Over the last 25 years an increasing revolution has been happening in the techniques used for studying and learning - no more so than within the area of conceptual and complex study such as IT training.
Research and development has greatly focused on the parts of the brain that are used to comprehend new ideas, and more importantly retain them long-term. This research has culminated in the study strategy that looks to map learning with known brain functions. The result is learning and training methodology that is more tailored to the individual person, and more flexible in its approach than techniques that have been traditionally adopted.
Gone are the days of studying at a desk from nine till five, and learning by rote in a busy classroom environment. Gone are the educational processes more commonly associated with Charles Dickens' lifetime. In their place come new innovative techniques and forums involving the internet and remote technological training facilities. Now students can decide when and where they study depending on how they actually feel; within their very own training programme, instead of a scheduled methodology arbitrarily set by a third party.
Incredible results have been seen with this formula in both the increase in development and ultimately in the results achieved by students themselves. Countries where there's a barrier between the source of education and the student - whether it's natural or geographical - have seen an increasing dependence on remote education systems. Both New Zealand and Sweden, for example, have used teleconferencing techniques to deliver high quality instructor training directly to remote students in their homes. Both have experienced increasing results - certainly more so than the average performance worldwide.
USAF (the US Air Force) have conducted long term studies centering on the question - "When is the student most proficient at studying?" Comparative studies have also been undertaken by the US American Football Association. Whilst all the studies accept the individuality of students based on their personal circumstances and factors, a number of clear similarities have emerged. New and powerful training techniques have subsequently been adopted due to the benefits realised.
One of the initial findings was the fact that during the morning period (or when the person awakes from sleep - obviously different if you work nights to days), the functions of the brain are mainly focused on survival. Those parts of the brain working most effectively deal with centering the individual within their location, acknowledging the temperature of the day and so on. This part of the brain that's dominant (as it were) at this time is closely linked to short term memory.
As the 'day' develops, there's a cross-over in dominance within the brain. The survival - or short-term memory - settles down, and the long-term memory functions become more powerful. This is probably as the student begins to realise that they're no longer likely to be eaten by a sabre tooth tiger! On average this process begins around 11am, and settles at 2pm in the afternoon - again assuming we're dealing with a Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm working cycle. At about 2pm in the afternoon the functions of the brain are closely linked to long-term memory retention. It's around this point that both the USAF and the US American Football Association have had the most success in teaching their pupils complex manoeuvres, whether these are dog fighting skills, low level flying skills or complex set team pieces on the football field.
This knowledge has successfully been incorporated into a wide arena of other disciplines and industry sectors. Some UK companies have successfully adopted this philosophy into their IT training systems. In this way, students have access to the highest quality of tutor resource on a 24/7 basis. Training exists that allows students to pick and choose when and where they study, so that they can discover their very own 2pm 'sweet spot' and select the best environment to stimulate the long term memory function of the brain.
Traditional educational models are by their very nature difficult to adjust and more restrictive. However, there's good evidence of a move away from these educational structures, including a reliance upon pens and paper, and the summation of an individuals knowledge into one single exam - as the evidence has exposed that not everybody shines in a pure exam environment, and the question as to the timing of the exam may help some students more than others.
With an ever larger route to information and the fountain from which we drink new ideas, we're seeing more personalised training programmes taking over as the norm. People are looking for the methods, times of day and source of material that best suits their budget, their lifestyle and their aspirations. Whether this is via an individual approach or through a formalised training programme, ultimately the intention is to have the facility to achieve more. Initial indicators suggest that this indeed is the result.
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