Whole Brain Learning!

At Learning 2007 I joined an inspiring pre-conference session of Ann Herrmann-Nehdi (HBDI) . The last weeks I was thinking about her whole Brain Thinking Model because I'm convinced that it can be a very useful model for e-Learning. I presented the model with the implications for the didactical approach at a client and we both want to use it. The project is a very innovative and challenging one and we are thinking of using learning styles in the design phase to offer the learners an optimal experience. For me the problem of most learning styles models is the limited way it can be pragmatically integrated.

Whole Brain Thinking Model
Ann worked with us on the model for about 6 hours and the whole learning experience was an example of 'teach what you preach'. During the day she was using a lot of inspiring didactical formats and I'm still using the materials she gave us, besides my own profile she also gave us posters, a hand-out, a kind of quick reference table flip-over and a set of cards.

Four different quadrants
When you fill out the questionnaire the results is a visual representation of your preferred thinking style. You will always score on every of the quadrants. On the picture you see that I score heavily on the yellow and red quadrant. There is also a dotted plotline. That is the style you prefer when acting under stress. So if you look at my preferences; I will act more extreme in the red and yellow area.

My own profile!

The graphic representation of the results is printed on a see-thru plastic sheet so you can put this on different papers. That is smart and nice. So you can see typical jobs for certain plots.

You can use the profile of yourself and others in different situations e.g. when you are having a business conversation. Clear example: you are scoring high on the blue quadrant (analyze). This means you are logical and like numbers. If you are selling a car you will talk about the power, the number of gears, the measurements of the car, the costs etc. If the customer scores in the red quadrant (personalize) he/she will not be interested in numbers but in personal stories, feelings, and the story behind the car. You will not sell if you are not aware of the differences.

Whole Brain Learning
The same goes for learning; as an instructional designer I design learning experiences that reflect my preferences. So for me it will be easy to forget to include statistical data, numbers, etc.

Learning design strategies

In the picture you see learning design strategies. Once again: you don't have to choose, you have to combine the aspects of every quadrant to make it a successful learning experience for a wide range of learners.

Stack of cards with instructional design questions

To help you to think about all the quadrants, Ann also gave us a stack of cards in 4 different colors and every card has an instructional design question or hint. If you are designing you can take a few cards from every color to get ideas.

No hocus pocus, very plain and easy to use advice. Digg into it, it will enrich you as an instructional designer and will make your learning experiences more powerful and more balanced!

Thanks Ann!

Ann gave us a lot: inspiration and useful materials!