How trainers and teachers can improve learning by using simple, yet novel teaching strategies PLUS why novelty helps the human brain pay attention and stay engaged in a learning environment.

1. Novelty: It’s a Brain Changer for Learners
How trainers & teachers can improve learning
by using simple, yet novel teaching strategies.

2. A plain piece of paper? Or a paper folded into a sphere?
Which one is more interesting to you?

3. You’ve seen a plain
piece of paper at least
1000 times . . .

4. . . . but odds are you’ve
never seen a piece of paper
folded into a sphere.
You’ve seen a plain
piece of paper at least
1000 times . . .

5. Which one peaks your interest more?

6. . . . probably this one

7. Why?

8. Why?
-It’s different

9. Why?
-It’s different
-It’s something new

10. Why?
-It’s different
-It’s something new
-It’s novel

11. This demonstrates an important fact about
the human brain

12. “The brain
doesn’t pay
attention to
boring things.”
John Medina
in Brain Rules
[Pear Press, 2014]

13. The human
brain loves
novelty.

14. Novelty helps
keep the brain
engaged with
learning.

15. You can find plenty of
research and
information
about novelty and the
brain online.

16. So why do many trainers and teachers continue
teaching in the same boring ways?
=

17. Do these teaching strategies look
interesting to the human brain?

18. What could the instructors do to better
engage these students?
?
?

19. They could
read
important
brain
research on
how the
brain learns
best

20. If you would like to learn more and
see examples, continue clicking
through these slides.
and
implement
engaging
&
novel
activities.

21. Brain science can teach us a lot a
about keeping learners interested and
engaged in learning content.
Brain
Science

22. One effective brain based strategy
is to use . . .

23. One effective brain based strategy
is to use .

24. Why novelty?
How does novelty
help the brain learn?
One effective brain based strategy
is to use .

25. Answer: The PINKY BRAIN!

26. The PINKY BRAIN
is another name for the
Reticular Activating System

27. The “reticular activating system” is in the
middle of the brain. It plays a big role in
holding the brain’s attention.

28. The “reticular activating system”
is similar in size to your pinky finger.

29. The RAS serves
as a
“gatekeeper”
for stimuli
coming into the
brain.
We’ll use the abbreviation RAS
(Reticular Activating System)
from this point forward.

30. The human brain can’t pay attention
to everything – not to every stimuli
in the environment.
Taking in all of the stimuli is
overwhelming for the brain.

31. So the RAS decides what’s
IMPORTANT to notice . . .AND
what’s not important to notice.

32. The
Reticular
Activating
System
does not pay
attention to
boring things.
X
Boring Things = normal sights, normal sensations,
routine everyday happenings, very familiar
experiences, the “usual.”

33. Instead the
Reticular
Activating
System
notices things
in the
environment
that are
different.

34. Now that you know that the
Reticular
Activating
System
doesn’t pay attention to boring
things,
what can you do when
teaching humans anything?

35. CHANGE
how you design
teaching and training

36. CHANGE
how you design
teaching and training

37. CHANGE
how you design
teaching and training

38. CHANGE
how you design
teaching and training

39. But that doesn’t
mean you have to
change your learning
environment into . . .
a party or
three ringed circus!
. . . um . . .
unless you
teach clown
school.

40. There are lots of ways
to add
novelty
to your training design.

41. Use the
following
training tips
to change
training from
usual
normal
ordinary
humdrum
mundane
monotonous
commonplace
to

42. Use the
following
training tips
to change
training from
usual
normal
ordinary
humdrum
mundane
monotonous
commonplace
to
fresh
original
unusual
different
intriguing
noteworthy
extraordinary

43. Novelty Tip #1
Use the 10-
minute rule.

44. Novelty Tip #1
Use the 10-
minute rule.
Change teaching
strategies every
10 minutes

45. Novelty Tip #1
Use the 10-
minute rule.
Change teaching
strategies every
10 minutes
Example

46. Novelty Tip #1
Use the 10-
minute rule.
Change teaching
strategies every
10 minutes
By changing your teaching
strategy every 10 minutes,
you are helping the
reticular activating system
pay attention.

47. Novelty Tip #2
Create
image rich
hand-outs.

48. Novelty Tip #2
Create
image rich
hand-outs.
The brain is more
attracted to images than
words

49. Novelty Tip #2
Create
image rich
hand-outs.
The brain is more
attracted to images than
words

50. Novelty Tip #3
Also make the
hand-outs
interactive

51. Novelty Tip #3
Also make the
hand-outs
interactive
That’s novel too!

52. Novelty Tip #3
Also make the
hand-outs
interactive
That’s novel too!

53. Use sticker dots, blanks
to fill in, coloring &
more. . .

54. There are
UNLIMITED WAYS
to integrate novelty
into teaching and training

55. Small uses of novelty
can make a
big
impact

56. What could
you do
with these
tools?
colored index cards
colored paper
paper plates

57. There are
many
possibilities!

58. But for now,
it’s okay
to start with
one small change
Take a small step

59. In your next class or training,
change just
1 teaching strategy
And see how it goes. . .

60. You can get lots of ideas for
new strategies at
BowPerson.com

61. If you are a
teacher or
trainer. . .

62. and you want
your learners
to . . .

63. -Be more
focused
-Feel more
engaged
AND
-Interact more
with the content
you teach

64. Use novelty
to engage your
student’s
brains!

65. Hi! I’m Kelly Pfeiffer and I
created these slides.

66. Hi! I’m Kelly Pfeiffer and I
created these slides.
I’ve been using novelty as a
training strategy since 2004.

67. Hi! I’m Kelly Pfeiffer and I
created these slides.
I’ve been using novelty as a
training strategy since 2004.
Now I also teach trainers and
teachers how to integrate novelty
into their classrooms.

68. Hi! I’m Kelly Pfeiffer and I
created these slides.
I’ve been using novelty as a
training strategy since 2004.
Now I also teach trainers and
teachers how to integrate novelty
into their classrooms.
You can find me and novel ideas
at …
GoInteractiveTraining.com@GoInteractiveKP
@GoInteractiveTraining