Science of learning

​The brain is constantly on the hunt for patterns. Patterns help us make sense of the world around us. We form narratives and seek order to calm the chaos. What often separates experts from novices is a proficiency in recognizing patterns related to the job, even if finding the pattern is a subconscious act. The task of instructional designers is to uncover the critical patterns experts use and convert that into training for novices.The book Sources of Power: How People Make Decisions provides an example. The author tells the story of firefighters responding to a call at a one-story house. Battling the blaze inside the burning home, the lieutenant had a gut feeling something wasn’t right. He ordered his crew out of the house and the moment they were out the door, the floor where they had just be standing collapsed.

​2.)Confusion Is Good For Learning

​When possible, the brain will operate on autopilot. Although the brain weighs only about three pounds, it uses 20 percent of the body’s energy. It would be exhausting to apply conscious thought to all activity engaged in during the course of a day.

In order to truly learn something, you need to consciously think about it. The feeling of confusion propels us to learn. When the brain becomes confused, it receives a hit of dopamine, resulting in a sense of bewilderment that forces the brain to pay close attention.

Scenario-based learning uses confusion to aid learning. A module that allows the learner to explore and make their own decisions creates a learning environment that breeds confusion initially, but ultimately results in increased engagement and retention. A sample from infection prevention training for a medical client is below.

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