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Key takeaways

Created by ChatpGPT

• Growth mindset is essential: Believing in the ability to learn and grow is crucial for success, as highlighted by research into fixed vs. growth mindsets.
  
• Learning environments matter: Effective learning is less about direct instruction and more about creating environments conducive to engagement and growth, as demonstrated by Steve Wheeler’s teaching philosophy.
  
• Neuroscience’s potential and Limits: While neuroscience offers valuable insights (e.g., memory, pattern recognition), its direct application to educational practices requires a balanced, multidisciplinary approach.
  
• Personalised learning is key: Individual differences in how people learn emphasise the importance of tailoring learning experiences, leveraging adaptive technologies and insights into brain-friendly strategies.
  
• Connection enhances learning: Learning is most effective when it includes collaboration, shared experiences, and emotional support, moving beyond isolated information delivery.
  
• Alignment with business goals: Modern L&D must be closely tied to organisational objectives, demonstrating impact through measurable outcomes like productivity and innovation.
  
• Technology as a learning enabler: Tools like Notebook LM and adaptive learning technologies can synthesise information, personalise content, and drive innovation in training approaches.

Podcast summary:

Created by ChatpGPT

This podcast episode explores innovative approaches to learning and development (L&D), blending insights from training practices, neuroscience, and emerging technologies. The host begins by introducing Notebook LM, a tool that uses AI to synthesise documents into conversational and analytical insights. To demonstrate, they upload articles from a 2018 Training Journal issue and recent neuroscience papers, leading to a reflective discussion.

Key topics include Steve Wheeler’s progressive teaching philosophy, emphasising environments for learning rather than direct instruction, and a humorous anecdote of him meeting Steve Wozniak. Another article by Ed Chacksfield highlights the role of mindset in performance, drawing on Carol Dweck’s research into fixed and growth mindsets, underlining the power of beliefs in shaping success.

The conversation shifts to neuroscience’s potential impact on L&D. While some researchers, like Dorothy Bishop, caution against overestimating its applicability, others highlight successful applications, particularly in reading and maths. This underscores the need for a balanced, multidisciplinary approach, recognising the brain’s complexity and individual variability in learning.

The podcast also revisits the 2018 Global Sentiment Survey, which forecasted trends like personalised learning and alignment of L&D with business goals. These priorities remain relevant, reflecting the shift towards adaptive, tailored learning experiences supported by technology.

Overall, the episode emphasises a holistic approach to learning, integrating mindset, environment, and neuroscience. It champions growth mindsets and personalised strategies to empower learners and align L&D with organisational objectives, highlighting an exciting future for the field.

Links from the podcast:

Notebook LM⁠⁠

Neuroscience and the learning brain: Is there a better way?⁠⁠

Using neuroscience in learning⁠

⁠Training Journal magazine January 2018

Thanks to ⁠TechSmith⁠ for providing Camtasia and Audiate for editing.

Transcript:

Created by TechSmith Audiate

Jo Cook: This episode is a little bit different. You’ve probably heard of notebook LM You can upload documents put in hyperlinks to websites, and basically set up your own small LM language model You can train notebook on all sorts of things to do with your own organization really simply really easily, ask it questions get summaries and you’ve probably heard, get a podcast too. So I thought let’s have fun with that. I did experiment I created one from an old magazine of Training Journal really good half an hour of good conversation about the magazine, but I thought let’s bring it up to date a bit. So what I’ve done is I’ve uploaded the January 2018 issue of training journal.

It interviews Steve Wheeler We’ve got Donald H Taylor talking about his global sentiment survey but obviously what’s gonna be twenty eighteen, and there’s other stuff on things like critical thinking and so on. What I also did is then upload two more recent neuroscience articles from the training journal website and asked notebook LM to base compare contrast and talk through what’s going on in a magazine and those articles. So this is what you’re gonna hear and I’d love to know what you think.

Notebook LM transcription of two people starts here

Okay So to kick things off let’s talk about Steve Wheeler. Oh interesting guy Yeah His story’s in one of the magazine articles He’s been in the training industry for ages.

Started back in the eighties Wow Yeah. And get this. He was training student nurses to use computers way back them That’s pretty forward thinking for the time Right And it all stemmed from his fascination with technology. It’s amazing how those early interests can shape a whole career It really is And what I find inspiring about Steve is his philosophy on teaching Oh yeah. What’s that He has this belief that I can never teach anyone anything, but I can create the environments and opportunities in which students will learn…

That’s profound. It really makes you think about the role of the educator doesn’t it It’s less about imparting knowledge and more about creating the right conditions for learning to happen. Makes you think about my own experiences as a learner. Some environments just seem to click you know You feel more engaged more receptive Absolutely. And it’s not just about the physical space It’s about the culture the relationships the overall vibe.

Totally. Okay So the article also shares this funny anecdote about Steve Oh yeah. He meets his tech hero Steve Wozniak. No way Yeah. And of all things he’s got a Samsung phone at the time.

Oh the irony Right Even the pioneers have their fanboy moments I guess What makes them more human I think Totally. Okay So moving on from Steve’s journey there’s another great article in the same issue of the magazine. It’s by Ed Chaxfield, And it’s called I do believe Ketchy Title. Right. And the article itself is all about the performance equation, but with a twist.

He emphasizes the role of psychology and attitude That’s often overlooked as an Totally. He argues that even if you have all the skills and knowledge, your mindset can make or break you Which is where the fixed mindset versus growth mindset comes in Exactly So Jacksfield draws on the work of Carol Duck who’s done a ton of research on this. People with fixed mindsets believe that talent is inherent. You’re either born with it or you’re not Whereas those with growth mindsets believe that abilities can be developed through hard work and learning Exactly And it’s not just about believing it Those mindsets actually impact how people approach challenges and even how they perceive feedback. Fascinating stuff It really highlights the power of our beliefs If you believe you can’t do something you’re probably right It’s a self fulfilling prophecy.

Yeah But the flip side is also true If you believe you can learn and grow you open yourself up to so many possibilities And Chacksfield argues that this is crucial for success in any field not just learning and development. Okay So we’ve got these two articles from the magazine. Both highlighting the importance of environment and mindset in learning. Now let’s shift gears a bit and bring in the perspective of neuroscience. Alright Time for some brain science Exactly.

We’ve got these two academic articles that delve into how our brains actually learn And it’ll be interesting to see how those scientific findings align with or maybe even challenge the more practical perspectives we’ve just discussed What do you think I’m excited to dive in Me too Let’s see what these neuroscientists have to say. But before we jump into the brain stuff let’s talk about one more article from the magazine Okay. It’s called fulfilling great expectations. And it focuses on a pretty big challenge, preparing young people, for the workforce Yeah I’ve heard a lot about that There’s a growing concern that many young people are leaving education…

without the essential workplace skills that employers are looking for Which creates a big headache for companies learning and development efforts Right? Exactly. They’re having to pick up the slack essentially. But the article offers a potential solution. The Gasby Benchmarks.

Interesting I haven’t heard of those There are framework for schools and colleges to enhance their career guidance and preparation programs. So the idea is to bridge that gap between education and the workplace Makes sense So what do these gaps be benchmarks actually involve? Well they seem to emphasize a more practical digital approach, which aligns with how generation z prefers to learn Yep Digital natives Right Exactly. They’re all about bite sized learning experiences. Makes you wonder if that’s becoming the preferred way to learn for everyone not just gen z in today’s fast paced world It’s an interesting thought Okay So we’ve talked about practical approaches, mindset, and now this challenge of preparing young people for the workforce.

I think we’re ready for some brain science now Alright Let’s do it So we’ve got these two neuroscience articles, and they’re both tackling a pretty fundamental question. Can neuroscience really inform and improve learning and development practices And do they agree on the answer Well that’s where things get interesting. They offer some different perspectives on this. So in one article we have Dorothy Bishop She’s a prominent neuro and she’s pretty sceptical. Sceptical about what About the direct applicability of brain research to educational practices.

You know just knowing which parts of the brain light up during a task doesn’t automatically tell us how to design better learning experiences I see her point Right Like knowing where something happens in the brain isn’t the same as understanding it how to make it happen better Makes sense. So what about the other article Is it more optimistic about the role of neuroscience? It is The second article takes a more positive stance. It cites some examples of how neuroscience research has actually led to some successful educational interventions. Oh cool Like what Particularly in areas like reading and math.

There are specific strategies and techniques that have emerged from brain research that have been shown to be effective in helping kids learn So it’s not all just theoretical. Not at all There are real world applications. And that’s what makes this debate so fascinating. On one hand we have the immense potential of neuroscience to unlock the secrets of how we learn. You could revolutionize L and D Right Absolutely.

But on the other hand we have to be careful not to oversimplify things Right Like we can’t just take a brain scan and say uh-huh. Now we know exactly how to teach this concept The brain is incredibly complex, and learning is influenced by so many factors beyond just what’s happening in our neurons Like our emotions our social interactions, our past experiences exactly It’s a whole intricate web. So while neuroscience can offer these amazing insights, we need to take a balanced approach. We need to consider the contributions of other fields like psychology sociology The educational psychology instructional design Right All these fields have something valuable to contribute to our understanding of learning It’s like putting together a puzzle Each piece contributes to the bigger picture. I love that analogy And I think it’s important to remember even this sceptical article acknowledging that neuroscience has made some valuable contributions oh yeah Like what Well for example understanding how the brain processes information, how memory works the role of emotions and learning these are all things that neuroscience has helped us understand better Okay So it’s not like neuroscience has nothing to offer.

It’s just that we need to be cautious about how we apply those findings Exactly We can’t just take a brain scan and say uh-huh. Now we know exactly how to teach this concept The brain is way too complex for that Plus learning isn’t just about what happens in our brains Right It’s influenced by so many other things And I think that’s where a more holistic approach to L and D comes in We need to consider the whole person, not just their brain. Makes sense Yeah So how can we actually bridge that gap between the fascinating brain science and the real world practice of learning and development Well one of the neuroscience articles actually touches upon this It talks about the idea of individual variability in learning Meaning what That not everyone learns the same way Exactly. The article points out that everyone’s brain is wired a bit differently shaped by our unique experiences and predispositions. So there’s no one size fits all approach to learning Right And that’s why personalized learning experiences are becoming so crucial.

If we can understand the individual needs and learning preferences of each person, we can create much more effective learning journeys. Yeah Instead of trying to fit everyone into the same mold, we need to recognize those individual differences and adapt our approaches accordingly. And I think that’s where neuroscience can actually be helpful. By understanding the underlying neural mechanisms involved in learning, we might be able to develop strategies that are more universally effective across a wider range of learners So it’s like finding those common threads that run through all of our brains despite the individual variations Exactly Like for example neuroscience research has shown that our brains are constantly searching for patterns and making connections. It’s how we make sense of the world.

So when we learn something new, our brains are trying to fit that new information into our existing knowledge frameworks connecting it to things we already understand Precisely. And that’s a principle we can leverage when designing learning materials. We can present information in a way that facilitates those connections, making it easier for learners to grasp new concepts it’s not just about presenting the information but presenting it in a way that’s brain friendly so to speak Exactly. This might involve things like chunking information into manageable pieces, using visuals and storytelling to make the material more memorable, and encouraging activities that promote active recall and retrieval of information. So we’re basically tapping into how our brains are naturally wired to learn Exactly.

And it goes beyond just delivering information more effectively. Neuroscience can also help us understand the importance of factors like sleep exercise and stress management for optimal learning. Right We often forget about those things but Yeah They have a huge impact on our cognitive function Absolutely. So as we learn more that brain body connection we can start incorporating those insights into our L and D practices. It’s like a more holistic approach to learning considering not only the mind but also the physical and emotional well-being of the learner Exactly.

And that’s what makes this exploration of neuroscience so fast it’s pushing us beyond a purely instructional view of learning towards a much richer understanding of how people learn grow and truly thrive. It’s like we’re moving from simply teaching to truly empowering individuals to unlock their full potential And I think that shift in perspective is really important Now I know we’ve been deep in the brain science for a while now but do you mind if we circle back to the magazine for a moment Sure. What did you wanna revisit Well I was thinking about that twenty eighteen L and D global sentiment survey we discussed earlier. You know the one that highlighted the trends toward personalized learning and aligning L and D with business goal Oh yeah Those were some pretty forward thinking trends for back then Exactly And I think it’s fascinating to see how those early insights have continued to shape the field And how they connect with what we’re learning from neuroscience. It’s like everything’s starting to come together It really is So thinking back to that survey one of the things that mentioned was a shift away from collaborative learning toward more personalized and adaptive learning experiences so even back then, there was a recognition that learning needed to become more tailored to individual needs and preferences.

Exactly And this trend was driven by a couple of things. First the increasing availability of technology and data which made it possible to create those customized learning pathways. And second a growing understanding of how people learn best which neuroscience is definitely contributing to So it’s not just about catering to individual learning styles? No Not at all It’s much more nuanced than that It’s about recognizing that people learn at different paces They different starting points different strengths and weaknesses And effective learning experiences need to take all of those differences into account Precisely we can’t assume that everyone will learn the same material at the same rate or in the same way. So those adaptive learning technologies the ones that can adjust the pace and content based on individual progress.

They’re becoming more and more sophisticated and I think they hold a lot of promise Makes sense It’s all about creating a learning journey that’s truly unique to each individual. Exactly. Recognizing their strengths addressing their areas for growth and providing them with the support and resources they need to succeed. That’s where the real power of personalized learning lies in my opinion It’s about empowering individuals to take ownership of their own learning. Absolutely.

And speaking of empowerment, the magazine also highlighted the growing importance of aligning L and D initiatives with business schools even back in twenty eighteen So it wasn’t just about learning for the sake of learning but about making sure that learning translated into tangible results Exactly. And that emphasis has only grown stronger in recent years. In today’s competitive business landscape organizations are realizing that learning and development are not just nice to haves, but essential strategic investment it It’s not just about training employees to do their current jobs better but about equipping them with the skills and knowledge they’ll need to adapt to future challenges, to innovate, to drive business growth Precisely. And this means L and D initiatives need to be closely aligned with overall strategic goals of the organization. So no more siloed learning programs that don’t connect to the bigger picture Right.

L and D needs to be a strategic partner, helping the organization achieve its goals So we’re talking about moving beyond simply tracking the number of training hours completed. And focusing on the actual impact of learning Exactly How is learning impacting productivity? Innovation, customer satisfaction those are the metrics that matter It’s about demonstrating the return on investment of L and D. Showing how learning is actually driving business value And when you can show that it makes it much easier to get buy in from leadership and to secure the resources you need for L and D programs. So as we reflect on these trends from twenty eighteen and connect them to what we’ve been learning about neuroscience.

It seems like there’s a clear convergence happening Definitely. We’re seeing a shift towards more personalized brain friendly and business aligned learning experiences…

It’s a really exciting time to be in the field It is And with all these advancements in technology and our understanding of how people learn, who knows what the future holds for L and T The possibilities are endless. So we’ve covered a lot of ground in this deep dive. We’ve explored practical insights from the training industry, delved into the fascinating world of neuroscience And even taking a little trip back in time to see what trends were emerging back in twenty eighteen Exactly. What are your biggest takeaways from all of this? That’s a great question…

I think what strikes me most is the convergence of these different perspectives. You know we’ve got practitioners out there in the field tackling real world challenges, And then we have researchers in the labs uncovering these amazing insights about how our brains work And somewhere in the middle, we have all of us trying to figure out how to learn and grow more effectively Exactly And what’s becoming increasingly clear is that Learning isn’t just about absorbing information. It’s about mindset it’s about environment it’s about connecting with others It’s about understanding how our brains were wired, but also recognizing that each brain is unique. It’s complex. But it’s also incredibly fascinating It really is And I think that sense of fascination is what keeps us coming back for more both as learners and as L and D professionals.

Totally. So for someone listening to this trying to make sense of it all, What’s one key takeaway you’d want them to walk away with I’d say it’s the power of a growth mindset. Truly believing that you can learn and grow that you’re not limited by your current abilities. That’s so essential for success not just in learning but in life. I love that And for me I think it’s the importance of connection Learning doesn’t happen in isolation.

We need to connect with others share our experiences, support each other That’s where the real magic happens Absolutely. It’s been a pleasure exploring these ideas with you Likewise. And to our listeners thank you for joining us on this deep dive into the world of learning and development. We hope you found it insightful, thought provoking And maybe even a little bit inspiring. Keep those minds engaged and never stop learning…

Notebook LM transcription ends here

Jo Cook: I think it’s absolutely amazing what the technology can do now and I found actually this was quite listenable too It’s really interesting It synthesized information. So I’d like to know from you on LinkedIn you want more of this from training journal. Thanks for listening That’s all for now TJ’s…

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