Accelerated learning

Accelerated learning combines practical methods intended to make learning faster, deeper and more enjoyable. British writer, trainer and educational consultant Colin Rose synthesized ideas from several educational researchers during the 1980s. The central practical message is to become an active learner, use more than one form of engagement and connect new knowledge with action. Preferences can help you choose varied activities, but they should not be treated as fixed learning types.

When to use it

Apply accelerated-learning techniques whenever you are acquiring new knowledge or developing a skill.

Origins

Accelerated learning grew from twentieth-century efforts to make education more active, multisensory and emotionally engaging. Georgi Lozanov's suggestopedia attracted international interest during the 1960s and 1970s, particularly in language teaching, although its stronger claims were disputed. Colin Rose brought together a wider group of ideas in Accelerated Learning (nineteen eighty-five). In corporate training, Dave Meier developed a whole-person, activity-centred approach through the Center for Accelerated Learning, founded in nineteen eighty.

Modern use should emphasize practices with stronger support—active retrieval, practice, elaboration and feedback—rather than assume that matching teaching to a supposedly fixed learning style improves results.

What it is

People receive information through sight, sound and physical sensation, and may prefer some modes in particular situations. Involving several senses can create more routes for attention and recall. Drawing, speaking, movement, music and hands-on practice are therefore possible learning tools, provided they support the material rather than distract from it.