EPALE - Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe

An interview conducted by Marta Machalska with Krystyna Gadd during the International Conference E-Learning Fusion 2018.

KRYSTYNA GADD Learning Loop method coach and an expert in accelerated learning

Krystyna is an expert in accelerated learning and its application to performance improvement. She and her associates work with teams, not just in L&D to improve the way people work through bespoke blended learning programmes. She uses the latest research to ensure organisations are heading in the right direction and that any learning interventions are memorable.

Marta Machalska: What is accelerated learning?

KG: I like to think of it as accumulated wisdom. Many universities, psychologists, educators have played their part in developing this approach. The principles outline how to learn and think to acquire knowledge and skills in a lasting and in the most effective way. Additionally, it is a really interesting intellectual adventure. Accelerated learning is the answer to the present dynamic and constantly changing world of work. It can reduce the trainer’s preparation time by 30%, and can increase the retention of information by 300%. It brings benefits to both sides – the person remembers more and is engaged at the same time. It is also beneficial to the organisation, because it focuses on its actual needs so that the organisation does not  waste money on learning it does not need.

MM: At the E-Learning Fusion 2018 conference you talked about 5 components of accelerated learning. Can you tell us more about them?

KG: I prefer to call them my 5 secrets of accelerated learning. The first secret is focusing on the real business needs of the organisation and the needs of the learners. This is the most important of the 5 secrets. Even if you apply all the fantastic ways  to accelerate learning, it will be of no use if it doesn’t solve an actual problem in the company, and the people don’t learn something that is of value to them.

The next component is the facilitator, in other words the person who helps others learn. I don’t use the term ‘trainer’ on purpose, because I want to emphasise that the role of the facilitator , which is to inspire people to learn and guide them through the process, and not ‘to train’. As a facilitator I have to know how the brain works and apply this in a practical way.

The third element is the learner. People come in all shapes and sizes and so variety in methods of learning is key. The fourth thing is the learning environment. First of all, it has to be safe and also inspiring. There are 3 components to the environment – the physical, emotional and social. A facilitator needs to pay attention to all three components. And lastly, the brain. In helping others to learn, we have to know how the brain works in a practical sense so that we can design learning that has a lasting impact.

MM: What made you use accelerated learning?

KG:  I began my training career as an IT trainer. During my early experiences I was convinced that people would learn faster if I explained the content to them precisely and told them what to do step by step. I learned in time that people learn better when they are more involved in the learning and so began to facilitate more.

I got interested in the theory of learning and studying and  came across accelerated learning. I read about the works of Elliot Maisie, who found that it helped to improve the retention of information by 300% compared to traditional methods. It seemed very attractive to me. Then, when I was working with the global company Atos, their L&D manager wanted the trainers, to reduce their preparation time. Focusing on accelerated learning principles allowed them to cut down preparation time by 30%.

MM: What were your first experiences with accelerated learning?

KG: It’s hard to say that it was one particular thing. I tried various methods and sometimes something worked. I simply used a solution and observed what would come out of it. For example, I wanted to make learning more experiential. I would let the learners discover by themselves, through an activity, how a particular thing worked. Sometimes they did it slower and in a different way than I wanted, so I would step in and start to explain it to them. Later I learned to avoid too many interruptions. Allowing people to learn for themselves, even if it is a little struggle, makes the learning more memorable. You engage emotions, you have your own memories from that situation, your own small failures, but also the final success, because you’ve understood what it is about, you made it work and got satisfaction from it.

My first attempts were a little bit hit-and-miss. If I was to give advice to someone, I would say: introduce one new thing at a time, and if it doesn’t work in case of the given group, adjust it and run again. Don’t give up but have the courage to do something again, maybe in a different way.

This process has made me very open to feedback and also very sensitive to what the learners are experiencing at a given moment. I’ve understood how to adjust the learning method to the group, the person and the circumstances.

MM: What is the most important thing in learning?

KG: I’ve always wanted to know that myself. I read about it a lot, and found this interesting book “Make it stick. The Science of Successful Learning” by Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III and Mark A. McDaniel. It says that the most important thing in learning is inserting knowledge into the long-term memory. Let’s say you are reading this interview and you are finding out new things. Stop for a moment and test yourself – what have you learned so far?  It is not always easy, but it makes it more memorable. Go further and describe it in your own words. It’s much more effective than simply repeating it. Using your own words you’re making it relevant to you and making your brain work harder.

I’ll try to use my own example. I speak Polish a little. At the conference, I wanted to start in Polish. Earlier, I wrote what I wanted to say on a piece of paper, but in the end, I didn’t use my notes. Instead, I came back to the words in my head trying to recall them. I remembered much more than I thought.

The brain is very good at acquiring knowledge, but when there’s too much of it, it gets rid of it. It simply throws it out, and for anything to remain, it has to get into the long-term memory and one way to do that is through active, individual repetition and practise.

MM: And how do you work in the way the brain works?

There are lots of things you can do. Let’s just look at one way. There is a part of the brain called the basal ganglia, which deals with different functions connected with movement control, cognitive processes, emotions and learning. It’s responsible for automatic responses. For example, if you see someone knitting and talking at the same time, this is because the knitting is an automated movement controlled in the basal ganglia. It’s the same with many everyday actions such as riding a bike, driving a car. So if learners can learn something quickly, so well they do it automatically not only will it give more confidence and ease doing it, but you can learn other things faster.

I’ll give you an example. Let’s say you’re doing an Excel course. The facilitator will start with teaching you basic functions, things that are important in Excel. You  repeat them a dozen or so times until you become skilled. As a learner, it will give you the confidence, but it’ll also make you open and ready for new information without devoting more time to those functions. They’ll become automatic for you. You won’t have to think about them.

MM: One of the components of accelerated learning is the environment. Can you tell us more about it?

KG: The environment has a big impact on setting the scene for learning. Making learners relaxed, of course, not too relaxed so that they don’t fall asleep.

It is common to start training courses with the icebreakers. Strangers introduce themselves to the whole group. Instead of listening to others, they are thinking about what to say. And when they’ve said it, they compare themselves with others and wonder why they didn’t do well or why they did better than others. They don’t focus on getting to know people really, it’s a highly unnatural situation.

At Christmas, when you go to a party and meet a cousin you haven’t seen in a long time, and you know you’ll meet his family for the first time, does anyone stop spontaneous conversations and chit-chat and says: Ok, let’s do an icebreaker? No! And this exactly is a natural atmosphere. It’s the same in my training room. I hang up colourful posters and create a nice atmosphere. I say: introduce yourselves to one another if you like. Then, spontaneous conversations start. It’s a more natural, social method. But in the training room we expect ice-breakers. And where else are these used? Nowhere! Instead try a more natural way of doing introductions.

MM: You are writing a book on how not to waste money on learning. Can you share a few tips with us?

KG: This is exactly the essence of the first secret of accelerated learning. If you know what the organisation really wants, if you know how to increase the effectiveness of the learners then you won’t waste money. Sometimes someone comes to me and says they want a specific course or workshop. But when I listen carefully, it turns out that they want something different.

I’ve always thought that curiosity is an excellent tool to discover what the client really wants. Curiosity never leads to confrontation. It shows that you are interested in somebody, you care about them. That way you’re building good relations and trust. If somebody comes to me and talks about what they want , I listen carefully and start asking questions: That’s very interesting. Why do you want to do it right now? Why with this group of people? Has anything specific happened that you need that? I try to get to know the context. Sometimes the results are surprising. One organisation I worked for a few of years ago came to me with a list of courses. I started my investigations. It turned out they didn’t need a lot of what they asked for. I could have taken the money and done what they wanted. But I want to give people what they really need rather than give them what they think they need. Then, they don’t waste money and we all get satisfaction.

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