2020 has been a year of great challenge so far with huge impact in every aspect of life as we know it. Much attention has been focussed on the actual and potential losses. At the same time there is the question of how to mitigate loss and recover ground or create opportunity out of challenge.

It takes an evolved mind to be able to see opportunity in adversity,  yet if we are to survive and thrive once again it is essential that we encourage and train ourselves to do so.

As the UK announces further lock down measures today I want to share one of the key skills I picked up by way of opportunity in adversity, which had a great knock on effect for me and has even more relevance right now. 

That skill is accelerated learning. So this article is specifically for those who are catching up on study,  parents who have opted to do homeschooling with their children or professionals who need to acquire knowledge to advance or change careers.

Accelerated Learning is a skill I wish I had acquired long before I came across it in 2001 as it not only made the whole process of learning more enjoyable but I was also able to get better results in less time. The context for my learning was in the aftermath of great tragedy and loss. I was nursing at the time in psychiatry which involved long and erratic hours of shift work.

Ironically it was the first acquired skillset which opened up possibilities for my life because I did not know this skill existed let alone that it could increase my learning capacity. If I could change my learning story, what else could I change?

It also made me feel angry in truth, as I wondered why this had not been part of mainstream education, which seemed to focus on learning topics rather than underpinning them with the skill of learning.

Far few people would suffer stress in education and more would go for their desired career rather than what their learning performance was feeding back by traditional practices. It made me question much of what is passed down to us in the name of education, truth and success. 

Accelerated learning was the skill which gave me the clarity and confidence to transition from employment to pursue a new entrepreneurial path and in 2001 I applied it as part of my coaching qualification. 

It was not the 86% pass mark which impressed me so much, although that was great.  It was the fact that I was able to cut my learning time in half, and the learning felt more effortless. This meant more to me because I was studying while maintaining my nursing career, which involved long unsocial hours.

I was so thrilled with the results that I started to spread the word to others and then made it one of my coaching specialities. Although I did not invent the concept I distilled everything I learnt into my own streamlined course.

I was able to help my nephew pass his school exams while greatly reducing the stress he was feeling. Later he was to come top of his 5 day residential police training with 95% by applying accelerated learning.

The most common feedback I received when helping others was how the process became more effortless. This has a natural knock on effect for confidence and performance when it comes to exams. It was a constant thrill to see the light come on as individuals broke free from the stress of learning, and became confident and competent learners.

This skill can have a significant impact for you as it did for me, especially now that with the global event playing out many more are turning to homeschooling and looking to acquire new skills which will enable them to work online or in a different career. 

Accelerated learning is a skill that will give you the confidence to make and navigate those life changes, especially when you apply it in a systematic way.

So what is accelerated learning?  Accelerated learning is a name given to a process which aligns with how the brain learns and therefore makes learning more enjoyable and less stressful.  When learning is properly aligned with how the brain learns, clarity of learning breeds confidence and competence in the learner.  This impacts productivity and performance.

In the 80’s when the airline TWA existed before its later acquisition by American Airlines post 2001, several pilots were put through their standard training using traditional taught methods and then accelerated learning. The difference in exam results was significant. The average 70% pass mark upgraded to an average of 100%.

Many more examples of significant results are documented in The Learning Organisation by G Dryden and Dr J Vos. This book was a non fiction best seller when it came out with over 10million sales.

The system of accelerated learning revolves around the resolution of 6 key learning problems. Here are 6 core reasons why many struggle with their learning.

1. Poor preparation.  You may be familiar with the phrase that failure to plan is effectively planning to fail. It is one thing to agree with that, yet another to know how to to plan to redress this. The human brain has an optimal state for learning and that is when it is in a relaxed and aware state. 

The challenge is that most people approach their learning in a relative state of tension and anxiety. The brain then acts like a colander to water. Information goes in and a huge amount gets leaked out. When this gap is plugged it can hold input much better and set you up for learning success.

2. Poor receptivity. The brain processes information largely through its five senses. However we tend to use the sense that aligns with how things are being taught rather than playing to our dominant or preferred sense of processing information.  So if information is presented in text only we will take it in through eyesight and reading ability.  

Only one receptor point is being used here which also narrows the intake of information. The expansion and utilisation of more senses starting with an individual’s preferred one will increase absorption and receptivity of information.

3. Poor assimilation. Assimilation is to do with the digestion of knowledge. it has been well documented that we have a suite of 7 to 12 different intelligence centres within us to aid assimilation of knowledge. At best we use two or three of these resources. The internalisation and understanding of knowledge gets impeded. The redress lies in invoking more of our intelligence centres for better comprehension.

4. Poor use of memory. Note I did not say poor memory. It is a myth that some people have better memories than others. I have come to understand that this is not true. Unless you have a disability or a clinical issue with the brain, your memory is not the issue. The way that  memory is used is what causes poor memory to occur. The key is to train the brain to select, encode and recall the information we wish to remember.

5. Failure to test properly.  Too often the first test of knowledge comes nearer to exam time and is therefore accompanied by increasing tension. This can filter out learning performance.  

The key to offset this is to incorporate fun tests and life simulations much early on so that a learner can become clear on what knowledge he or she is confident in and what needs further work.  The same applies to the skill of learning. This stage of the accelerated learning cycle allows you to address both knowledge and skilled learning gaps together.

6. Failure to evaluate learning performance. In traditional learning this rarely takes place and the solution to identified gaps is usually met with the instruction to spend more time and do more practice papers. This is not enough.  When you develop the skill of learning you are better placed to apply knowledge, so any evaluation needs to address the skill of learning and not just the knowledge gap

This system of accelerated learning allowed me and countless others to change their learning story and their achievements. Here is what one of my clients had to say. Her starting point was fear of maths which stopped her passing a maths literacy exam as part of nurse training until she engaged with this system successfully.

Back then I was teaching accelerated learning using manual live formats. Since then I have put it all together in an online format so that you can change your learning experience and achieve more.

At a time when more people are going online, turning to homeschooling or considering a career change, this essential skill can impart confidence in yourself and your future. Lockdown provides an opportunity to unlock an essential new skill.

Awaken Your Learning Genius is designed to prepare you for learning success, increase your receptivity and capacity to take in and assimilate knowledge, while improving your memory and increasing your learning productivity and performance.

If you would love to be able to impart a valuable skill to your children to aid their learning, or for yourself, or both, then go over to the following link for the course details. It is in english and is for 14yrs +, but as a parent when you understand how this works you can apply and adjust the principles for younger ones.

CLICK HERE

As I write this the UK is going into further lockdown restrictions. While I have reduced the price during this season,  if you are a member of Markethive and wish to be able to purchase this but still cannot quite afford it, do reach out to me by private message, and I will do my best to help as many as possible during this time.

Anita Narayan