Accelerated Learning

Accelerated Learning

Accelerated Learning technologies and methods are designed to make learning rapid, easy and efficient.

The emphasis is on strong visual imagery and associations, mind maps, the use of peripheral texts assimilated by peripheral vision, all kinds of mnemonic techniques. Rhythm and some kinds of music also play and important role in facilitating learning.

Academic teaching tends to emphasize language, numeracy, logic and analysis and thus uses the left side of the brain. The right side of the brain deals with images, patterns and music, helps us see the big picture. Accelerated Learning helps us make sure that the whole brain is engaged in learning.

The assumption is we learn best in a relaxed and receptive state of mind. In this state our brain waves are in alpha rhythm rather than beta rhythm. Advocates of the method suggest learning environments should be more “child like” in that fun, play and spontaneity are valued as part of learning.

The Incline of Difficulty Principle: Most formal courses present simple material first and the rest of the course becomes progressively more difficult. Accelerated Learning calls this practice into question and does not to make concessions. However it also does not to expect the student to learn everything presented to him. Telling students that the work is going to get increasingly more difficult sets up expectations that learning will be a joyless task.

Accelerated Learning ideas are present in other areas of personal development such as meditation, neuro-linguistic programming. In NLP learning can be accelerated by modeling. In this case Accelerated learning is learning to do something and only later learning how you are doing it.

The usefulness of Accelerated learning is in this age where knowledge is growing rapidly in very varied forms of media. In medicine it has been calculated that if a doctor reads 2 journal articles a night for a year, then at the end of that year they will be 800 years behind.