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Patricia Furstenberg, Writer of Historical Fiction, Children's Books - Travel via Stories

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The Six Principles That Move Mind, Brain, Education, MBE - Patricia Furstenberg, Writer of Historical Fiction, Children’s Books

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The Six Principles That Move Mind, Brain, Education, MBE, ITSI SA. Education, the limits of the human brain. What are the limits of the human brain? How do we learn best? How can we aid and support our children in reaching their full potential as students? Throughout the centuries, great teachers have been guided by

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As adult learners now make up the majority of U.S. students, it is more important than ever for educators who administer and teach in post-traditional programs to understand how the adult brain learns. This article examines the science of how the adult brain learns and offers suggestions for faculty in post-traditional programs to capitalize on this knowledge and maximize the effectiveness of their teaching. Both theoretical underpinnings and practical tips for brain-based teaching are offered

When I speak on this topic, as I frequently do, I almost always begin by asking my audience members, "How many of you in here genuinely care that your students learn?" I typically get a gentle wave of laughter and a sea of raised hands in response. Of course, we care that our students learn; that's why we do what we do! But how do we know learning is actually taking place? Many instructors simply do what they have done for years, or they do what feels right, or they choose an activity that they read about or saw somewhere. But if we genuinely care that our students learn, then it behooves us to make informed choices about our instructional strategies so we can rest assured learning is taking place.

I will elucidate on some of what we know about how the adult brain learns, through examination of one of the most intriguing concepts from the field of neuroandragogy, an emerging field born from the intersection of neuroscience and andragogy, a term popularized by Malcolm Knowles, the influential theorist of adult education whose book The Modern Practice of Adult Education still serves as a seminal text for educators. I will provide an illustrative example of the application of this knowledge to teaching practice. The science and the tips offered in this piece are applicable to both on-campus and online learning.
Andragogy
Most teachers of adult learners are likely familiar with Knowles's theory of andragogy by now. For those who aren't, the theory can be summarized in 5 simple words: adults learn differently than children. That is why Knowles employs the term andragogy for adults, as opposed to the term pedagogy, which applies to the learning of children. The Greek root "andra" means "man," or for Knowles's purpose, "adult," while the root "agogos" means "leading of." Andragogy, then, has to do with the leading or education of adults. This demarcation is present even between adults and young adults. Most cognitive scientists mark the "adult brain" as beginning at or around age 23-past the age of the traditional college student. Thus, if you teach adults in the same manner you do, have, or would teach traditional-age students, it is highly likely that learning is not, in fact, taking place.

More specifically, Knowles's andragogical theory is comprised of six principles:

1. Adults are self-directed learners

2. Adults accumulate experience that becomes an increasingly rich resource for learning

3. Readiness to learn is related to social roles

4. Adults want immediate application of knowledge (problem-centered orientation)

5. Adults tend to be internally motivated

6. Adults need to know the reason or learning something

Although all six of these principles are important, the second principle of prior experience is the one around which this article centers. The neuroandragogical concepts explained here support and illustrate Knowles's assumption that a learner's ever-growing reservoir of experience is a rich resource for learning.
Neuroandragogy
Neuroandragogy is a relatively new field that examines the intersection of neuroscience-how the brain works-and andragogy-the field of adult learning. According to Clive Wilson, author of No One is Too Old to Learn, "neuroandragogy investigates the rigorous research of scholars in brain studies, the scientific investigation of adult learning, and the evaluation of adult intelligence. Neuroandragogy is both the anatomical and physiological study of the adult brain and the cognitive functions of the systems of the brain that participate in intelligence, memory, recall, and learning" (2006, 3). Neuroandragogy is important to anyone who teaches adults because it focuses in particular on the function of and impact to the adult brain during the process of learning.

With a perfunctory understanding of andragogy and neuroandragogy, let us now examine the science of how the brain actually learns. I will then offer tips for maximizing this knowledge toward better teacher practice.
How the Brain Learns
The brain is comprised of 100 billion neurons, or brain cells. These cells contain nuclei, which make enzymes, proteins, and neurotransmitters-all of which are critical for the nerve cells in the brain to communicate with one another. Neurons have a single axon, which is a long tube that sends electrical impulses-called action potentials-to other cells. And neurons also have dendrites, which are more complicated structures (imagine little hands), which receive electrical impulses from the axon terminals of other neurons. A synapse is the specialized site at which that communication happens. All of these things together form what's called a neuronal network (Zull, 2002).

The most fascinating thing about the formation of a neuronal network is that each one represents a physical change in the brain. Each time we learn something new-not each time we encounter something new, but rather each time learning actually takes place through a synaptic connection-a new tiny "branch" forms in our brain. But this physical transformation can only take place by connecting new stimuli (information) to an existing neuron-hence the importance of connecting to prior experience in our learners. The process of learning is literally the physical act of growing our existing neuronal networks.

One can use myriad analogies to describe the brain, but for now, let's imagine the brain as a comprised of millions of tiny little storage cubbies-like the kind you used to store your mittens and toothbrush in in kindergarten. Each time we attend to a new stimulus, our brain processes the signal coming from that stimulus by comparing it immediately to the contents of those millions of cubbies to ask-as Taylor and Marienau put it: "How is this experience like what I already know?" (2016, p. 55). When the brain finds a connection to something we already know-something that exists in one of our storage cubbies-the brain processes that stimuli with a higher, stronger signal, which increases the likelihood that those fingerlike dendrites grab onto that stimulus and hold it. When our brain finds little connection between the stimulus and what we already know, the signal weakens, and little or no connection is made-in other words, no learning takes place.

Thus, to understand how the brain learns is to understand that teachers, trainers, and facilitators simply must find some way to connect new information to something the learner already knows. Without that connection, learning is simply not taking place.
Enriched environments
All of the information about the brain I've shared up to now is related to the notion that the adult brain has plasticity, which means that as long as it is stimulated, it is possible to continue to grow-to build new connections; in fact, Feyler (as cited in Wilson, 2006) specifically defines plasticity as the capacity for the brain to grow. But, as Taylor and Marienau (2016) point out, the role of plasticity vis-à-vis prior experience is more important that just growth; plasticity's critical role is in allowing the brain to adapt and change over time based on learning that comes from new experiences. Plasticity means that the connections made in the brain are "adapted, elaborated, and organized as new experiences strengthen or weaken existing synapses" (Taylor & Marienau, 2016, p. 28). In other words, there is a direct relationship between plasticity and prior experience. In fact, Ebner (1996) suggests that learning is defined as the direct result of experience combined with the storing of new information, and Turkington (as cited in Wilson, 2006) suggests that enriched environments have a critical effect on plasticity.

The most impactful way to leverage this relationship between prior experience and plasticity is to place the learner in an enriched environment-that is, one with multiple types of stimuli. Again, there is science behind these assertions. Turkish researchers Ozel et al. (2008) note that each stimulant coming from an environment increases the number of dendrites and, thus, the likelihood of a synaptic connection between the axon and dendrite. In other words, creating enriched environments increases the biochemical likelihood of the creation of a new neuronal network. Numerous research studies have found that mice placed or living in enriched environments (e.g., environments with water mazes, platforms, tunnels, multiple toys, wheels, etc.) saw positive impacts on various cognitive functions-e.g., increased spatial acquisition and retention, increased behavioral flexibility, increased long-term memory, and fewer errors on learning tests (Frick et al., 2003; Garthe, Roeder & Kempermann, 2016; Yuan et al., 2012). Wilson (2011) reports that similar results are now being found in adults age 50-70, though testing on adults is still quite nascent.

Let's move from the science of enriched environments to a metaphor to help drive this concept home. Robert Sylwester was a Professor of Education at the University of Oregon who focused on getting educators to easily understand the brain. He suggested that our brains are like a jazz quartet. If you're familiar with jazz, you know that the sound is constructed in a way that is random, miscellaneous-some might even call it discordant. But these discordant sounds come together to produce a congruent sound. Similarly, the brain needs enriched environments to learn because it processes things in a multi-modal fashion. You can think of like a jazz quartet-lots of layers come together to produce one congruent sound. Likewise, when learning, our brain produces a more congruent image when presented with stimuli from many different avenues. Things like pictures, charts, sounds, smells, vivid images, stories, colors, music, and poetry are all examples of ways multi-modal stimuli that help create enriched environments. Creating an enriched environment also increases the likelihood that you will connect with a higher percentage of your learners' prior experiences. If I tell a story that doesn't necessarily connect with a learner, but then I also show an image that does, then I've made a connection where I may not have with just the story!

To create an enriched environment in our classrooms (whether online or on campus), instructors should avoid what are called low-frequency activities, such as lectures, and utilize high-frequency activities-in other words those that utilize multiple modalities to increase the likelihood of strong synaptic connections. Basically, lots of stimuli and lots of engagement.

For example, I teach a graduate course called Adult Learning Strategies and Theories. This class is one in which I teach learners who want to become teachers or trainers how to be good teachers and trainers. One of the lessons in this course is the importance of understanding theory. I want my students to truly understand what theory offers us as teachers and trainers, and-even more importantly-how application of particular theories impacts the strategic and tactical choices we make in learning situations.

This is not a concept I can simply provide a textbook definition for-not if I really want learning to take place. I have to engage my students in truly learning-in creating new neuronal networks-I have to engage my students in multiple modes of interacting with this concept. I must create an enriched environment.

Therefore, when I teach this concept online, I engage in all of the following to teach this concept:

The students, of course, have reading.

I then ask students to watch a brief (5 to 7-minute lecture) in which I explain what theory is and how it serves as a lens through which they view the world, which, in turn, impacts decisions they make.

In my video, I put a pair of glasses on and I give this example:
Let's say I have a theory that animals deserve kindness and that anyone who does not treat animals with kindness is a bad person. This pair of glasses represents that theory. Thus, it literally represents how I see the world through that that lens. When I view the world through this lens, it impacts the choices I make. Because I think animals deserve kindness, I choose to be "mom" to several animals and treat them kindly. I choose to help animals in need by donating my time and money to animal organizations. Because my theory is that people who do not treat animals with kindness are bad people, that, too, impacts choices: I am more likely to choose to be friends with people who think like me (I don't hang around a lot of hunters). I lobby for harsher penalties for those who abuse animals. My theory about animal kindness impacts dozens of choices I make within my life in a given week. The same is true of any theory. If I view the world through an andragogical lens (I now put on a different pair of glasses) , I believe adults learn differently than children, and I believe that the experiences they bring to the table are critical to their learning. Thus, if I truly believe this theory, that must impact the strategy and tactics I choose as an instructor, yes?

Next, to add even more stimuli-i.e., enrichment-I ask my students to choose the theory that resonates with them the most, the one that likely represents their most common "lens," and to generate any type of analogy (metaphor, simile, story, parable, cliché, idiom) to explain or describe that theory. They must record their response and post a video on the class discussion board. I ask them to share the analogy they've crafted, but NOT to explain how or why that analogy illustrates their chosen theory. That work is done by their peers when they react and respond to the analogy-the peers must explain the link they see between the analogy and the theory. For example, I recall one student who immediately likened Constructivism to the book "The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog." She merely shared this observation with her peer, who then had to explain the link he saw between the two.

I create many and varied stimuli with these activities. Moreover, not only have I crafted an enriched online environment, I have increased the opportunities for the new information (the theory or theories) to connect to my learners' prior experiences. My students have no choice but to tap into their prior experience to not only link a (new) theory to an (existing) analogy they already knew, but also to explain the connection they are seeing in their peers' analogies.

As another example, let's say I was teaching my students about constructivism-the theory that the process of learning takes place in the act of experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences. If I wanted to create an enriched environment, I might ask my students to choose one of their strongest personal mottos or beliefs (e.g., mine would be "better safe than sorry") and to reflect on what experiences in their lives led to the creation of that motto or belief. Then I would ask my students to construct a mind map, or perhaps a collage, of the various experiences, thoughts, and concepts that have led to the building of that belief. I might then ask my students to use their phones or webcams to record a "virtual tour" of their mind maps or collages. If I wanted to add even more enrichment, I might ask my students to listen to a podcast from Hidden Brain (the NPR radio show) about meaning making, or to find another podcast or video of their choosing. Or I could ask them to have an online discussion with a partner about how they anticipate this motto or belief will play out as they move farther into their professions.

The beauty of creating enriched environments is that using multiple stimuli increases the biochemical likelihood of connecting to a learner's prior experience. Therefore, my students are more likely to connect to-and thus remember and learn-this information because I have used multiple modalities to share it.
But Isn't This Just Multiple Intelligences?
I get this question a lot: isn't the concept of enriched environments the same thing as Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences? There is a great deal of overlap, to be sure, but they are not the same thing. Gardner's theory, which was groundbreaking at the time, was indeed based on research, but not specifically research about how the brain learns; rather, it was based, more broadly, on how the brain works or performs, or doesn't (Gardner, 1999, pgs. 33-46). And though the practice of addressing multiple intelligences and creating enriched environments may certainly (but not necessarily) look similar in practice, cognitively speaking, they are fundamentally different. The fact that Learner A is intelligent in a different way from Learner B is a fundamentally different assertion than the fact that both learners' brains produce a more congruent image when they are presented with multiple stimuli because both of their brains (assuming healthy, normal functioning) process stimuli in a multi-model fashion (again, like a jazz quartet).

Another way to illustrate the distinction between multiple intelligences and enriched environments is to imagine you are teaching only one student rather than a group of students. If you teach only one student and wish to address multiple intelligences, you would assess which intelligence that learner possesses most strongly and address that intelligence in order to teach her or him. That does not necessarily mean you would be creating an enriched environment-you may need only one kind of stimuli to address said intelligence. However, if you wish to ensure learning is taking place, you would be sure to create an enriched environment by utilizing multiple stimuli to teach that student (and if you want to ensure those stimuli address that learner's particular intelligence, all the better). But the reverse is not necessarily true: that is, regardless of how many intelligences a teacher addresses, if she or he does not connect the new information to something the learner already knows, no learning can take place. And creating an enriched environment makes it more likely this will happen.
Conclusion
This article has shared the science behind the importance of creating enriched environments when teaching and provided an example to help illustrate how you, too, can engage in the best possible practices to ensure learning is taking place in your classrooms whether online or on campus.

The field of neuroandragogy demonstrates that there is empirical evidence for the use of enriched environments, and that without them, your students may not be actually learning. To meet the needs of today's adult learner, we must utilize the science of how the brain learns to inform our instructional strategies if we truly care that our students learn.
References
Ebner, F. F. (1996). Teaching the brain to learn. Peabody Journal of Education, 71(4) 143-151.

Frick, K., Stearns, N., Pan, J., & Berger-Sweeney, J. (2003). Effects of environmental enrichment on spatial memory and neurochemistry in middle-aged mice. Learning and Memory, 10(3), 187-198.

Gardner, H. (1999). Intelligence reframed: Multiple intelligences for the 21st century. New York: Basic Books.

Garthe, A., Roeder, I., & Kempermann, G. (2016). Mice in an enriched environment learn more flexibly because of adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Hippocampus, 26(2) 261-171.

Knowles, M. (1988). The modern practice of adult education: From pedagogy to andragogy. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Cambridge.

Ozel, A., Byindir, N., Ozel, E., & Ciftciohlu, I. (2008). "Brain-based Learning and student-centrism on curriculum." Ekev Academic Review, 12(35), 343-350.

Taylor, K. & Marienau, C. (2016). Facilitating learning with the adult brain in mind. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Turkington (1996). The brain encyclopedia. Checkmark Books.

Wilson, C. (2011). Neuroandragogy: Making the case for a link with andragogy and brain-based learning. Paper presented at the meeting of the Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, Community, and Extension Education, Lindenwood University, St. Charles, MO.

Wilson, C. (2006). No one is too old to learn (Neuroandragogy: A theoretical perspective on adult brain functions and adult learning). Lincoln, NE: iUniverse.

Yuan, Z., Wang, M., Yan, B., Gu, P., Jiang, X., Yang, X. & Cui, D. (2012). An enriched environment improves cognitive performance in mice from the senescence-accelerated prone mouse 8 strain: Role of upregulated neurotrophic factor expression in the hippocampus. Neural Regeneration Research, 7(23), 1797-1804.

Zull, J. (2002). The art of changing the brain. Sterling, VA: Stylus.
Allison Friederichs, Ph.D., is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and assistant teaching professor at University College of the University of Denver. Allison engages in research and public speaking in academic and corporate sectors in the area of how the adult brain learns, and the implications of that knowledge on teaching, training, and curriculum development. She serves on UPCEA's Federal Policy Committee.

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How the Adult Brain Learns: The Importance of Creating Enriched Environments When Teaching | UNBOUND

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Introduction As adult learners now make up the majority of U.S. students, it is more important than ever for educators who administer and teach in post-traditional programs to understand how the adult brain learns.

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Becoming a great leader is a journey of continuous learning and growth. It's a process - one that thrives on embracing challenges, seeking feedback, fostering connections, and cultivating understanding. In this article, the author outlines the eight most essential leadership qualities, according to Harvard Business School professor Linda Hill, one of the world's top experts on leadership. Star leaders aren't born with superhuman capabilities, Linda explains. Rather, they tend to have intentionally put themselves in situations where they have to learn, adapt, and grow - a crucible for developing the tenacity and fortitude to motivate and guide others.

Do you have what it takes to be a great leader?

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8 Essential Qualities of Successful Leaders

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Becoming a great leader is a journey of continuous learning and growth. It's a process - one that thrives on embracing challenges, seeking feedback, fostering connections, and cultivating understanding. In this article, the author outlines the eight most essential leadership qualities, according to Harvard Business School professor Linda Hill, one of the world's top experts on leadership.

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Center for Teaching and Learning | Risepoint

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Richard Mayer's seminal book Multimedia Learning details his extensive research on how to structure multimedia materials effectively to maximize learning. Relying on numerous experiments, he distills his findings into 12 principles that constitute (in part) what he refers to as the "cognitive theory of multimedia learning." This theory and its principles provide guidance on how to create effective multimedia presentations for learning.

This article introduces the cognitive psychology foundation upon which Mayer's principles are built and then summarizes each principle. Let's begin by discussing Mayer's assumptions on how people learn.

Information Processing

Mayer's cognitive theory of multimedia learning makes three assumptions about how humans process information: the dual-channel assumption, the limited-capacity assumption, and the active-processing assumption.

The Dual-Channel Assumption

According to Mayer (2009), the dual-channel assumption dictates that "humans possess separate channels for processing visual and auditory information" (p. 63). The first is the visual-pictorial channel, which processes images seen through the eyes (including words displayed on a screen). The other channel is the auditory-verbal channel, which processes spoken words.

The Limited-Capacity Assumption

The limited-capacity assumption suggests that humans have a hard limit on the amount of information they can process at any given moment. This is probably intuitive to anyone who's sat in a sports bar and tried to watch several games at the same time or tried to listen to the news while having a conversation.

Although it's difficult to nail it down, Mayer suggests that most people can maintain maybe five to seven "chunks" of information in working memory at a given time (p. 67). He also indicates that individuals at the higher end of that range may have stronger metacognitive strategies, which allow them to manage their limited cognitive resources more efficiently.

The Active-Processing Assumption

The active-processing assumption asserts that humans don't learn by just passively absorbing information. Instead, they need to engage in active cognitive processes, namely identifying and selecting relevant material, organizing it into visual and/or verbal models, and integrating those new models with prior knowledge (p. 70). The cognitive theory of multimedia learning fundamentally argues against a "knowledge transmission" approach to learning in favor of a student-centered "knowledge construction" model. Students, he argues, are not "empty vessels" waiting to be filled up with information but must instead work to synthesize words and pictures into meaningful information that is stored in long-term memory.

Cognitive Load Theory

Mayer's cognitive theory of multimedia learning also relies heavily on cognitive load theory. While we discuss it in greater depth elsewhere, the underlying premise is that the kind of information we encounter during learning leads to one of three different types of processing in the brain.

Extraneous load (also known as "extraneous processing") refers to wasted cognitive effort on material or details that don't support the learning outcomes. Instructors can minimize extraneous load by focusing narrowly on the essential material and eschewing everything that could distract learners (such as needless animations or irrelevant information).

Intrinsic load (also known as "essential processing") refers to the cognitive effort required to represent the material in working memory and is based on the complexity or difficulty inherent to the learning materials. Instructors should aim to manage intrinsic load by chunking their materials and identifying technical terms in advance.

Germane load (also known as "generative processing") is the effort required of learners to actually understand the material and is strongly affected by their motivation. Instructors should optimize germane load by scaffolding learning and pacing material appropriately.

In some ways, we can see cognitive load theory as being an extension of the limited-capacity assumption. Given that we have a limited ability to process information in real time, instructors should aim to construct multimedia that manage intrinsic load, optimize germane load, and minimize extraneous load to ensure maximum storage in long-term memory. So while Mayer's principles provide insight on how to effectively construct multimedia messages for learning, each also maps to a best practice in managing cognitive load.

In short, the cognitive theory of multimedia learning assumes that the human mind is a dual-channel, limited-capacity, active-processing system, and that presenters must construct multimedia messages to manage all three types of cognitive load accordingly. Mayer adopts a constructivist view of learning in which multimedia are not simply information delivery systems, but rather cognitive aids for knowledge construction (p. 14).

Principles of Multimedia Learning

Now that we've established the cognitive psychology foundation, let's move on to summarizing each principle.

Principles That Minimize Extraneous Load

The Coherence Principle

"People learn better when extraneous material is excluded rather than included." (p. 89)

The coherence principle is about minimizing extraneous processing. Instructors should not include information in their multimedia messages that will not be assessed, is merely intended to "spice up" the presentation, or distracts from learning goals overall.

Mayer also warns against including seductive details (interesting but irrelevant material that the presenter might include to re-engage the audience or create emotional responses), which the audience often retains better than the intended core message (p. 97). Given that learning is an active process, these extraneous details may interfere with learners' construction of mental models to represent the material.

To address this principle:

Include only graphics, text, and narration that support learning goals (i.e., don't use decorative images or supplemental materials).

Don't use background music.

Use simple visuals (as opposed to realistic or detailed visuals).

The Signaling Principle

"People learn better when cues that highlight the organization of the essential material are added." (p. 108)

Particularly when multiple pieces of information are on-screen, learners need to know what to pay attention to, where they are in the presentation, and how to integrate the information to construct their own mental models. Accordingly, the signaling principle recommends that instructors add cues that direct learners' attention to salient material. Mayer is careful to point out that this can be overdone, so presenters should use signals sparingly.

To address this principle:

Use arrows, highlighting, and other signals to draw attention to important information.

Include an advance organizer (content that presents the organizational structure of your multimedia presentation) and refer back to it when you advance to a new section.

The Redundancy Principle

"People learn better from graphics and narration than some graphics, narration, and printed text." (p. 118)

Many multimedia presentations involve a combination of spoken words, graphics, and on-screen text. However, the redundancy principle suggests that multimedia messages are most effective when learners encounter just spoken words and graphics. When instructors include text on-screen, they risk overwhelming their learners' visual channels with both pictures and words, and inadvertently direct their cognitive processes to resolving differences between the spoken text and the printed text.

To address this principle:

When delivering a narrated presentation, use either graphics or text, but not both.

Minimize the use of text during a narrated presentation.

The Spatial Contiguity Principle

"Students learn better when corresponding words and pictures are presented near rather than far from each other on the page or screen." (p. 135)

The specifics of the spatial contiguity principle may be somewhat more intuitive than Mayer's other principles. In short, it suggests that instructors should keep text (such as labels or captions) near to the graphics that they describe. If they do so, they minimize the cognitive effort that learners must expend to align the meaning of text and images themselves. Thus, instead of scanning the screen to make such connections, learners can devote that cognitive effort to integration and connection building.

To address this principle:

Place text in close proximity with the graphics it refers to.

Provide feedback close to the questions or answers it refers to.

Present directions on the same screen as an activity.

Have people read any text before beginning an animated graphic.

The Temporal Contiguity Principle

"Students learn better when corresponding words and pictures are presented simultaneously rather than successively." (p. 153)

To maximize learning, the temporal contiguity principle dictates that narration and animation should be delivered concurrently. For example, students shouldn't hear about a process and then watch an animation of it afterward; instead, instructors should time the narration to play along with the animation.

To address this principle:

Time narration appropriately to play along with animations.

Principles That Manage Intrinsic Load

The Segmenting Principle

"People learn better when a multimedia message is presented in user-paced segments rather than as a continuous unit." (p. 175)

Mayer's experiments involved presenting asynchronous multimedia messages to research subjects (messages that largely focused on describing processes, such as how lightning forms). He determined that when students had the ability to control the pace of the lesson, they performed better on recall and transfer tests. Thus, the segmenting principle has two implications: (a) users should have control over the pace of the multimedia lesson, and (b) instructors should chunk material appropriately to allow for adequate processing on each slide or screen.

To address this principle:

Allow users to control the pace of the lesson, such as speed controls or "next" buttons.

Break down long segments of material into smaller pieces.

The Pre-Training Principle

"People learn more deeply from a multimedia message when they know the names and characteristics of the main concepts." (p. 189)

The necessity of managing essential (or intrinsic) load suggests that it's easy for novice learners to become overwhelmed by the quantity or complexity of the information in a multimedia message. The pre-training principle accordingly recommends that instructors define key terms or concepts before diving into descriptions of processes. Otherwise, students will be stuck trying to learn a process's component parts while also attempting to build a mental model of the process itself, which may hinder learning. In essence, pre-training is about scaffolding learning and helping students establish appropriate prior knowledge before beginning a multimedia lesson.

To address this principle:

Define key terms (such as names, definitions, locations, and characteristics) before beginning a process-based presentation, either in a separate presentation, handout, or similar material.

Ensure people know how to use a tool (such as Excel) before asking them to perform learning activities within it.

The Modality Principle

"People learn more deeply from pictures and spoken words than from pictures and printed words." (p. 200)

The dual-channel and limited-capacity assumptions lead in part to the modality principle, which recommends that instructors use narration instead of on-screen text when pictures are present. If multimedia messages contain pictures and on-screen text, the combination may overwhelm learners' visual channels. Instead, instructors should only speak words (rather than include them on-screen), which spreads the load across both the visual and the verbal channels (also known as "modality offloading"; p. 204).

To address this principle:

During a narrated presentation with graphics, avoid using on-screen text, unless it:

Lists key steps

Provides directions

Provides references

Presents important information to non-native English speakers

Principles That Optimize Germane Load

The Multimedia Principle

"People learn better from words and pictures than from words alone." (p. 223)

You could argue that the multimedia principle is a starting point for all the other principles, given that it indicates that learners perform better when exposed to words and pictures rather than just words. Given that multimedia presentations may or may not be narrated, it's important to underscore that the "words" in this case should be either printed or spoken, but not both (in keeping with the other multimedia principles). Effectively leveraging pictures and words together fosters generative processing.

To address this principle:

Include images to illustrate key points.

Ensure that all images enhance or clarify meaning (rather than being purely decorative).

Favor static images over animations (with some exceptions).

The Personalization Principle

"People learn better from multimedia presentations when words are in conversational style rather than formal style." (p. 242)

According to the personalization principle, having a more relaxed tone in an online class can actually positively impact learning. Thus, instructors should avoid stiff, academic language, and instead use more approachable colloquial language. Try to think of the presentation as a one-on-one conversation with each student. Informal language has the effect of creating social cues within the presentation that "prime the activation of a social response in the learner-such as the commitment to try to make sense out of what the speaker is saying" (p. 247).

To address this principle:

Use contractions.

Use first and second person ("I," "you," "we," "our," etc.).

If using a script, try to make an extemporaneous-sounding performance.

Use polite speech ("please," "you might like to," "let's," etc.).

The Voice Principle

"People learn better when narration is spoken in a human voice rather than in a machine voice." (p. 242)

The voice principle is perhaps the oddest of the group, but it is still worthy of mention, particularly given the speed at which technology is developing. This principle suggests that narration is better done by a human than a computer. Mayer stresses that the research on this principle is still preliminary.

To address this principle:

Include narration that's performed by a human rather than a computer.

The Image Principle

"People do not necessarily learn better when the speaker's image is added to the screen." (p. 242)

The image principle is the only multimedia principle that's not affirmative in its phrasing. It states that including an image of an instructor's "talking head" during a multimedia presentation doesn't necessarily improve learning outcomes. Just as with the voice principle, Mayer is careful to point out that the research on the image principle is still preliminary. Nonetheless, early results suggest that you don't necessarily add value by showing your face during a narrated presentation.

To address this principle:

Avoid including a video of yourself during an asynchronous multimedia presentation containing pictures and words.

Consider including your face when:

There are no words or pictures.

You wish to establish instructor or social presence.

Boundary Conditions

Mayer is careful to set "boundary conditions" for his multimedia principles-situations in which the principles may not apply as strongly. For example, with respect to the segmenting principle (which advises multimedia designers to chunk their materials and allow users to control pacing), Mayer's research suggested that its effects may not be as strong when the material is simple, when the material is slow paced, or when learners are experienced with the material.

Although each principle has its own set of these conditions (which we encourage you to read about in Mayer's book if you're interested), there is at least one high-level qualification that's worth mentioning. Mayer proposes an overarching individual differences principle, which suggests that "certain of the twelve design principles reviewed in this book may help low-experience learners but not help high-experience learners" (pp. 271-272). This speaks strongly to the role of prior knowledge in multimedia learning-indeed, in learning overall. Mayer argues, in fact, "prior knowledge is the single most important individual difference dimension in instructional design. If you could know just one thing about a learner, you would want to know the learner's prior knowledge in the domain" (p. 193).

You may be wondering about what kind of media Mayer is addressing in his research. Although generally his experiments involved asynchronously produced multimedia presentations (that is, there were no live lectures), they were presented across a variety of media. Accordingly, he believes these principles embody best practices across a variety of media:

The cognitive theory of multimedia learning is based on a knowledge-construction view in which learners actively build mental representations in an attempt to make sense out of their experiences. Instead of asking which medium makes the best deliveries, we might ask which instructional techniques help guide the learner's cognitive processing of the presented material. (p. 231)

With these conditions in mind, it's important to sum up the conditions that make up the cognitive theory of multimedia learning:

The principles apply to low-knowledge learners.

The principles apply to multimedia messages that describe processes.

The principles are medium agnostic.

Conclusion

Mayer's overarching thesis-that people learn better when you use pictures and words together-may be intuitive to many instructors. What may be less intuitive, however, is how to maximize the efficacy of multimedia messages based on the specifics of how humans process information during learning. Mayer's theories are a rejection of multimedia learning as knowledge transmission (transplanting information from instructor to learner) and response strengthening (promoting recall through drill and practice methods). Instead, the theory embraces a knowledge construction perspective: "that multimedia learning is a sense-making activity in which the learner seeks to build a coherent mental representation from the presented material" (p. 17).

Here are the big takeaways from this article:

When it comes to learning, the human mind is a dual-channel, limited-capacity, active-processing system.

Instructors should manage their learners' essential processing, optimize their generative processing, and minimize their extraneous processing through thoughtful construction of multimedia presentations.

These principles are most applicable when the multimedia messages describe processes and when learners are inexperienced.

Clearly, Mayer's multimedia principles provide quite a few guidelines for the design of multimedia presentations. For convenience, we've summarized them in a table in a separate document, which you can download here.

Mayer's theory aligns with contemporary thinking on effective learning, which embraces a constructivist perspective: Students learn most effectively when they have to construct their own knowledge structures and mental models. As Mayer tells us, "instructional design involves not just presenting information, but also presenting it in a way that encourages learners to engage in appropriate cognitive processing" (p. 168). By following the principles of the cognitive theory of multimedia learning, instructors can help ensure that their multimedia presentations will enhance student learning.

References

Mayer, R. E. (2009). Multimedia learning (2nd ed.). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

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Principles of Multimedia Learning - Center for Teaching and Learning | Risepoint

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Multimedia materials are everywhere now. Check out these tips for how to harness the power of multimedia learning in your online classroom.

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The UDL Guidelines are a tool used in the implementation of Universal Design for Learning, a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. Learn more about the Universal Design for Learning framework from CAST. The UDL Guidelines can be used by educators, curriculum developers, researchers, parents, and anyone else who wants to implement the UDL framework in a learning environment. These guidelines offer a set of concrete suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities.

Reenvisioning the UDL Guidelines

Because the UDL Guidelines are meant to be informed by feedback from the field as well as new research, they have been updated several times in the past. We are in the process of updating the Guidelines once again in our UDL Rising to Equity initiative.

This update will focus specifically on addressing systemic barriers that result in inequitable learning opportunities and outcomes. CAST aims to develop a transparent, inclusive, and community-driven process. If you are interested in collaborating and staying updated on our progress, we invite you to complete a brief survey.

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The UDL Guidelines are a tool used in the implementation of Universal Design for Learning, a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. Learn more about the Universal Design for Learning framework from CAST. The UDL Guidelines can be used by educators, curriculum developers, researchers, parents, and anyone else who wants to implement the UDL framework in a learning environment. These guidelines offer a set of concrete suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities.

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An Advance Organizer for Student Learning: Choke and Pitfalls in Studying 

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An Advance Organizer for Student Learning: Choke and Pitfalls in Studying 

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We are Wired to Learn, Change and Engage

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We are Wired to Learn, Change and Engage

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Understanding how we learn and the science behind the brain influences the types of systems we create (think: schools and organizations), and the conversations we have with our students, our children and one another.

Consider this: If a child does not have a nurturing and supportive environment during his or her first two years, there are profound effects on the young brain that can last a lifetime.

If you are a brain science junky (or need an entry point to become one), the new PBS Show The Brain With Dr. David Eagleman is exactly what you have been waiting for. The six one hour episodes share the "inner workings of the brain, taking viewers on a visual journey into why they feel and think the things they do." The show is hosted by Dr. David Eagleman , neuroscientist, New York Times best-selling author and a Guggenheim Fellow.

Eagleman tells the human story of the brain by blending neuroscience and storytelling with visual effects. (And because I had a sneaky preview, I can say that the visual effects are amazing). :

"With barely a brain scanner or a white coat in sight, THE BRAIN focuses on understanding the fundamental truths of what it means to be human now and in the coming centuries, while communicating these elegant and simple ideas as they apply to us and our experiences."

The series explores the neural landscape by answering and contextualizing questions on why we're driven to certain behaviors, why we seek individuality, and "what is reality?"

I chatted with Dr. Eagleman to learn what new and emerging brain science means for students, teachers and parents.

Neuroplasticity Means We Are Always Changing

Neuroplasticity is as, " changes in neural pathways and synapses due to changes in behavior, environment, neural processes, thinking, and emotions - as well as to changes resulting from bodily injury. The concept of neuroplasticity has replaced the formerly-held position that the brain is a physiologically static organ, and explores how - and in which ways - the brain changes in the course of a lifetime."

Anyone who works with children and/or has children has probably seen this in action. When asked what parents need to know about young brains, Dr. Eagleman said, "One of my big interests is in neuroplasticity. Brains are rewriting themselves all the time. As a parent, this both terrifies me and liberates me. Every single thing I am doing next is shaping their brain and crafting who they are and who they have the capacity to become. It's a lot of responsibility. There is a deep complexity of the system and my job is to be a good parent. The best a parent can do is open doors and make sure all the educational opportunities are there."

Dr. Eagleman also added that the brain arrives in the world unfinished, and the job of experience is to further wire the brain. Our children's brains of course need love and a nurturing environment. In the episode I watched prior to our interview, titled "What Makes Me", I saw the story of young Romanian children who were living in an orphanage and had very little interaction with adults. When the children were finally adopted at the age of four, the long lasting impact of neglect and little language has impacted their ability to learn throughout their lives (those children are now adults living in the United States, and their story is profiled in the series).

Digital Natives Expect to Engage

Dr. Eagleman and I discussed the impact that technological change is having on the brain, and particularly on young learners. This is of interest to me because of my own children and also because of the changes that are happening (and more that needs to happen) to change the ways we engage with our young people in learning. Dr. Eagleman said, "We are in a rapidly changing moment in time because of digital natives. Educators have to understand that with this next generation they are used to [a fast] pace and interactive learning," Children who cannot pay attention in class in a typical "sit and get" environment do not necessarily have ADHD. In fact, they simply have a different set of expectations for how they learn.

Activate Interests to Learn

So, the ways in which we are learning are rapidly changing, and the most significant impact may be on digital natives, loosely as children born in the age of digital technology. By 2020, Mark Anderson of Strategic News Corporation and technology enthusiast, futurist and advisor to major businesses and philanthropists, most people will be connected and coined the term AORTA (Always On RealTime Access).

I asked Dr. Eagleman what the pace of technological change means for learnings. He said, "Teachers are in a position to make learning interactive and engaging. This is a much better way for the brain to learn and discover by interaction. We are good with young children, but by the time we get to older kids- we expect kids to listen to powerpoint lessons. What the brain fundamentally wants and especially in this generation is to learn by exploration, to solve problems that are engaging and interesting to them."

When explaining the science behind learning, Dr. Eagleman said, "What's happening in the brain, so it learns something and remembers something - you need a particular cocktail of chemicals and neurotransmitters. This observation goes back to the ancient Greeks. The highest level of learning is when you are curious about something. Curiosity about something equals those chemicals being present. So, in order to have kids learn whatever topic you are trying to teach they have to be wrapped in a way to engage and create curiosity. Stories and narrative and that's always an effective technique, interact and pose questions and solve something that is mysterious and interesting."

Technology Can Make Us Smarter

On the role technology can play in learning and the brain, Dr. Eagleman remarked that he's a cyper optimist. He cited Ted Talks, Wikipedia and adaptive learning software that create the potential for this next generation to be smarter. "There's a million ways that you can have interactive knowledge- graph, slider bars, interacting w/ the data. This is the kind of thing that previous generations didn't had the opportunity to do. We all had 'just in case' education- we learned all kinds of things; now we have 'just in time' education- which is very fruitful. Students now can have a higher level of engagement when an answer comes in context with the questions. The answer comes right away-it's coming at the right time while they're are curious about their topic."

For more on learning science, see:

Tweet your favorite quote from Dr. Eagleman @DavidEagleman and #TheBrain and share with us @Getting_Smart. The Brain with David Eagleman premieres in October on PBS Stations. Check your local listings and follow on Twitter @DavidEagleman and .
Stay in-the-know with all things EdTech and innovations in learning by signing up to receive the weekly Smart Update

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We are Wired to Learn, Change and Engage: The Brain with Dr. David Eagleman

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Understanding how we learn and the science behind the brain influences the types of systems we create (think: schools and organizations), and the conversations we have with our students, our children and one another.

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We help educators around the world use technology to solve tough problems.

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The Supreme Court's decision to end race conscious admissions and - actions taking place in many states to curb diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts on college campuses - has raised the question: What is next for DEI in higher education? Rich Reddick, a leading thinker on DEI in higher education, knows that the field needs to regroup and rethink the future of diversity - something on the minds of most college administrators.

"Many folks this summer, we all were sort of in a funk... . It's just disappointing to know that the work and the research that has gone on for the last 40 years [is] being dismissed," says Reddick, Ed.M.'98, Ed.D.'08, the associate dean for equity, community engagement, and outreach for the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin.

"I remind people in both Fisher [U.S. Supreme Court] cases, there are amicus briefs submitted by the Fortune 100 and the military saying [diversity] is something that's critical to our ability to be competitive. Having a diverse population and having students have an opportunity to learn from each other and expose to each other's identities is such an important part of what makes us competitive economically, socially, politically. So that can't go away," he says, asserting that this is a time to lean into diversity in the college admissions and lean on partners in higher education to continue being committed to diversity.

In this episode of the EdCast, Reddick shares his reaction to the Supreme Court's decision, how it has impacted and changed his work with college administrators, and ways for those doing the challenging work of diversity today to stay committed to the fight.

Transcript

JILL ANDERSON: I'm Jill Anderson. This is the Harvard EdCast.

Rich Reddick believes higher education needs to find new ways of doing diversity, equity, and inclusion work. He spent decades working and studying DEI in higher education. He's also the associate dean for equity, community engagement, and outreach for the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin. It's been a tough year for those committed to diversity on college campuses, with the Supreme Court ruling against race conscious admissions and a growing number of bills being brought forth by states to curb DEI efforts at colleges and universities.

Rich admits it can be disheartening to do this work at times and is a big advocate for what he calls restorative resistance. I wanted to talk to Rich about what this all means, not just for college admissions, but also the future of DEI. First, I asked Rich his reaction to the Supreme Court ruling.

RICH REDDICK: I think it was expected from most of us. I think many of us were buoyed to see the responses from Judge Jackson and the things that she kind of put out there as far as really invigorating dissent that gives hope and also presents the idea that this is not a settled question. The decision went against precedent. And then secondly, it also sort of put together these competing views of what a colorblind society looks like.

JILL ANDERSON: Hm.

RICH REDDICK: I mean, it's so ironic that we are talking about this on the 60th anniversary of the Birmingham 16th Street bombing, right. There are people who lived through that bombing, still are living with the consequences of the trauma from that experience. And to posit that we're at this colorblind sort of apex of society, when in fact, the evidence is constantly around us that it's just not that way.

So not a surprise. I think disappointment, but one that we were prepared for. And one that I think most institutions probably had already started thinking about, well, how do we respond to this?

JILL ANDERSON: You know, we've had a few months now to reconcile a little bit with the ruling. And as you noted, a lot of institutions were already thinking leading up to it, what way will this go? And how will I have to change? As someone who's worked in diversity, equity inclusion for many decades and you guide professionals in this area, has this changed the work? And if it has, tell me how.

RICH REDDICK: Many folks this summer, we all were sort of in a funk, you know. It's just disappointing to know that the work and the research that has gone for the last 40 years, sort of, being dismissed. And so, this summer at the Institute for Educational Management, we had Ruth Simmons visit with us.

JILL ANDERSON: Right.

RICH REDDICK: A giant, somebody I grew up reading about. And I'm sitting there interviewing with her with Jim Honan. And Juliet Garcia, who's another alumna and speaker, I have these two Texas giants of higher education. And one thing that Ruth said to us was, we do the work that we've always done. We just have to find new ways to do it. Kind of a very matter of fact framing of it.

So we have to adhere to the law. We'll do that. But we have to also find ways to meet our institutional goals. And I'm in a room of 70 higher education leaders, all of whom have something in their institutional mission about serving equitable populations and making sure that we are doing all the things to maximize human potential. We all have something like that in our mission statements. We had some very interesting discussions in the decision, one of which was Justice Roberts making the comment that, well, you should be able to talk about how race has impacted your personal development and your sort of opportunities.

And so, it's such a weird thing, Jill, because in a lot of ways I'm like, well, if you can do that, then why are we at this point with the ruling. But nevertheless, we heard them say that it's acceptable for applicants to talk about how race has influenced and shaped their lives.

JILL ANDERSON: Right.

RICH REDDICK: As institutions, we can't probe into that. We have reporting necessities we have to do for the federal government. And so, that's a change. But certainly, I think students and people who are applying for universities should be talking-- as they always should be talking about the way that their experiences have shaped their lives. And race is obviously-- race and gender and sexual orientation and socioeconomic status among other things are very salient parts of how we navigate the world.

So I expect that students and applicants will start talking about those things more explicitly. I think also, it sounds to me that the folks who are helping students think about accessing higher education, it would be important for them to recall and remember that something that was said in the decision, that is part of what you can talk about. And they should talk about it and in all its forms, right. I don't think it's necessarily a story where you say, well, because I have a underrepresented identity, my life has been terrible. But it should be, here are the things that I've encountered that have created perhaps more obstacles to me fulfilling my potential. And here are some things that I've done that have been inspiration.

So think about myself as an African-American male. You know, I've had so many wonderful experiences that are inclusive of my identity. But I also went to an under-resourced school. I also had less resources in my k-12 experiences. So those have to be part of the narrative. So I think that was one thing I think that's a really important takeaway.

I think also just to remember that the efforts that are happening both inside institutions, but also outside institutions. So a lot of times think it's the importance of having our partners who support higher education, the world of philanthropy, nonprofits, community organizations have an important role to play. So I hope that is an opportunity for us to come together and think about, well, perhaps in the institutional context, this has been made more challenging or difficult or even not possible.

How can our community partners, how can our partners in philanthropy, how can the corporate sector who is constantly said... and I remind people in both Fisher cases, there are amicus briefs submitted by the Fortune 100 and the military saying this is something that's critical to our ability to be competitive. Having a diverse population and having students have an opportunity to learn from each other and expose to each other's identities is such an important part of what makes us competitive economically, socially, politically. So that can't go away.

JILL ANDERSON: Right.

RICH REDDICK: And so, I think the opportunity and the importance of us calling on those partners to say, we need you to also articulate the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in your respective spheres, whether it's the corporate sector, whether it's the military. And in fact, there is a carve out in this decision supporting the military academies use of race in their admissions process. So these are critical aspects of what we need to do to make ourselves ready to be competitive and do our work. We just have to find new ways of accessing that information and building diverse, inclusive communities in higher education.

JILL ANDERSON: Because we know research shows that removing affirmative action leads to declines in students of color enrollment in so many colleges. I mean, you just were talking a little bit about that, about the essays and that portion of applying to college. Is this something that you heard a lot of worry about from college administrators? What are we going to do? Are we going to have big drops in enrollment?

Prior to this decision, that was a lot of the goal was to bolster, to try to make the student body diverse and enrich the higher ed community, enrich the courses. And now it's kind of a little bit of a question mark of what will things look like going forward.

RICH REDDICK: Jill, we did. And in fact, we have evidence of that. When California had the proposition that rescinded affirmative action, they saw a precipitous drop in African-American enrollments at their flagship institutions. So yes, I mean, that's kind of the expected result.

And so, for institutions we have to do is be steadfast in our commitment towards equity and inclusion, right. And we have to say, and you heard this from many institutions. The ruling came down. Most institutions aren't spoiling for a fight or looking to be sued. So certainly, the incentive to stay within the constraints of the law are there, but also the understanding that this is such an important part of our mission. We can't just not do it.

So we have to really strive to think about how we do this. And of course, people talk about these proxies, or how do we find other ways of looking. And of course, I'm reminded of Justice Roberts and Justice Sotomayor having this back and forth in another case where Justice Roberts says, well, the only way to get over the color issue is to get over it. And Justice Sotomayor is saying, well, the only way to really address it is to actually address it.

So every other proxy out there, whether socioeconomic status or first-gen status is addressing an issue specifically about that. But racial identity overlaps in so many different ways. To think that every single person who is African-American, Latino, Asian, Native American comes from a low income background or comes from a first generation background is problematic, right. That's not the case.

It really does present this dilemma because, again, it's these two competing ideologies from the court that say colorblindness. And it just sort assumes that we've had some kind of transformation. And nobody sees anything from the lenses of race and identity, to folks who have lived experiences where they're like, well, wait a minute. That is not how the world works.

I always remind people to look at any sort of indicator of life outcomes, whether it's maternal mortality or all those things. You see racial disparities. They're still there. So I think the realistic perspective is to say, we have worked very hard. And I think we can make different assessments of how hard we've worked. But we've made efforts to make those things improve.

It was powerful, I think, to hear Judge Jackson ask the question during the oral arguments about, how would you assess a person who had similar credentials but had different experiences because of their racial identity? And the lawyer couldn't really respond to it, right, because it is a salient part. And that's the thing that's, I think, really hard to square because I think it's understandable to say that, perhaps the goal is for some people to say we want a colorblind society. And people often abrogate Martin Luther King's words and saying colorblindness. And they don't think what that actually means.

What that meant was there was no negative consequences because of one's racial identity, not to let it go. And there seems to be this idea that we just need to ignore the role of race in our development. And what has-- or we've done something monumental to advance so those things don't happen. But again, I look at the things like mortality rates. I look at things like looking at the rates of certain diseases among the populations. Those are racially, you know, salient sort of spaces.

So it's hard to make a good faith argument to say that's not happening.

JILL ANDERSON: Hm.

RICH REDDICK: It's fine to say, the goal is that. And we're working towards it. But we're not quite there.

JILL ANDERSON: Right, we've also just seen the work of DEI just coming under attack. We're seeing legal action being taken to bar colleges and universities spending money on DEI programs. We're seeing limits to how race can be discussed. And even though we can talk about the state where this gets the most media mentions, it's not just happening in Florida. It's happening in a lot of states, dozens of states.

And there were many bills introduced in this past year putting forth efforts to curb DEI. For you guys who are doing this work is this just totally demoralizing?

RICH REDDICK: Yeah. So I think that's a fair assessment. I think for many folks it is. This is not something that just came out of the blue. It's not, like, a trend. We called it different things, Multicultural Affairs, I think when we first started out.

But this is truly a body of research and a body of professional identity that many folks have. It shouldn't be surprising if we study history because we know typically when there are advances, there are backlashes. So in the summer of 2020 after the murder of George Floyd, there was this renewed focus and commitment from organizations. I remember when the New York Times best seller list, every book on the list was addressing issues of equity and inclusion and the invariable backlash.

And I think people need to understand this. So when you think about the Manhattan Institute putting out a paper saying, abolish DEI. That Christopher Rufo who's-- you mentioned Florida-- is the architect of what's happening there when they make very clear claims.

And again, they're not grounded in fact because as I've said already, I mean, these institutions and commitments to DEI have to work within the constraints of the law. So there are no quotas in spaces, right.

JILL ANDERSON: Hm.

RICH REDDICK: Another thing I think, of course, is it's interesting that the response was, I see shortcomings in the DEI space. And I think all of us who work in the diversity, equity, inclusion space would say is, every DEI policy is every training at the very maximum? Of course not, that's true of anything.

But the response is to get rid of it, not to, let's revisit it. Let's analyze. Let's understand better. So I actually find, a lot of times when you talk to people about what the work actually is about and who's included in the work. The work is often organizations such as those that address veteran issues, that address issues for women, that address issues for rural students, a lot of populations that people do not think of as the DEI space.

People are often surprised to hear that. And of course, when I mentioned the Manhattan Institute, they were very explicit about pulling out, like, let's not have Title IX things in there or things that refer to veterans. But nevertheless, in most DEI organizations, those are part of the populations we serve.

The other thing, of course, Jill, is that intersectionality is a real concept. It's not a boogie person that they talk about. Intersectionality would say that it's possible to be a white, rural, veteran and access services from a DEI office, right. You're not just one slice of identity.

And so, it's one of those things where I think people sort of see soundbites. And we're in a new media environment too, where I think the media, depending on what your media consumption diet is, you could start to walk away and think, well, it's this thing and take these sort of outlying kind of experiences and saying, well, that's what it's about. Instead of saying, there are very different ways of approaching this work.

And again, for somebody who's been doing this work as long as I have, I certainly think that I've grown a lot in the work I've done. I've taken different approaches. I think most of us who do the work seriously, I think my colleagues at Harvard like Robin Chapman at the Kennedy School, we do this work in a sense of trying to build communities and coalitions, right.

So everybody has to do the work. Everybody should be invested in maximizing the human potential in our organizations. And it isn't just for a certain population. It isn't just for certain people. And it's not as if people in the organization who have certain identities are either thriving or not thriving. It's kind of understanding that it's a much broader undertaking than that. And I've always been a person who's looked at this work as being work that is truly inclusive.

In fact, in my work I often challenge people who often feel, well, I don't hold a marginalized identity. So why am I in this? I'm like, you need to be in this because you're part of the organization. You're a leader in the organization. How you challenge and frame things matters.

So and, it's unfortunate because I do, again, think about what it means to be making people ready for world readiness. Like, how do we do that work when we in fact, have this incredible benefit of multilingual and multi identities that we can actually access and understand? We're actually harming ourselves if we walk into the world and say-- we come from a nation that has an incredibly diverse population, but because we've made certain policy choices.

And then, maybe I'm not able to access those experiences. And then walk into other spaces. And I'm ignorant. Or I don't have the tools to engage the way I should. And one thing I do, Jill, which I really have enjoyed as a professor is, I take my students abroad. And I can see the benefit of my students being in diverse spaces because they know how to engage with people from other countries because they've met people from those countries before.

They've had opportunities to understand how the world operates outside of their own context. Why would we want to take that away, I don't know. That's the thing that confounds me.

JILL ANDERSON: You referenced your own work on restorative resistance. If I'm understanding what that is, it seems like there has never been a time where that is needed more than right now. So tell me what restorative resistance is in the context of DEI work.

RICH REDDICK: First of all, I found that other people were using this term in other ways. But what I was trying to get at was this idea that, I think about the 30 years I've been doing this work. There's always been challenges, right. And then, how do you keep doing the work because one thing I think is very true of people who work in the DEI space is fatigue, right.

You're working to create a more inclusive climate. You've got sort of budgetary constraints. You've got policy constraints. You've got legal constraints. You have all these things kind of working against. It's Sisyphean. You're pushing a boulder up the hill. And there's stuff coming the other direction.

Well, how do you keep doing that work? And really it's trying to find the ways to build community and to prioritize selfcare, which I saw I think post George Floyd, the first time I saw people saying, you know, I've had enough. And in the book, I talk about the parallels in the sports world.

So Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles were both going through these moments in their careers where they were like, I cannot do any more right now. I can't perform at the peak performance. I need to take time away from this. And then I think, fairly mediocre people were critiquing them for this.

We're talking about the people who are the best at the world at what they're doing. And they had comments. And I realized this idea of preserving one's self is so important. And this concept of sustainability, which we apply in the environmental context applies to our lives as well.

Like, to do this work in a sustainable manner, I think about my heroes in the work. The Beverly Daniel Tatums, the Charles Wylys, my mentor, Bridget Terry Long who's my advisor at Harvard. You have to know how to do the work and also live your life.

One of my favorite pictures of Martin Luther King Jr. Is when he's on vacation in Jamaica. And there's Dr. King in a pool with swim shorts on. And it just shows you, the work is unyielding. It's always there.

But we have to make sure we prioritize our own well-being to do the work well and make sure we find the people in the world who are fellow travelers. And the fellow travelers are not simply in your institutional space. They're in other universities across the country, across the world, right.

And it means a lot when you can talk to somebody who is in a different context and say, I'm doing this work. Can you help me with some resources? Can you help me with just brainstorming? Or I tried something that didn't seem to be very successful. What's the feedback you had for me?

When I think about the joyfulness because people have often asked me those kinds of questions. And I'm like, I like what I do. Not like it's an onerous all the time. They're definitely challenging days. But you only have that when you have a chance to restore and prioritize your own well-being.

And my own transformation in the last several years was saying to people, if you feel the institution or the field is not giving what you need right now, it's acceptable to take time away from it. And hopefully we get to have that talent and those ideas and those skills back.

But there's so many spaces to execute the work of creating more inclusive climates, I think, moved in a lot of places. So a lot of my friends who worked in higher education have moved into nonprofits. They've moved in the medical sector. They've done all kinds of spaces to do this work.

It's necessary. And it really is about this idea that we are doing our utmost to make sure that when we bring people in our organizations, we're getting the most we can out of their contributions. They're not holding back parts of their identity. They're not contributing because they don't feel it's safe to do so.

And I always make that argument to people. I say, can you imagine what it must be like to be part of an organization, to be brought into an organization because you have an incredible skill set, but feel you can't truly be who you are because there's bias, there's prejudice, there's racism, there's homophobia? Wouldn't it be amazing if we could get those things out of there and allow those people to really bring all of the traits that they bring to the organizational stage? Of course, it is.

And so, we do that by helping people understand how to work in spaces that are inclusive and welcoming. And that sounds a little bit less scary, I think, to some people. But a lot of times it's just the matter of having it broken down. Haven't given up on the idea of making sure that people truly understand the work that we do and not falling into these tropes or these kind of media hyped false narratives about what the work actually is.

JILL ANDERSON: Rich Reddick is the inaugural associate dean for equity, community engagement, and outreach for the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin. There he is also a professor in the program of and in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy. He is also the author of Restorative Resistance in Higher Education, Leading in an Era of Racial Awakening and Reckoning.

I'm Jill Anderson. This is the Harvard EdCast, produced by the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Thanks for listening.

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The impact of the Supreme Court's decision to end race conscious admissions and the future of diversity work on college campuses

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Faculty and instructional designers can employ a number of strategies to create courses and learning environments where students feel welcome and conn

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How to Design and Deliver Training Programs 

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How to Design and Deliver Training Programs 

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It's a common misconception that leaders are born, not made. But most of the world's great leaders learned how to lead through simple trial and error. Bill Gates' first company went under, as did Walt Disney's. Henry Ford's first two car companies failed. Several of Richard Branson's Virgin branded companies went nowhere. These were all learning experiences - not only about business operations and growth, but about how to be a leader and how to teach leadership skills to others.

Leadership is about self-awareness, personal growth and development. Steve Jobs had to learn to let go of some control and, in return, Apple became famous for its innovation. Walt Disney had a team of over 700 artists to manage, and had to master the art of communicating his vision, but letting others do the work.

Make no mistake - leadership can be taught. But how do you teach leadership? It's a process of self-discovery and a combination of hard and soft skill sets that amplify strengths and improve weaknesses - and it begins with you. Here are 7 tips to get your started.

Want to learn the necessary skills to teach leadership?

Learn More

1. Be a great leader

Can you teach leadership? Only if you're a great leader yourself - because the best way to teach leadership is by inspiring your employees. And you can't inspire them if you don't "live leadership" in every aspect of your life. Find your leadership style. Focus on your strengths but develop your weaknesses. Master your relationships. Most of all, find your purpose and your passion. When you live with passion, you'll encourage others to do the same.

2. Inspire your employees

Determining what encourages your employees is one of the most vital factors not only in how to teach leadership but also in management. And you might be surprised to learn it's not money. Once workers make enough to fulfill basic needs, they're more stimulated by autonomy, mastery and purpose in the workplace. That is, your employees want to feel trusted, be confident in their skills and in the tools they have to do their jobs and have a sense of purpose. Leadership can fulfill all of these needs - and they all start with your culture.

3. Build an open culture

Company culture is the single most important driver of your business. It plays a role in your brand identity, which helps you create raving fan customers. It's a vital part of your company values, and strong values will give you the foundation for how to teach leadership skills. In order to teach leadership, you need a company culture that is open, honest and innovative.

An open and honest culture facilitates communication - you cannot address questions and issues if you don't know what they are. And an innovative culture leaves room for new ideas, making employees feel heard and respected.

4. Challenge your employees

Practice makes perfect. Bring out the leader in your employees by challenging them with new assignments, important projects or big accounts. You'll unleash their inner leader and encourage them to rise to the challenge. You can even set up a system to rotate your employees through different roles at your company. This will help you determine who has the most potential and create a culture of learning and innovation, all while your employees are building the skills they need to lead.

5. Earn their trust

How do you teach leadership? It starts with building trust in the workplace. One-on-one coaching is an essential part of teaching leadership. You won't be able to advise your employees if they don't trust you enough to come to you with questions. Great teachers celebrate successes and turn failures into lessons learned. They advise, but don't dictate. They are seen as mentors and coaches, but not as friends. Done right, it can be one of the most rewarding relationships you'll build.

6. Focus on soft skills

Leadership isn't just about delegating tasks or making big decisions. It's not just about training your employees on certain programs or providing them with professional development opportunities - although these things are also important. Great leaders are great communicators. They're great relationship builders and they work well in teams. They know how to influence others. These are all soft skills, and they're just as essential to problem solving, earning your clients' trust, making sales and more. Ensure you're just as focused on these as you are on hard skills.

7. Get help

If you're still stuck on how to teach leadership skills, don't be afraid to ask for help. One of the critical skills of a good leader is resourcefulness. It will help you make better use of your time, leverage the skills you already have and realize when to ask for help.

Taking your employees on a team-building trip or enrolling them in a course could be just what you need to kick-start leadership. Tony Robbins' Business Results Training is an ideal option for teams to maximize their skills, become more productive and improve their communication. As Tony says, "Leaders spend 5% of their time on the problem and 95% of their time on the solution. Get over it and crush it!" It's time to get out there and develop the leaders on your team.

Want to learn the necessary skills to teach leadership?

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Learn how to teach your employees to become good leaders by utilizing these 7 tips from Tony Robbins. Build a team of true leaders today!

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One of the comments on my newsletter last week stated that someone they knew had been told they would never be a leader because they were too kind.

It took me back to my days as a leader in an organisation. Across the group, the business support function was short staffed. This was at a time of significant change, resulting in an increased workload for this particular grade. Budgetary constraints meant that bringing in extra staff resource was not an option. There needed to be a reorganisation of work across the group if the business was to meet the demands of what was required.

I met with the team, outlined the situation and the challenges, told them what we needed to deliver, and asked them to come up with a solution that would work. A colleague I was collaborating with on this project told me I shouldn't have done it that way and eluded that I was being too kind. They thought I should have been firm with them and told them what to do, and that doing it my way would not work.

Not only did it work, they exceeded my expectations. By giving them autonomy and trusting them to find a solution, they were empowered, motivated, engaged and determined to make it work. They collaborated and worked as a team across the group.

I asked my LinkedIn connections what they thought

Curious as to what others thought about this, earlier this week I did a post on LinkedIn, asking whether a leader can be too kind. The consensus was like mine and that kindness is a leadership strength.

However, it is recognised that when kindness co-exists with passiveness or the leader is gullible, that is when it can be perceived as a weakness. This leaves leaders open to being taken advantage of or being manipulated.

Unfortunately, there are still some people who see the act of kindness as a down and out weakness in a leader. There are some leaders who prefer to lead with an iron rod and whose mantra is 'give them an inch and they take a mile.' The problem with this style of leadership is that it is very much fear based.

Fear based leadership doesn't foster a healthy working environment

Fear based leadership does not bring out the best in people. Operating from a place of fear does not encourage creativity and innovation, and it does not engage employees. It does not create the kind of environment that fosters motivation. Unless it's the motivation to bring about change, or to get out of the organisation.

Whilst fear-based leadership may get the 'job done', in my opinion, that is not good enough. I would rather an empowered team than one that is driven by fear. When people are empowered, they perform better, are motivated and driven to achieve. Not only that it creates an environment that is better for overall well-being.

In a fear-based environment, you are more likely to see a higher incidence of work-related stress, and higher levels of absenteeism.

Kindness is a virtue and a strength

The VIA Institute for Character Strengths defines kindness as a strength within the virtue humanity. Humanity being one of the 6 virtues that subcategorise the 24 character strengths that they have identified. When I took the VIA character strengths test a few years ago, kindness came out as being one of my top 5 strengths, ranking jointly in first place with social intelligence and perspective.

Kind individuals believe that others are worthy of attention and affirmation for their own sake as human beings, not out of a sense of duty or principle. There are three traits of altruistic personalities:

· Empathy/sympathy

· Moral reasoning

· Social responsibility

-Via Character Institute

However, there can be too much of a good thing and that also goes for overusing your strengths. According to a paper by psychologist Ryan M. Niemiec, overuse of the strength kindness can result in compassion-fatigue, intrusiveness, and being overly focused on others.

When you overuse a strength, rather than it then being considered a positive strength, it starts to have a negative effect either on yourself or others. As with any other strength, it is about optimal use.

Kindness perceived as a weakness

If a leader is passive and kind, then their kindness could be perceived as a weakness. There are several reasons as to why a leader could be passive. It could be personal insecurities, fear of being too controlling, or even that they don't grasp the complexity of their role.

Overusing the strength could even be because they are passive. In that it is easier and more comfortable for them to be kind, even if that is not the best or right thing for that situation. If passiveness is the underlying issue for you, address it. Learn how to develop assertiveness.

Because of misconceptions about introversion, a leader who is introverted and kind may be be misconceived and I think that was the case for me. However, just because I am introverted and kind, I am certainly not gullible and I am no pushover.

What to do if you have been told you are too kind as a leader

If you have been told that you are too kind as a leader and you don't think that you are, ask yourself why the person thinks this about you. Ask them for specific feedback with examples if they have not provided you with this. Examine the feedback and whether there is any merit to what they say. Are you assertive or are you passive?

How about the person who gave you the feedback, what sort of person are they? Are they from the school of 'treat em mean keep em keen', with a fear based, command and control leadership style?

What do other people say? If a few people say you are too kind, ask yourself what the reason for this could be. It might be that they are right. Or it might be that they too have a command and control leadership style and that this is the culture of the organisation.

If this is so, you may want to take action to change things. Or, if that is too much of a battle to fight, think about finding a working environment where you will thrive.

What about you? Have you ever been told you are too kind as a leader or you are to kind to be a leader? Please comment below and let me know.

About Me
I am an Executive, Career and Leadership Coach, known as The Coach for High Achieving Introverted Women, and 3 x LinkedIn Top Voice UK. I coach women who are senior leaders to be visible, to confidently exude presence, to influence, and make an impact. I also provide workshops, webinars and talks on personal development, career development and leadership development. If you are an introverted woman and a senior leader and want to increase your confidence, influence and impact, take my free assessment and get a report identifying areas to develop. You can take the assessment . ﻿My book Quietly Visible: Leading with Influence and Impact as an Introverted Woman addresses many of the challenges that introverted women face as leaders and shows how these challenges can be overcome. It was listed as one of the 10 best self-development books written by women to read during lockdown by BeYourOwn. You can get your copy along with a FREE recording of my How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome workshop.

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One of the comments on my newsletter last week stated that someone they knew had been told they would never be a leader because they were too kind. It took me back to my days as a leader in an organisation.

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Feedback is a key element of the incremental process of ongoing learning and assessment. Providing frequent and ongoing feedback is a significant means of improving achievement in learning.