Do We Overthink Learning?

By: Justin Ferriman • October 5, 2016
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tips-imageBeing involved so heavily in the elearning industry means that I get to think quite a bit about how it is we learn and what works best.

I have written about many strategies and instruction design tactics of the years. Each one comes with merit touting studies backing-up their claims.

Every year there are new apps being released and trendy theories being applied to course creation. It is all very exciting and if you are a ‘learning nerd’ like me then you too love every bit of it.

As entertaining as all of these innovations can be I cannot help but to play “devil’s advocate” from time-to-time. Specifically, I found myself wondering if we are overthinking learning?

Could it be possible that what people are really interested in is the next big thing and not necessarily the fundamental component of learning: relaying (and absorbing) new information? Are we getting caught up in the theories of learning rather than the practical effectiveness of the learning content we deliver?

At the end of the day are we asking the one question that matters most: Can students understand and apply the lesson takeaways?

Yes, I know that these questions are rhetorical, but my personal belief is that they aren’t asked enough on a per-situation basis. Teachers need to assess their lesson plans, elearning developers should incorporate measurement tools, and workshops need to find ways to practice application.

In other words: let’s not lose sight of what really matters.

For the most part I think everyone involved in the learning industry stays on point. Consider this post just a friendly reminder to keep it up 🙂 .

Justin Ferriman

Justin started LearnDash, the WordPress LMS trusted by Fortune 500 companies, major universities, training organizations, and entrepreneurs worldwide. He is currently founder & CEO of GapScout. Justin’s Homepage | GapScout | Twitter