3 Tips to Make E-Learning ‘Stick’

As adults, trying to learn something new whether it is upgrading our skills for our current job, or building our skills to take a step on to something new, we need to make what we learn stick.

I envy my daughter – she really is a sponge. I wish I had appreciated the ability I had to learn new concepts when I was young. Instead, as I get older and spend many hours of my own personal time upgrading skills, learning something new and developing materials for people just like me, I have found three tips that help me.

You know this already – we've seen it as part of the "green" initiatives in our communities.

1. Reduce
   
2. Reuse
   
3. Recycle
   

How can this help?

1. Reduce

As adults, we are easily distracted by things going on around us. How many times have I been reading a book and found I've read the same paragraph 5 times because the phone rings, the dog wants out, dinner needs to be made, a child wants a snack or can't find something they had ten minutes before.

If I reduce the amount of distractions around me, I'm more able to immerse myself in the task. I turn off the television, or find a quiet corner of the house in which to work, I have a little sticky note that says DO NOT DISTURB or MOM IS STUDYING and place it on the closed door.

I also give my family a little notice when I need quiet time…"I need 25 minutes to do what needs to be done. Please look after the dog, and answer the phone on the first ring. Thanks." I will also detail what I will be doing more so I have a measure when I am finished, that way, when I leave my quiet space and get back to real-life, I can tell my family my accomplishments. "I got those 30 pages read. Thanks for letting me have that time."

2. Reuse

You probably wonder where the "reuse" comes into play. I have old papers that I don't need anymore. I've folded them in half and cut the papers to create little notepads. I then use these little notepads to make my study notes. I also use sticky notes and place sticky notes on each page with statements that sum up the main idea or thoughts on a page or list out the main points I need to remember.

I REUSE these papers to help me pull all the information together – if I have two or three days between study opportunities, I will REUSE the sticky notes and papers to refresh my memory on what I tackled in the previous two or three sessions. This way, I am setting a long term reminder in my little noggin by re-reading the items on the sticky notes and committing to memory some of the terms and concepts.

3. Recycle

In my experience, if I am able to take what I've learned and translate it so that I am able to tell someone else what I learned and they UNDERSTAND – I have successfully recycled my information for someone else's use. It can be anything from an email to a friend or colleague, a blog entry, a short story, a telephone conversation – anything that allows you to retell in your own words that which you have just learned.

My daughter and I have quite grownup discussions about technology, the future of technology and careers. Much of that has to do with me translating what I'm learning and attempting to recycle that information. It can be as simple as "hey, did you know that when an adult learns something new, they have to share the information with their kids?" That leaves the door open for my girl to look at me with that my mom is so weird but I'll listen anyway because somewhere in that lame attempt to talk to me she is likely going to say something that will make me laugh look and inevitably I do.

As an instructor to adults, I continue to recommend that every night (or whenever possible) find a quiet place (or a noisy one if that is what works for you) to reduce the amount of unacceptable distractions, review your notes from the previous chapters and begin to create reusable notes for the next section of content. The next day, or the next class session, I would ask the adult learners to share what they are learning – in their own words.

Being able to collect your thoughts and ideas, work with a way of repeating the information and being able to translate and share the information with someone else are keys to the success of the 2008 adult learner.

Give it a try.