart-effect-debunked#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/the-mozart-effect-debunked#comments Sun, 29 Nov 2009 20:44:23 +0000 Paul http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/?p=1169 For many years I have been aware of the generally held view that playing Baroque music, specifically Mozart, can have a beneficial impact on learning and retention. Some have even suggested playing Mozart to children can improve IQ and the common reason given for this is the “Mozart Effect”. On a quiet day in the office recently [...] Related posts:
  1. Dale’s Cone of Learning figures debunked Edgar Dale was a US educationist and professor of educations...
  2. Brain Friendly tips for students For a lot of us, the exam season is...
  3. Take your learners to a concert (or two) The use of background music during lectures, vocabulary decoding, or...
]]> http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/the-mozart-effect-debunked/feed 10 When the brain goes off piste part 2 http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/when-the-brain-goes-off-piste-pt2#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/when-the-brain-goes-off-piste-pt2#comments Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:57:32 +0000 Paul http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/?p=818 This is the 2nd post exploring two powerful features of the human brain. Despite not knowing the answers, Paul expands on the questions: “When is it OK for the trainer to fill in gaps in the learner’s current knowledge” and “Can you train in a subject you know nothing about”? Related posts:
  1. When the brain goes “off piste” Richard Potts is director of the Human Origins Programme...
  2. Learn to drive in a day the Brain Friendly way. It’s a big day in our family. My eldest...
  3. The 70:30 target Inspired by Dave Meier and Kimberley Hare, Paul examines the...
]]> http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/when-the-brain-goes-off-piste-pt2/feed 4 When the brain goes “off piste” http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/when-the-brain-goes-%e2%80%9coff-piste%e2%80%9d#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/when-the-brain-goes-%e2%80%9coff-piste%e2%80%9d#comments Sun, 11 Oct 2009 19:30:56 +0000 Paul http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/?p=763 Richard Potts is director of the Human Origins Programme at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History where he studies how humans evolved over millions of years to be the dominant species on the earth.  The first thing this tells us is that, to fit that lot in, he may have the largest business [...] Related posts:
  1. When the brain goes off piste part 2 This is the 2nd post exploring two powerful features of...
  2. Learn to drive in a day the Brain Friendly way. It’s a big day in our family. My eldest...
  3. Brain Friendly tips for students For a lot of us, the exam season is...
]]> http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/when-the-brain-goes-%e2%80%9coff-piste%e2%80%9d/feed 2 Beyond unconsciously competent Pt.2: keep in the flow http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/beyond-unconsciously-competent-pt-2#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/theory/beyond-unconsciously-competent-pt-2#comments Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:00:49 +0000 Paul http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com/?p=597 In the Beyond unconsciously competent Pt.1: Now what? we looked at “Flow” taken from the book “Flow – The psychology of optimal experience” written by Professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and discussed how it could be applied in the training world. In this second and final part we will look at what his model means in relation to [...] Related posts:
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  2. The 70:30 target Inspired by Dave Meier and Kimberley Hare, Paul examines the...
  3. What goes around goes around… I sometimes think it’s interesting to take a step...
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