The Learning CURVE™

The Learning CURVE™ is a a well-researched, proprietary learning model which combines principles from theories such as the Adult Learning Cycle, Bloom’s Taxonomy, and much more to explain a learner’s spiral journey from simply amassing knowledge to true knowledge mastery.

C—Connect:

To interact with another or others in a meaningful fashion; to come or bring together in one’s mind or imagination.

Learning begins by anchoring information in the experience of the learners. Think of the human brain like a gated community. To get information in, you must be granted access. Just as in a gated community, the learner’s brain will ask, “Who are you here to see?” If you can’t prove that you have a connection with the knowledge that already lives inside, you will most likely be denied access. That’s why the Connect activity is so critical: It connects the information already in the brains of your learners with the gist of what you are about to teach, creating an “awareness experience.”

U—Unpack:

To decipher or discern the meaning of symbols, statements, stories, experiences, and more.

Now that you have been granted access, the brain immediately wants to know where this new information might ‘belong’. So the next step is to have students reflect on the experience targeted in the Connect step (“unpack” it), focusing attention on key aspects of the experience that relate to the new topic. This is often achieved through guided discussions that help learners mentally prepare for the new information that will be presented next.

R—Reinforce:

To strengthen with some added piece, support, or material; to make more forcible or effective.

The third step is to explore any new knowledge that can reinforce the concept that was introduced and hinted at in the first two steps. This is where the traditional “teaching” takes place and principles, patterns, and insights are introduced to the learners to broaden their knowledge and experience base. In a classroom-like setting, this is typically a mix of lecture and guided discussion.

V—Verify:

To prove the truth of as by evidence, examination, research, or comparison; confirm; substantiate.

For information to really become part of long-term memory that affects behavior as well as beliefs, we have to at least attempt to deal with this critical question: Does it work? In this final step, we help learners to apply the new learning, to see if it holds true in other situations.  The goal is to create and carry out some sort of practical application of the new knowledge and to ultimately provide a new “experience” … until the learning cycle begins again.

E—Elaborate:

Worked out with great care and nicety of detail; executed with great minuteness; marked by intricate and often excessive detail; complicated; develop or expand to perfection.

This step is the ultimate goal. However, this is considered to be a higher level of learning and often is not possible until a student has amassed a critical amount of knowledge, allowing him or her, in essence, to transition from the role of student to teacher.