Planning and implementing a successful learner experience requires a deep knowledge and skills on how to engage learners, manage the learning environment and the learners’ interactions.
There are many ways to grab an individual’s or a group’s attention, including the use of videos, stories, questions, games, among other options. However, skilled facilitators, trainers and designers ensure that every selected strategy or method is directly related to the learning outcomes and contributes to learners’ engagement and growth.
To do so, they have to monitor the three meters of the Learner eXperience. In our ACTIVE DEEP learning approach, we always refer to three important meters to be detected during the learning journey and trip, which are:
Energy meter
Each type of learning activity requires a different level of energy. So, if we imagine that LX facilitators have a virtual meter to measure the energy level of learners during the trip, then it should be easy to adjust this level according to the activity type and intended learning outcome.
It is therefore a core skill for the facilitator to be just sensitive to energy levels throughout the trip, as well as keeping in line with the activity objectives and the whole journey goals.
The Energy meter is not always constant and it is expected to be high at times and low at others.
Engago-meter
Refers to engagement.
Energy levels are not the only reference for learners’ engagement; learners can be engaged with low energy if this is intended for the activity or the design.
In our approach of active deep learning, it’s important to merge both active and deep techniques. You have to be aware when to use high energy level activities and when to use low ones; so to create the desired learner experience that combines both active high energy level activities, and deep thinking and reflective activities.
Since it is very important for the learners to be engaged along the whole trip, the engage-meter should always be high.
Safo-meter
Refers here to safe environment, which is a crucial element for the success of the activity and the trip as a whole. It means that learners should feel that it is accepted to make mistakes during learning, and that they will learn from this mistakes, they will not be judged for their opinions and directions.
The main threat to the safe learning environment is sarcasm! This will aggravate learners’ fears and they would discourage them from speaking their minds, sharing their experiences, or properly participating in discussions and activities.
Another huge threat to the safe environment is judgment. Learners should trust that they are not being assessed and judged during the learning event, they should feel free to learn through mistakes as this is what learning is all about; trial and error.
Safe environment is especially important in the readiness phase with the facilitator fully aware to sustain that environment.
The Safo-meter should always be high. In fact, any decrease in the safo-meter can adversely affect the learning journey and hence the learning transfer.
Envisioning these meters will help you establish an equitable learning environment and implement an anti-bias instruction, which are essential for creating a conductive environment for learning. Additionally, paying attention to the learners’ energy and engagement and planning the activities accordingly further supports this environment and consequently the learners’ development.