Avoid the curse of knowledge.


In the cognitive bias section, you may have found another bias, the ‘curse of knowledge’, which particularly affects us as trainers.

In training, how can we avoid saturating our learners' ability to process new information?
As trainers or designers, we are confronted with the curse of knowledge. We are victims of our own illusion that we can pass on all our expertise, and that learners will understand and memorise everything.
The curse of knowledge is a cognitive bias that occurs when a person communicates with others, and unconsciously assumes that others can understand everything they are told.
In learning situations, the curse of knowledge leads experts to adopt pedagogical approaches centred on expertise, rather than an approach centred on learners and their learning abilities.
For example, we find it difficult to teach novices because we can't remember, or only with difficulty, the difficulties we experienced when we were beginners ourselves.
The curse of knowledge also leads us to believe that simplifying content means losing richness and finesse.
Typically, we simplify training content by cutting it down to size and omitting certain concepts. This is still a skills-based approach.
Whereas, according to an approach centred on learning capacities, simplifying content consists above all in making it more digestible for the brain, and more memorable for learners.

 How can I capture and hold the attention of my trainees?

- Diversify teaching methods
- Diversify the media used
- Get the trainees moving
- Use 2-minute micro-pauses
Well, the first 2 points are no surprise. Let's come back to the next 2
Get the trainees moving. When a session is a bit long or arduous (I'm talking about 1h-1h30 before the break), it can be useful to get the trainees to move around together for a fun activity lasting a few minutes (3-5mn). This will allow everyone to reconnect when the course resumes.
In the same way, taking 2-minute breaks at least between the main breaks, where the trainees are asked to close their eyes, or to stretch their legs on the spot, and to let their attention go where they wish, etc. (but not to look at their phones, see above) will have a similar impact. The learners' attentional reservoir can refill. During these ‘micro-pauses’, they can let their minds wander and this requires no effort.
These 2 elements enable a collective reconnection of attention, as well as the transition during these few minutes from a brain in concentrated mode to a brain in diffuse mode , the benefits of which we will see later.
But attention is only the first step. The information captured with attention must then be processed by the working memory.

 

 


So that my presentation materials have an impact…
Now, we all know how to make Power Point presentations (even if I personally prefer Prezi). We know that they have to be synthetic and visual.
Except that... a little video summary never hurts...


 


3 ways to consolidate the day's learning

 As well as consolidating important learning, sleep also allows us to forget less important information during the deep slow wave sleep phase. This forgetfulness is just as important, because it means that we wake up ready to learn new things.
- Plan specific teaching methods for training courses lasting several days, with feedback spaced out over the duration of the course.
- Reactivate the key messages at the end of the training day so that they are anchored in the night that follows. For example, ending the day with a quiz on the key points of the day can help to anchor them during sleep.
- Make participants aware of the benefits of sleep in consolidating learning, and even invite them to repeat the learning in the evening before going to sleep.
- If a participant sleeps during a training session, we can't be sure that they are learning! At best, they are consolidating their learning!