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I agree with Jimmy Wales who predicts that 'dull lectures are doomed' and here is one University that thinks so - University of Adelaide is phasing out lecturesWhen I first discovered this simplistic summary of the learning experience below, it confirmed to me what I was already experiencing anecdotally in my classes in the early days of my teaching at a vocational college. In an effort to fulfil my role as a facilitator of learning, I have since set out to limit my lecture time significantly and fill the time with the more effective social and interactive-based learning methods listed towards the bottom of the pyramid.While I still see great value in the 18 minute TED-style inspirational, entertaining and thought provoking talk - I believe that in today's world, the long lecture as a skills/knowledge transfer option, is now obsolete.The lecture, as a learning method, has been the mainstay of higher education for centuries in a period now generally defined as the 'Industrial age'. However, the economies of the world have changed dramatically in recent years as our global society is being transformed into the 'Information age'. If our educators are to prepare students economically and socially for the world that awaits them when they graduate from our colleges and universities, then we will also need a radically different approach to our teaching and learning.Learning in the Industrial ageThe lecture-based learning style of education was well suited to the industrial age society where individuals graduated from educational institutions into quite rigidly defined roles, mostly in large corporations. Research over the centuries had found that carrying out certain actions under certain circumstances would generally yield the desired results in these roles. So it was these findings that then informed the process of conditioning that was efficiently delivered by lectures.Furthermore, the “one-to-many” homogeneous commodity of lecture-based learning, involving little or no audience participation, provided a cost effective delivery method for the educational institutions. The authoritarian nature of lecture-style conditioning also found a ready acceptance in the more militaristic hierarchical style of large corporate cultures that dominated the industrial age.Job functions and required behaviors for successful engagement with the industrial age processes were predictable and involved minimal evolutionary change. To this end, job functions and behaviors became capable of research and dissemination via the education institution lecture model because the specialist knowledge was generally limited to these researchers, located within geographic constraints.Learning in the Information AgeToday the clear planning and predictability of the industrial age has been replaced by an increased degree of uncertainty. Learners today need a greater level of flexibility and adaptability in order to survive and thrive in the information age. The collaborative knowledge sharing power of the Internet has made the smartest person in the room ... the room. Knowledge of 'the known', no longer empowers graduates in the information age as it did for the industrial age graduates. Only skills that can filter, process, interpret and apply knowledge so that competency at performing new age tasks can be demonstrated, have relevance in the information age. Specifically those identified here What should education provide for today's students?Graduates of the information age need different kinds of skills to those that served well, their 'rigid job description' predecessors in the industrial age. Information is no longer rare nor is it only valued and worthwhile if it is the product of research as crowd-based knowledge sharing platforms like Quora are demonstrating. Graduates today need to be taught new skills like collaboration, creativity & Innovation, problem solving experimentation, social intelligence, novel and adaptive thinking, cross-cultural competency, new-media literacy, cognitive load management and virtual collaboration - none of which are ideally suited to lecture-based learning.Graduates in the information age are finding that the society of 'managers and the managed' is being replaced by one where everyone manages, or owns, their own career. Graduates will more than likely find work in small egalitarian ad-hoc teams and partnerships of a few employees and may even chose to be engaged with more that one enterprise at a time, rather than find that 'job for life' in a large industrial age corporation. Information gleaned from the traditional lecture-based learning model has a limited ability to impart the skills needed to succeed in this new information age.Education for the information age learners needs to adopt constructivist principles to empower learners through a more individualized and active learning experience. If we are to prepare graduates to be effective in the information age, the lecture-based approach that was well suited to the industrial age process of conditioning, needs to be replaced by a more interactive empowerment approach. In the democratized and crowd-sourced information age, the previously highly valued attributes of 'what you know' and 'who you know' is being completely trumped by the 'what you can do'. In the Information age ... Skills rule!Replacing lecturesModern brain science suggests that human beings are not wired to learn passively. Research is supporting the view that learning is an active process that cannot occur without the involvement of the learner. Brain RulesRather than exclusively offering 'stand and deliver' lectures, educators should be more concerned with creating the conditions under which effective learning can take place and using the appropriate mix of tools and methods to do so. For effective learning to take place, a more constructivist and socially interactive approach needs to be adopted by educators, where students learn by actively engaging with realistic scenarios and then exchanging views and experiences with their peers and mentors under the guidance of a teacher.Learning in the information age needs to change from being a homogeneous commodity delivered via the lecture-based model, to a more customized experience tailored to the needs and characteristics of the individual. Knowledge alone without the ability or skill to apply that knowledge to the real world, will have little value in the information age. The Internet, as the facilitator of the Information age, never asks for your academic accreditation before allowing you to participate ... just your skills and ability to exploit its tools and processes.Lectures were a central part of a didactic (instructional) and prescriptive (regulated) educational paradigm which enforced passive reception, whereas the future educational system will need to be based on active participation with discovery based and life-long-capable learning as its mantra. Here is a comparison I have constructed, comparing the past and future educational paradigms Learning in the 'Industrial Age' Vs 'Global Information Age'A combination of non-lecture options outlined in the learning pyramid above, ably assisted by technology, is my bet on what replaces lectures for the vast majority of global learners in the future. Technology enhances skills transfer as it delivers near instantaneous access to vast quantities of information and learning materials and provides asynchronous communication channels that bridge both temporal and geographic distance. Technology's potential for delivering a personalized learning experience to individual learners is becoming more and more evident and its simulations that actively involve the learner to a greater degree than was ever possible in lecture-based learning is supporting the move away from lecture-based learning.Skills-based learningFinally, vital skills required for the information age are not learned effectively using a lecture-based knowledge transfer approach. They are most effectively taught one-to-one either by teachers, peers or coaches following the DEDICT instructional approach that closely resembles the master/apprentice model that existed prior to the one-to-many industrial age teaching model:D = DemonstrateE = ExplainD = Demonstrate slowlyI = ImitateC = CoachT = TestWhile the DEDICT instructional approach has its historical roots in the military and outdoor sports, I have found it to be equally effective as a skills transfer method in teaching IT, business and management skills especially when using tools to more efficiently and effective carry out a required task. Tools help us perform skills and these tools can be learned effectively using the DEDICT instructional approach. These tools can be developed as forms, checklists, requirement lists, analysis, presentations, cheatsheets, reports, communications, flowcharts, evaluation scorecards, scheduling charts, estimation calculators, action matrix and research reports. In this process the teacher:Demonstrates in real time the outcome the learner should be able to achieve at the end of the instruction. The demonstration is sequenced and performed once or twice in real time. Demonstration using a video capture allows students to observe the skills up close and from various perspectives (top, side, front ...)Explains the context, purpose and importance of the skill as well as each step in the process so that the learner understands the relationship of each step with what goes before and after. Short, concise phrases direct the learner towards the intended outcome.Demonstrates slowly so the learner has the time to focus on each step and knows what to look for. This step consolidates the students’ understanding of the skill's context and the desired outcome and focus their attention as they look for the demonstration of the key teaching points, explained in the previous step.Imitate - where the learner practices the skill as they imitate the instructor. As the learner experiments with the new skill they are encouraged to retain good strategies and disregard inappropriate ones. The goal here is to achieve early success in the application of the skill through simple responsive imitation which will make the learner feel more adequate, confident, and self-enhanced.Coaches in a way that the learner can perform the task but fine tune their skills and be supported in the activity by a coach giving tips, feedback and encouragement on the performance of the key teaching points. The coaching stage of the DEDICT model is implemented concurrently with the imitation stage. A coach's feedback has a positive impact on skill learning because it allows learners to confirm their own task-intrinsic feedback, it clarifies any confusion and it motivates the learner to keep practising.Tests to see if the learner can demonstrate the skill in the same manner as was demonstrated to them at the start of the learning process. Here the learner 'goes solo' in specific and variable environments without active coaching and support. Test should take place in actual conditions where the skill will ultimately be used. Learners may well need to complete numerous practice sessions in variable environments until the skill becomes almost automatic and where conscious thought is not required. In this stage the learner should be able to detect their own errors and make adjustments as required.The DEDICT approach can also be appropriately applied to the Internet-distributed video, with learners using its pause, replay and annotated features, supported by an online discussion/tutorial Q&A forum incorporating peers and experts. This advancement in technology is ensuring that 21 century skills can be taught via the master/apprentice model in an effective way for the learner and equally, in an efficient way for the teacher ... ensuring its long term sustainability.

Not sure if these are the greatest educational theories of all time, but they have helped me tremendously in my recent career change from entrepreneur to educator.Kolb's theory on learning cycle and styles - David Kolb published his experiential learning theory and learning styles model in 1984. It involves a four stage cycle of learning and four separate learning styles. According to Kolb, “Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience” as this illustration explains. For more see Kolb's Learning Styles and Experiential Learning CycleBloom's theory and taxonomy of Learning Domains - Developed by educational psychologist Dr Benjamin Bloom in 1956, Bloom identified three domains of educational activities or learning:Cognitive: mental skills (Knowledge)Affective: growth in feelings or emotional areas (Attitude or self)Psychomotor: manual or physical skills (Skills)Bloom was looking to promote higher forms of thinking in education, such as analyzing and evaluating, rather than just remembering facts (rote learning). His taxonomy of learning behaviors are “the goals of the learning process” that aim for the learner to have acquired new skills, knowledge, and/or attitudes after the learning episode.Here is the breakdown of the Cognitive domain.Malcolm Knowles theory of Andragology - A leading concept in adult education developed by Malcolm Knowles in the 1950s. Andragology assumes that the role of the teacher in adult education should change from lecturing to self-directed learning facilitator.The learning theory states that adult learners want value-driven content which included the following:The need to know – adults prefer active forms of learning that can be easily contextualised into their life activities.The learner’s self-concept – adults have self-responsibility and have the capacity to make decisions for themselves and not be led or manipulated by others.The role of learners’ experience – adults have a range of life experiences that are used to express their self-identity and form valuable learning resources.Readiness to learn – resulting from realization of the need to learn created through models of superior performances, career counselling or simulation exercises.Orientation to learning –Adults are motivated to learn because they are able to realise the worth/value of learning in enhancing their ability to address issues and problems in their daily lives.Motivation – most adults are intrinsically motivated to learn because they have experienced the rapid changes occurring across all aspects of life and see the importance of lifelong learning.Fleming and Mills (1992) four sensory modalities/preferences for learning and teaching known by the acronym VARK (Visual, Aural, Read/write, and Kinesthetic).Visual (V): This preference includes the depiction of information in maps, spider diagrams, charts, graphs, flow charts, labelled diagrams, and all the symbolic arrows, circles, hierarchies and other devices, that people use to represent what could have been presented in words.Aural / Auditory (A): This perceptual mode describes a preference for information that is "heard or spoken." from lectures, group discussion, radio, using mobile phones, speaking, web-chat and talking things through. The Aural preference includes talking out loud as well as talking to oneself.Read/write (R): This preference is for information displayed as words that emphasizes text-based input and output including manuals, reports, essays and assignments. Read/write also prefer to learn from PowerPoint, the Internet (Google+Wikipedia), lists, diaries, dictionaries, thesauri or quotations.Kinaesthetic (K): Learns by doing or through real or simulated activities that are based in their own reality and experience of the world. They prefer to learn via personal experiences, examples, practice or simulation that can be grasped, held, tasted, or felt.Maslow's theory on the Hierarchy of needs - Although it is primarily a motivational theory, it does have implications for learning in that Maslow postulates that learning begins at an early age and continues until self-actualization is realized. In adult learning in particular, motivation is the key to self-directed, value-adding learning. Satisfying a precedent level is critical to learning motivation at a higher one.Howard Gardner's theory on multiple intelligences - This theory assumes that each individual has an intelligence profile that informs the way they carry out tasks, solve problems and progress in various domains. These intelligences include: Visual-Spatial, Bodily-kinesthetic, Musical, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Linguistic and Logical -Mathematical. This theory argues that disciplines could be presented in a numbers of ways and learning could be assessed through a variety of means rather than the typically linguistic and logical-quantitative modes that dominate the education system.DEDICT theory on instructional design - Finally, the skills transfer method that closely resembles the master/apprentice model that existed prior to the one-to-many industrial age teaching model:D = DemonstrateE = ExplainD = Demonstrate slowlyI = ImitateC = CoachT = TestWhile the DEDICT instructional design has its historical roots in the military and outdoor sports, I have found it to be equally effective as a skills transfer method in teaching IT, business and management skills especially when using tools to more efficiently and effective carry out a required task.Demonstrates in real time the outcome the learner should be able to achieve at the end of the instruction.Explains the context, purpose and importance of the skill as well as each step in the process so that the learner understands the relationship of each step with what goes before and after.Demonstrates slowly so the learner has the time to focus on each step and knows what to look for.Imitate - where the learner practices the skill as they imitate the instructor. As the learner experiments with the new skill they are encouraged to retain good strategies and disregard inappropriate ones.Coaches in a way that the learner can perform the task but fine tune their skills and be supported in the activity by a coach giving tips, feedback and encouragement on the performance of the key teaching points.Tests to see if the learner can demonstrate the skill in the same manner as was demonstrated to them at the start of the learning process.... and here is the whole storyWhat are the established learning theories?

As a skills based trainer in a vocational college in Australia, I have found the following approach works best for people I train as it works best for me when I need to learn a new skill.The approach is identified by the acronym D E D I C T and is an instructional approach that closely resembles the master/apprentice model that existed prior to the one-to-many industrial age teaching model that is so prevalent in our schools and university campuses today.D E D I C T stands for:D = DemonstrateE = ExplainD = Demonstrate slowlyI = ImitateC = CoachT = TestWhile the DEDICT instructional approach has its historical roots in the military and outdoor sports, I have found it to be equally effective as a skills transfer method in teaching and learning IT, business and management skills especially when using tools to more efficiently and effective carry out a required task.Tools help us learn and perform skills and it is these tools that can be learned effectively using the DEDICT instructional approach. These tools can be developed as forms, checklists, requirement lists, analysis, presentations, cheatsheets, reports, communications, flowcharts, evaluation scorecards, scheduling charts, estimation calculators, action matrix and research reports.In this process the teacher:Demonstrates in real time the outcome the learner should be able to achieve at the end of the instruction. The demonstration is sequenced and performed once or twice in real time. Demonstration using a video capture allows students to observe the skills up close and from various perspectives (top, side, front, dual)Explains the context, purpose and importance of the skill as well as each step in the process so that the learner understands the relationship of each step with what goes before and after. Short, concise phrases direct the learner towards the intended outcome.Demonstrates slowly so the learner has the time to focus on each step and knows what to look for. This step consolidates the students’ understanding of the skill's context and the desired outcome and focus their attention as they look for the demonstration of the key teaching points, explained in the previous step.Imitate - where the learner practices the skill as they imitate the instructor. As the learner experiments with the new skill they are encouraged to retain good strategies and disregard inappropriate ones. The goal here is to achieve early success in the application of the skill through simple responsive imitation which will make the learner feel more encouraged, adequate, confident, and self-enhanced.Coaches in a way that the learner can perform the task but fine tune their skills and be supported in the activity by a coach giving tips, feedback and encouragement on the performance of the key teaching points. The coaching stage of the DEDICT model is implemented concurrently with the imitation stage. A coach's feedback has a positive impact on skill learning because it allows learners to confirm their own task-intrinsic feedback, it clarifies any confusion and it motivates the learner to keep practising.Tests to see if the learner can demonstrate the skill in the same manner as was demonstrated to them at the start of the learning process. Here the learner 'goes solo' in specific and variable environments without active coaching and support. Test should take place in actual conditions where the skill will ultimately be used. Learners may well need to complete numerous practice sessions in variable environments until the skill becomes almost automatic and where conscious thought is not required. In this stage the learner should be able to detect their own errors and make adjustments as required.When I need to learn a skill from someone else, I get them to follow the DEDICT approach by applying it to the tools that lead to an effective/efficient outcome.