What We’re Reading: Patti Shank on Deeper Learning

I’ve been following Patti Shank, Ph.D. for eons on Twitter and value her insights on learning and development. Her content is always evidence-based and thoroughly researched, but also easy to read and apply. I am really enjoying Patti’s two recently published books, so I wanted to share them with you. The latest is Practice and Feedback for Deeper Learning, which was just published this fall. The other one is Write and Organize for Deeper Learning, which was published this spring. They’re both under $25 on Amazon right now, so might make a good Christmas present or use for part of your holiday bonus.

Both books are broken into 20+ tactics that fall under a few key strategies, so you get both the strategic and tactical point of view, and the beginning of each book reviews the science behind the topics. Many books give us strategies or tactics or the science, but not all three laid out in such an easy-to-consume way. Heck, Patti even suggests how to better retain what you learn in her introduction!

Practice and Feedback

Over my years of designing training, I’ve come to realize just how important relevant practice and effective feedback are to a learner’s ability to retain what is learned and then transfer that knowledge into performance on the job. Patti’s practice and feedback book is the perfect dive into these topics in an easy to understand way with tons of examples.

Writing for Learning

My former training team members will tell you that I am a ruthless editor of training materials. With a background in journalism and having worked for some excellent writers early in my career, I can assure you that my training materials are much less wordy than anything else I write. It can be so tempting to include everything, but you are doing your learners a big disservice with this approach. Patti’s writing book has great tips and reminders and will give you a better understanding of why less really is more when writing for learning initiatives.

Podcast

If you aren’t able to get the books or want to start exploring right now, you may want to listen to Patti’s recent interview on the eLearning Coach podcast episode entitled The Art and Science of Practice and Feedback. Both Connie Malamed and Patti are a wealth of knowledge and their discussion is very engaging and insightful.

Originally published at Legal Learning Development Network.