If you have ever thought about expanding your knowledge and cultivating your learning abilities, chances are you’ve considered some form of post-secondary education. While higher education has many benefits, the traditional four-year undergraduate degree and 5-15 years of post-graduate study are time- and money-consuming.
Accelerated Learning (AL) speeds up the learning process without the stress of excessive time and money spent. AL programs tend to provide a structured and positive learning atmosphere centered on total learner involvement. Groups (or cohorts) are encouraged to work together and are taught in ways that cater to a diverse array of learning styles. If this sounds appealing, here are five aspects of what accelerated learning can do for you.
1. Learn Practical Knowledge and Skills in a Short Time Period
In Accelerated Learning (AL) programs, learning is contextually-based. In a relatively short period of time, you can learn relevant facts and skills that would otherwise be more difficult to retain when learned in an isolated setting. Distance learning programs sometimes struggle to integrate individual learners into a community where what they learn has meaning and, therefore, sticks with them.
2. Increase Intrinsic Motivation for Learning
Learners in AL programs are generally there because they want to be, not because they feel pressured to attend, as is the case for many college/university students. Those who teach accelerated learning courses understand that motivation is crucial for successful learning and can help you cultivate goal-oriented, social and activity-oriented, and learning-oriented motivation.
Learning and motivation do not always occur simultaneously, but AL teachers are often well-prepared to help you keep them in balance.
3. Participate in Learning Activities
Accelerated learning activities are often holistic in nature (meaning they involve the entirety of the body and the mind) and, therefore, does not cater to the analytic (“left”) aspect of the brain over the creative (“right”) aspect.
Learning activities can be beneficial in helping you find methods for meaningfully processing and applying your learned knowledge and skills, and you will be able to do so in a supportive group setting.
You will not be expected to simply absorb and regurgitate facts. Instead, your learning will be something that is created because you will be integrating newly-acquired knowledge and skills into your set of pre-existing knowledge and skills.
4. Participate in a Positive Learning Environment
Have you ever taken a class where you felt you did not learn as much as you would’ve liked to? Chances are that your learning environment was dull, uninviting, non-supportive, or even threatening in some way.
Accelerated learning programs tend to place emphasis on offering positive learning environments. Students of any type often learn best when they feel they are supported and understood by like-minded individuals. Positive emotions result from and perpetuate further positive learning experiences since they increase intrinsic motivation to learn.
5. Improve Image Processing
Your central nervous system (which includes your brain) is highly adapted to process images. Visual information enters through your eyes, travels along your optic nerve, into your thalamus (a small structure in the brain that is responsible for relaying sensory data), and ends up in your visual cortex, where it gets processed.
Individuals with brain injuries from physical trauma or from substance abuse tend to struggle with neuropsychological performance issues, including an impairment of visuospatial skills.
Accelerated learning relies less solely on verbal abstractions than other styles of learning. Instead, it focuses more on creating concrete images based on verbal abstractions. This makes data more meaningful and easier and faster to learn. Therefore, information tends to be more fully processed by the brain into your long-term memory storage bank.
If you have brain damage resulting from substance abuse, you might find this method to be beneficial in regaining some visual processing and memory skills.
If you want to enhance your knowledge and skills and wish to see more immediate real-world results, consider giving an accelerated learning program a try. You might find yourself more meaningfully engaged in creating your education, and your bank account will not suffer too much for it.
You can retrain your brain without the cost and stress of a higher education degree, and programs are adaptable for those with diverse learning needs.