Why Training Does Not Work

 

Which TWO of the following have been proven?

A. Slime molds can solve puzzles.
B. Training is more effective when it includes elements targeted to learning styles (visual learners, “left-brain” learners, etc.).
C. Knuckle-cracking does not cause arthritis.

Sometimes we “know” something because it is simply common sense - most of those around us believe it. Recently, a group of cognitive scientists conducted a review to see what scientific support there was for "learning styles" and found that there really wasn’t any. So where did the idea start and how did it grow to be a standard way to design training? Interesting questions. Unfortunately, however, I don't have an answer.

I do know that scientists proved A* and C** and were recognized for these most excellent findings. One scientist actually cracked the knuckles on his left hand every day for 60 years. BTW: The Ig Nobel Prizes for 2010 will be webcast Thu 9/30 at 7:30 PM ET.

Mike Donoghue lamented in his recent gantthead article that workers scramble to complete online training in between too many other tasks. He said that people are not in classrooms anymore learning with other committed trainees. This is true . But we cannot go back to the old instructor-led classroom method for all training. Training needs to work differently to fit into modern project work life.

The way formal training (classroom or online) has been designed in the past does not fit what is needed today. Using unproven design principles is just one problem. It takes too long to create. It is too expensive to create. It becomes obsolete too quickly. Yet we still need workers committed to learning and organizations committed to providing an environment where learning is continual and effective.

My upcoming article will describe how social media can help take us to the next step. Social media can, if used correctly, enable techniques that have been proven to improve retention. There are actually newly found and classic techniques scientifically proven to improve learning. Soon after the article is published, I will lead discussions on social media and project training in the Social Media in Project Management GIG. Are you a member?

P.S.  Remember how you were told to find a good quiet, well-lighted place to study and use that place always? That was also wrong! It's better to vary your locations for learning. Is nothing sacred?

* "Intelligence: Maze-Solving by an Amoeboid Organism," Toshiyuki Nakagaki, Hiroyasu Yamada, and Ágota Tóth, Nature, vol. 407, September 2000, p. 470.

** "Does Knuckle Cracking Lead to Arthritis of the Fingers?", Donald L. Unger, Arthritis and Rheumatism, vol. 41, no. 5, 1998, pp. 949-50.