Chapter 9 - True learning: the fun-fast way

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True learning: the fun-fast way	321

although they don't have to. They put the text aside, and imagine, say, that they are in a theater in the country they're studying, and somebody is acting a story in the background. Generally this will be the last part of a particular language session - and the students will then go home - and probably skim through their foreign-language 'play' just before they go to sleep." Overnight the subconscious goes to work - and the seemingly automatic start of the transfer to long-term memory storage. Lozanov fans claim the use of music in this way can accomplish 60 percent of learning in 5 percent of the time.24
  We hasten to add that even great Lozanov enthusiasts do not recommend using his full "concert" technique in every session. Even in something as clearly defined as learning a foreign language, perhaps only three "concert" sessions might be held in a week. But all the other key principles of learning would be used in other sessions.

3. Thinking about it, and deep memory storage
 
  Education is, of course, not only about absorbing new information. It involves thinking about it and storing it into deep memory as well.
  Learning how to think is a major part of every educational program, and good facilitators use "thinking games" and "mind games" as part of synthesizing information - as well as providing "state changes". In business seminars we've found it best to introduce this by fun projects: designing "a golf ball that can't get lost" or playing the "What if?" game on subjects well divorced from the activities of each group.
  For deep memory storage, Lozanov's active and passive concerts are tops. They are designed to access the long-term memory system in order to link new information subconsciously with data already stored.

4. Activate to draw out the learning
 
  Storing information is also only one part of the learning process. The information also has to be accessed. So the next step is "activation".
  And here games, skits, discussions and plays can all be used to "activate" the memory-banks - and reinforce the learning pathways.
  Again, this needn't make more work for the teacher. The opposite, in fact. Students love to organize their own plays, presentations, debates and games. Give them the chance to present their new-found information to the rest of the class or group - any way they prefer.

 

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