Carry On Learning - Laughter and Memory

I've recently had to attend some workshops on business skills. I learned best in the workshops where the facilitators were humourous. This made me curious about how I learn...so I've been reading more of my How the Brain Learns book (David Sousa). Here are a few laughter and learning facts:

- Laughing gets more oxygen into the bloodstream...oxygen is pure brain fuel.

- Laughing causes a surge in endorphins - these are the body's natural painkillers, and they give you a feeling of euphoria.

- Endorphins stimulate your brain's frontal lobes. This can lead to increased focus and attention span.

So laughing not only gives you a physical feel-good effect, it makes you feel better mentally.

Laughter also decreases stress, boosts your immune system and relaxes muscle tension.

I don't usually associate training or teaching with laughter. I'd say most people are the same. But I do know that my favourite teachers at school were the funny ones. Children like to laugh. School is boring. The funny teachers were popular.

I'm not an ideal training candidate. I'm not used to spending a day at a table, listening to other people's presentations. I get bored if the content is too familiar or badly presented...I need to get up and walk about, or sit on the floor, or 'get away' to focus myself...I need to eat something frequently - not just a biscuit with a coffee break - I mean I need chocolate and nuts and something to drink just about every hour...

So seeing how some trainers and presenters have managed to keep me engaged during all-day presentations has been interesting. And I've found that even if I can't get up and move around, eat or break away, I can still stay focussed if the trainers are funny.

Two trainers who made a great impact were a classic double act - Martin York and Peter Miller from G4H - a UK firm who specialise in sales and marketing execution.

Martin and Peter jokingly introduced themselves as Ant and Dec. Throughout their extremely well-polished workshop, they punctuated theory with insider anecdotes and humour.

I stayed engaged because I didn't want to miss the jokes or anecdotes, but the laughter meant the learning experience was powerful, positive and memorable. It also helped that their content was strong and concise.

And Aidan Harte of Optimum Results, Ireland was also good trainer. I'd a bad start to this workshop, having not had enough food and no nibbles with me. I then missed the mid-morning snack and ended up having to go until lunch without food...not good!

But Aidan's use of anecdotes and humour to underline points got us all laughing and bonding, contributing more stories and facts to the shared pool.

Laughter enhances Learning. Now where can I learn how to be funny?

Blood Flow and Learning

Did you know that when you sit down for more than 20 minutes your blood pools in your behind and feet?

If you get up and move around your blood recirculates, and inside a minute, your brain gets a hit of about 15% more blood. This helps you think.

So to learn better, we should get out of the seat and onto our feet...which is not necessarily good news for e-learning, which often requires physical inactivity in front of a PC.

I haven't seen any e-learning that incorporates physical movement into the learning experience (send me links if you know of anything!), but it's something I'd love to try out...particularly using mobile technologies.

Mobile Phones as Offensive Weapons

So Chris Keates, general secretary of teaching union NASUWT wants mobile phones banned from school premises because they're being used as 'offensive weapons'.

Now I understand that mobile phones can be used by students in the classroom for all the wrong reasons - for student and teacher bullying, for covert recordings of teacher performance (which can subsequently be shared on sites like bebo or youtube), for distraction, for cheating, or just for entertaining students bored out of their skulls.

And I do understand that today's hugely pressured teachers can do without the potential for harrassment, ridicule or attack that mobile phones can present. But to classify mobiles as 'offensive weapons' that should be banned from the classroom is just plain wrong.

When I was at school, pupils used pen and paper or chalk and a blackboard to effectively humiliate, bully or ridicule both staff and pupils. Nobody suggested banning these 'offensive weapons'.

Instead of demonising the mobile technologies that are changing the way today's pupils interact with the world they will have to work in, we should be exploring how mobile phones offer teachers and educationalists a fantastic way to connect with pupils. To deliver, create and receive content. To engage and challenge pupils.

Mobile phones are not potential weapons of mass destruction. Used wisely and used creatively, they are potential tools of mass education.

VideoJug - lots and lots of FREE online learning

VideoJug's tagline is 'Life Explained. On Film.' No small claims for this beta website then. But VideoJug do cover some of the basics, even if they don't quite constitute the "definitive online encyclopedia of life".

They've produced a jug-full of professionally-produced, high definition video content, covering everything from leisure, beauty, and style right through to health, money, and my favourite - DIY. It's kind-of a youtube for 'How do I do this thing?'

The videos are a mix of informative "How To" and "Ask The Expert" clips that take users through what VideoJug's experts think they need to know, step-by-step. I've been through quite a few of them...from the 'How to Ace a Job Interview' and 'Epilepsy Basics' through to 'How to Get a Last-minute Date for Valentine's Day'. Some of the content is good, informative and simple. It is always basic. Text captions reinforce important points. The experts range from the energised career empowerment lady to the Ross-From-Friends clone who talks about epilepsy. And himself.

But all this content is free (apart from the Google ads sprinkled around the place, of course). And there is user-generated content as well - but VideoJug are quick to say that all UGC is carefully screened and accepted. I didn't manage to find any UGC apart from some obscure DIY practices.

Anyway. VideoJug. Free online video learning on a scale we didn't imagine 5 years ago, with our narrowband restrictions and libraries locked up tight in LMSs...so get in there and have a nosey.