Mediational Learning: taking personal control of change

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Mediational Learning taking personal control of
change
learning and retention
learning for understanding in science and
mathematics
accelerated forgetting
proactive inhibition
physical therapy
normal forgetting
sports coaching
Teaching practices
safety
manual handling
transitioning
skill development
skill correction
training
Continuous improvement and change management in
education, industry and sport

• Harry Lyndon, originator of
• Old Way/New Way and Conceptual Mediation

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C M P Old Way/New Way
Teaching / learning session (15 mins.)
Conventional
Control
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Prior knowledge matters!
The single most important factor influencing
learning change is what the learner already
knows. Ascertain this and teach him/her
accordingly. David Ausubel It is well
understood that prior knowledge facilitates new
learning , however. It is not so well known that
prior knowledge actively inhibits new learning.
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When what you already know is different from the
new thing that you are trying to learn, this can
seriously interfere with, frustrate and slow
down change and improvement

• Stroop Colour Chart Demonstration of PI
• This simple but intriguing activity is a
  demonstration of the powerful interference effect
  caused by prior learning. Exactly what it means
  for you personally will become clearer after you
  have done the 2 short tasks and we interpret your
  scores.
• Now, please read and follow these instructions
  carefully

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Stroop Colour Chart Demonstration of PI

• TASK 1
• Name the colour of the ink in which each word is
  written, from left to right, line by line, as
  quickly as you can and correct any mistakes.
• For example, the colour of the first word is
  "pink" so you have to say "pink" instead of
  "green". The second is "red", not "brown" and so
  on. R
• Record how many seconds it takes you to finish.
• TASK 2
• Read each word aloud from left to right, line by
  line, as quickly as you can and correct any
  mistakes.
• Record how many seconds you take to finish.

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Performance on Colour Charts
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Prior knowledge can interfere with new learning

• all learning is protected from change by the
  brains proactive inhibitory mechanism this
  preserves continuity
• Prior knowledge interferes with the learning of
  new but conflicting ideas
• proactive inhibition (PI) is a forward acting
  interference - old learning actively interferes
  with new learning
• PI causes accelerated forgetting of the new way
  within minutes or hours
• person appears to forget what they have learned
  and reverts to old ways
• this is an involuntary and universal
  characteristic of learning
• PI strength varies among individuals, but we
  all have it
• PI is well documented in research
• conventional learning strategies directly
  stimulate PI

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Executive Summary The Conceptual Mediation
Project 1995-2002 The Conceptual Mediation
Program is an application of Mediational Learning
Theory (Lyndon 2000). It is has been shown that
where students and their teachers use this
program that students learning of
counter-intuitive concepts and skills is
significantly increased compared to students
learning using conventional learning strategies.
The program works equally well for both genders
in that CMP students achieve significantly higher
HEES scores. Further beneficial outcomes of this
program are significant improvements in student
behaviour, positive attitudes toward school, time
on task, and improved self-esteem.
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• CMP significantly improved students academic
  attainments

Figure 5. Means for CMP and non-CMP groups
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CMP worked equally well for both genders in
raising HEES scores
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CMP significantly increased the positive attitude
of boys to school in the Adelaide cohort
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CMP significantly increased student time on
taskTable1. Time on Task in CMP Classes

• This represents time-on-task, or engaged learning
  time, and we know from a significant body of data
  the average engagement level in the average room
  is likely to be 65 to 70 per cent, and any figure
  over 80 per cent is considered excellent. (Yates
  Higgs, 1998) The impact of CMP upon time on
  task was particularly evident in the boys.

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Why did ...

• Students at Canberra HS and WL HS have difficulty
  learning Science
• Jason Gillespie find it so hard to change his
  bowling action?
• Duncan Armstrong have difficulty changing his
  slow tumble turns?
• Aluminium casting pit crew members at ALCOA,
  Geelong, consistently fail to follow SOPs when
  handling Fibrefrax?
• James keep reversing letters and numbers in Grade
  3, despite quality teaching and parental help at
  home?
• The gymnastics coach, despite trying to get it
  right first time, keep having to correct
  technique faults with his athletes?
• Helicopter mustering pilots take so long to learn
  the correct rotor stall recovery technique?
• all these people keep falling back to their old
  ways?

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How did ...

• Students at Canberra HS and WL HS
• improve their learning of Science
• Jason Gillespie finally correct his bowling
  action?
• Duncan Armstrong speed up his tumble turns?
• Aluminium casting pit crew members at ALCOA,
  Geelong, learn to follow SOPs when handling
  Fibrefrax?
• James stop reversing letters and numbers?
• the gymnastics coach improve his correction of
  technique problems?
• helicopter mustering pilots learn the correct
  rotor stall recovery technique more quickly?
• all of these people learned to take direct
  personal control of the change process?

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Conceptual Mediation

• Learning from experience is always subject to
  accelerated forgetting.
• We normally control accelerated forgetting
  through practice of the new
• When learning involves radical change we control
  accelerated forgetting through differentiation
  that is by practising the difference between the
  old and the new

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Comments made during an evaluation of Mediational
Learning by High School students indicate the
impact Mediational Learning has on learning,
self-esteem, attitude, and motivation,

• Ive enjoyed science more because I have right
  ideas. I can remember more things.
• I have started to understand science more and
  enjoy it.
• The best thing about it Mediational Learning is
  that you can be perfect in Science.
• I actually remember what I learn.
• I now love science, and its totally my favourite
  class.
• It has made me learn more. It is fun and not so
  boring, so, I listen.
• It has helped me. I feel smarter and can
  remember quicker.
• Mediational Learning has helped me lots. As I
  like science now as Im not bored!
• Sometimes when I really concentrate I actually
  learn something.
• I understand whats going on in class.
• Mediational Learning is easy and fun and you
  learn.
• Using CMP, I dont forget anything the teacher
  teaches me. Since Ive been doing it I remember
  nearly everything.
• CMP helps me get a decent grade.
• I like best that you never forget it and when it
  comes to the test you just breeze through it

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Recognition Memory
Effortful Recall
CM
Automatic
Understanding
Creativity
Practice 1-3 times 4-5
Recall
Accelerated Forgetting
Natural Forgetting
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The Brain is Designed to Forget!

• Underwoods discovery of the significance of
  proactive inhibition represents one of his major
  contributions to the science of psychology.
  Because of his research, proactive inhibition was
  understood to cause the accelerated forgetting of
  conflicting new learning.
• The term normal forgetting (Slamecka McElree,
  1983) is used to describe the relatively slower
  rate of forgetting associated with the learning
  of things that are non-conflicting, that is,
  those that are novel and those that elaborate or
  simply confirm prior experience.
• Data showing logarithmic rates of forgetting are
  no longer typical of the rate of forgetting
  expected when the possibility of associative
  conflict is controlled.
• In the forgetting curves drawn today we see much
  more gradual rates of forgetting particularly in
  relationship to continuous motor skills
  (Baddeley, 1990).
• Underwood showed that subjects who learned only a
  single list of paired associates and were
  re-tested some 24 hours later showed only
  approximately a 25 per cent reduction in recall
  of the list learned. Underwood considered even
  this relatively low percentage loss of recall as
  probably an over-estimation of the actual loss
  (Underwood, 1957).
• Though the degree of forgetting was considered to
  be relatively minor, it still represented a major
  problem for the associative interference theory.
  Underwood and his associates attempted to account
  for this rate of forgetting in ways consistent
  with the theory that all forgetting was due to
  factors of associative interference alone.
  However, despite intensive and varied research
  efforts, the results were consistently
  unfavourable
• The data that have proven so intractable to
  interference theory must be viewed with concern
  by anyone in memory, whether his sympathies lie
  with the interference approach or some other.
  Tasks in which a variety of encoding processes
  are used in establishing the memory are not
  forgotten at different rates. Lists of high
  meaningfulness, low meaningfulness, high
  similarity, low similarity and so on, are all
  forgotten at the same rate. Further, individual
  differences in rate of forgetting are
  minimal (Underwood, 1964).
• Do these facts mean what they appear to mean,
  namely, that a wide variety of mechanisms used in
  establishing memories, memories that must be
  encoded differently, have no consequence for
  long-term retention? Or does it mean that
  underlying all of these memories there is one,
  powerful, common constituent that is responsible
  for the observed constant rate of forgetting and
  that remains uninfluenced by particular
  manipulations suggested by extant theory? One
  cannot but conclude that the problem is of
  critical centrality and that its solution is no
  longer the sole responsibility of the
  interference theorist. (Underwood, 1972)

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Conceptual Mediation Program Old Way/New
WayDr E H LyndonThe Competitive Edge
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Why training doesnt always workWhy people dont
do what theyre supposed to do (Fournies,FF.
1991)

• they dont know what theyre supposed to do
• they dont know how to do it
• they dont know why they should do it
• they think your way wont work
• they think their way is better
• they think something else is more important
• there are no positive consequences for them to do
  it
• they think they are doing it
• theyre punished for doing what theyre supposed
  to do
• theyre rewarded for not doing it
• they anticipate negative consequences for doing
  it
• there are no negative consequences for not doing
  it
• there are obstacles beyond their control
• their personal limits prevent them from complying
• they have personal problems, distractions,
  fatigue, etc
• no one could do it

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A new way for people changing themselves

• when person does something wrong, doesnt do what
  he/she is supposed to do, or fails to act, we
  should
• check if their behaviour/performance/error is
  consistent or inconsistent
• consistency means they always do it wrong in the
  same way
• inconsistency means they always do it wrong but
  in different ways
• if behaviour shows consistency, then
• you are dealing with the presence, rather than
  absence, of learning
• the person has a learned error or habit error
• they know how to do it wrong (or to do nothing)
• you have to respect, incorporate what they
  already know
• prior knowledge, skills (learned errors) resist
  change
• conventional training, re-training will not fix
  this kind of error
• we need an alternative training method -
  Conceptual Mediation Program (CMP) and Old
  Way/New Way

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ANTA funded experimental field trial

• 43,500 for 6 month skill development and
  correction field trial
• 8 skill areas, 34 trainees, 12 trainers
• skill problems targeted were
• important for competence
• typical
• resistant
• e.g., handling and cutting glass safely
• 3 matched groups trainees
• conventional skill correction
• CMP skill correction
• no correction (control group)
• research questions - which method gives
• faster learning, correction
• permanent change
• best transfer of skills

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KAAL / ALCOA workplace trial - Fibrefrax handling

• conventional training and re-training attempts
  unsuccessful
• a cultural problem
• 1.5 hours with casting pit crew (8) in training
  room
• monitoring by pit crew supervisor
• informal feedback after 3 weeks
• process and safety audits after 3 months

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ALCOA workplace trial - Fibrefrax handling
Crew members comments - 3 weeks after
training (interviews conducted by Training
Coordinator) After doing the program I cant
not think about how I dispose of synthetic
mineral fibres. Casting Pit Operator A We
dont get any complaints from the crew who takes
over from us. Casting Pit Operator C I went
into the training room only because I had to. I
had little interest in the program at the
beginning. But it got me interested and I left
the meeting committed to giving it a go.
Casting Pit Operator B
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ALCOA workplace trial - Fibrefrax handling
Crew members comments - 3 weeks after
training (interviews conducted by Training
Coordinator) You can tell the difference when
we take over from another shift. You have to
give the other shifts the same training to bring
them up to our level. Casting Pit Operator
C The casting pit is significantly different on
C shift in terms of the amount of synthetic
mineral fibres left in the bath pans and around
the pit itself. There is a significant and
noticeable improvement. Crew Team
Leader When can you work with my team? Team
Leader of a different area
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ALCOA workplace trial - Fibrefrax handling
Crew members comments - 3 weeks after
training (interviews conducted by Training
Coordinator) Unfortunately, the crews rotate
regularly, so only a couple of people who did the
training are actually still working in the pit
but they are influencing the people around them
who have not done the training to clean up the
SMFs properly. That says a lot about the
program. Crew Team Leader
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ALCOA workplace trial - Fibrefrax handling
Crew members comments - 3 months after
training (interviews conducted by Training
Coordinator) Im really glad I did the program.
Why dont you give it to everyone then the
problem with SMF would be well on the way to
being fixed? Casting Pit Operator B It works
with some people but not with others. After
questioning it turned out that the people it
works for are the ones who have done the
training and the ones it doesnt work for are the
ones who have not done the training. Its easy
to tell who has done the program and who has
not. Casting Pit Operator C
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ALCOA workplace trial - Fibrefrax handling
Production Supervisors evaluation of the trial
after 3 months After discussions with the
Team Leader Ive come to the conclusion that the
CMP has been very effective in changing the work
habits of those that attended the training
session for handling synthetic mineral fibres in
the casting pit. While carrying out process
and safety audits the Team Leader has been easily
able to identify those who completed the training
against those who didnt. For this reason, I
would recommend that we investigate
the possibility of expanding the use of the
program with the intent of covering a number of
safety related work habit issues that exist in
the Ingot Mill.
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Background to the method

• Endorsed by South Australian DETE, Queensland
  DTIR
• TAFE Queensland obtained research grant from ANTA
  for 1996-1997 successful experimental field trial
• ALCOA/KAAL workplace trial highly successful -
  hazardous materials handling
• G. James Glass Aluminium workplace trial
  commencing - manual handling
• safety awareness courses for helicopter mustering
  pilots - rotor stall recovery technique in
  Robinson R22
• sports technique correction - Jason Gillespie,
  Paul Wilson, Mark Woolnough, Duncan Armstrong,
  S.A. Sports Institute, S.A Cricket Assocn (Greg
  Chappell)
• KAAL re-training of fork truck drivers using CMP,
  Nov 98

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C M P Old Way/New Way
Teaching / learning session (15 mins.)
Conventional
Control
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What difference would it make?(to the employee,
trainer, business, country)

• improved safety - injury reduction and prevention
• reduced compensation claims
• accelerated skill development and correction with
  individuals and groups
• no adjustment period to new technique
• convenience of use
• rapid change over to new procedures, new
  equipment, new techniques, new systems, new ideas
• greater productivity
• employee empowerment, improved motivation and
  team work
• greater job satisfaction for employees and
  trainers
• improved cost-effectiveness of training, enhanced
  profile of trainers

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CMP versus conventional change programs

• Conventional Training
• poor transfer
• slow improvement in skills
• variable results
• trainer-intensive
• adaptation period to new skill
• fault-finding
• employee resistance
• high supervision, monitoring
• old habits die hard
• low cost-effectiveness

• CMP Training
• 80 transfer after 1 session
• rapid skill development
• consistent predictable results
• employee empowerment
• no adaptation period - immediate improvement
• blameless correction
• self-monitoring, self-correcting
• old habits no longer die hard
• very cost-effective

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An answer to the transfer problem

• simple tool for acquiring, developing and
  changing skills, technique, behaviour, notions,
  attitudes, motivation
• with training, can immediately use it anywhere,
  any time
• no special equipment
• user friendly
• accelerated learning
• 80 transfer of learning after one successful
  session
• 90 self-monitoring and self-correcting
• reduced supervision
• no blame
• no adjustment period to the new technique or
  behaviour - immediate improvement
• works with individuals, groups and teams
• cost effective
• the name .. Conceptual Mediation Program (CMP)
• and Old Way/New Way

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People dislike change

• we try to get it right the first time
• but we often get it wrong
• inaccuracies, imperfections, errors or shortcuts
• dont follow Standard Operating Practices
• poor, unsafe work practices develop uncorrected
  established
• re-train operator
• fall back to old ways transfer problem
• workplace learning problems not amenable to
  training solutions
• employee attitude, workplace culture to blame
• easier to alter equipment, tools, work
  environment than try to change work habits

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The employee education is all thats needed
fallacy

• we want them to change the way they do things, so
  we educate them by
• getting their commitment, cooperation, attention
• explaining how they need to change
• explaining, reinforcing the importance of doing
  it this way
• pointing out possible consequences
• developing their understanding
• but they already have their own, different
  understanding
• from previous training in different ways,
  processes, procedures
• from self-taught attempts
• from observation of others
• from incorrect prior training
• their own ways are protected from change so they
  suffer accelerated forgetting and revert to old
  ways
• re-training is the proposed solution but is
  ineffective

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The attitude problem fallacy

• when people consistently dont follow
  instructions its often because of accelerated
  forgetting
• non-compliance may initially have started because
  of
• annoyance
• inattention
• distractions
• work pressures preventing compliance
• poor training
• but if allowed to go on uncorrected,
  non-compliance soon becomes a learned error and
  is then much harder to correct
• old habits die hard (PI and accelerated
  forgetting)
• attitude is no longer whats maintaining the
  behaviour - its PI maintaining the status quo
  and preserving their old ways
• maintenance of old ways is simply a sign the
  brains preservation mechanism is doing its job
  and slowing down or blocking transfer of training
  to the job
• its no longer simply attributable to bad
  attitude

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Change is necessary but people resist change

• everyone has to change sooner or later because
• they have to change - poor technique, unsafe
• they want to change - upgrade, transition,
  improve
• signs that people resist change
• emotions
• excuses for non-compliance (Fournies, 1991)
• change occurs only slowly
• fall back to old ways
• need retraining
• symptoms or indicators of underlying problems

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Why does non-compliance really happen(why dont
people change)?

• people may be new but they are not a blank
  slate
• even untrained persons have some knowledge, some
  ideas, some self-taught skills
• trained persons have many skills
• some or all of their pre-existing skills,
  knowledge may be incomplete, incorrect,
  misconceived
• these wrong ideas and ways, having gone
  uncorrected, have been repeatedly used, practiced
• whatever you practice you will learn - becomes
  automatic, routine, unconscious, reflex-like
  responses to situations and instructions
• you can learn to think and do the wrong thing
  just as easily as the right thing
• you now have a learned error or habit error
• learned errors, like all habits, die hard
• conventional training, teaching takes little or
  no account of prior learning (correct or
  incorrect)

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