When it comes to revamping an old training program, slide decks, or even a diagram , it is really challenging for me to let go of my old perceptions. Do you know of any resources that provide guidance on how I can disconnect from old ways of thinking that will allow me to conceptualize something differently and create 'new grooves in a path' ?
Great question and thanks for posting it. No I don't know of a course/resource specifically aimed at this. But I do have an old technique and a suggestion...
1) Old School Technique - I've used this with IDs in the past and it works; even if a bit labor intensive. Take a pack of 3 x 5 cards and write down all of individual knowledge bits in the course; one per card (write just enough to know what it is). Depending on length of course, you may have several dozen or many more nuggets/cards. Then close the course completely and do NOT look at it again... at all. Shuffle/toss the cards in a random order and then re-sequence them by physically moving them around on a table. Ask yourself all the place where this bit "could" go, not where it did go before and actually rearrange them over and over each time you ask that question.
The act of physically doing this and asking that question is the key and almost always leads to new and interesting ways to arrange the course. That in turn makes it really easy to start thinking about new interactions and other course design elements in brand new ways that suit the new sequencing.
It's really hard to break out of the rut until you stop looking at the old interactions, scripts, and chunking/sequencing in your courses... this method addresses that block beautifully.
2) Explore lateral thinking puzzles and courses - It sounds silly, but having your brain get accustomed to flipping things on their side to solve a challenge really does improve your ID skills. Get some lateral thinking brain teaser books/resources that force you to look for relationships between items differently. Do this for a few minutes everyday then after several days jump immediately into re-chunking and sequencing your course and you should find that you have more ideas then you did before. :-)
Hope these ideas help and love to hear from some of the other folks here... this is a great topic.
3 Replies
Hi Kersten,
Great question and thanks for posting it. No I don't know of a course/resource specifically aimed at this. But I do have an old technique and a suggestion...
1) Old School Technique - I've used this with IDs in the past and it works; even if a bit labor intensive. Take a pack of 3 x 5 cards and write down all of individual knowledge bits in the course; one per card (write just enough to know what it is). Depending on length of course, you may have several dozen or many more nuggets/cards. Then close the course completely and do NOT look at it again... at all. Shuffle/toss the cards in a random order and then re-sequence them by physically moving them around on a table. Ask yourself all the place where this bit "could" go, not where it did go before and actually rearrange them over and over each time you ask that question.
The act of physically doing this and asking that question is the key and almost always leads to new and interesting ways to arrange the course. That in turn makes it really easy to start thinking about new interactions and other course design elements in brand new ways that suit the new sequencing.
It's really hard to break out of the rut until you stop looking at the old interactions, scripts, and chunking/sequencing in your courses... this method addresses that block beautifully.
2) Explore lateral thinking puzzles and courses - It sounds silly, but having your brain get accustomed to flipping things on their side to solve a challenge really does improve your ID skills. Get some lateral thinking brain teaser books/resources that force you to look for relationships between items differently. Do this for a few minutes everyday then after several days jump immediately into re-chunking and sequencing your course and you should find that you have more ideas then you did before. :-)
Hope these ideas help and love to hear from some of the other folks here... this is a great topic.
Great tips, THANK YOU!
Quite welcome.
Still hoping some of the heroes here will chime in with their own tips/resources for breaking out of the rut...
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