Can we learn faster?

Of course we can!

The key concept is 'Natural Learning' - because your brain is 'made' for learning and memorisation.  So why do so many of us have trouble with learning things and memorising them?  Simply because they are so BORING - they don't engage our natural skills in learning and memorisation.  But, hey, reality check here.... life is not always exciting; sometimes we need to learn less than exciting stuff!  Is it possible to make this a pleasure?  Oh yes!  All we need to do is apply the 'LearnFast Formula' - easily recallable through the mnemonic M.E.S.S.A.G.E. 

• M for Mindset - mastering the art of getting into the right frame of mind
• E for Entrance - getting past our internal critic so that we can learn with the ease of a child at play
• S for Switch Ownership - taking control of what the learning means for us personally
• S for Store - making it 'sticky' so that it is easy to recall and apply
• A for Act - proving to ourselves that we've really 'got it' - thus boosting our confidence
• G for Go-again - strengthening the memory traces to the point that the learning becomes 'second nature' and we can use it without conscious effort
• E for Engage - harnessing the power of our imagination so that we can positively influence our own future - and the application of our new discoveries...

Quick Tip: This is our icon for 'Layering' - the deliberate use of Feeling, Hearing and Visuals during the Entrance phase to make any learning more impactful.  I happen to believe that mankind has created computing systems in our own image!  As such, we talk about programming language and operating systems.  The raw programming language for all our experience is our senses... 'Sensory Basic'.  Whilst taste and smell have a phenomenal impact, we don't usually consciously use these for learning new attitudes, skills and knowledge.  Instead, we use visuals, audio and action learning.  The mistake many of us have made as educators is to create an environment of sensory deprivation in our thinking zones - the classroom, the office, the factory.

The remedy is simple, enjoyable and immediate!  The core concept is layering - deliberately layering the three main conscious senses.  As the Chinese Proverb says so profoundly: "I hear, I forget; I see, I remember; I do, I understand."  In naturally successful Accelerated Learning, we consciously and deliberately take each unit of learning and think about how we could make it all three: physically doing something with the learning, enhancing the way it sounds, and making it richly visual.

In future blog entries, we'll expand upon all seven phases of the M.E.S.S.A.G.E. Framework for Naturally Successful Accelerated Learning.