Your Periodic Table of Learning Elements Engaging, effective training
programs are a mixture of science and art, requiring the right balance
of adult learning theory, available technology, intuitive tools, proven
practices, creativity, and risk. How does a trainer find the right
combination and proportion of these elements? How does a trainer know
what's possible? To answer these questions, Brian Washburn offers a
simple yet elegant periodic table of learning elements modeled on the
original periodic table of chemical properties. Washburn's
elements--which are organized into solids, liquids, gases, radioactive,
and interactive categories similar to their chemical cousins--are
metaphors for the tools and strategies of the field of learning design;
when they're combined, and under certain conditions, they have the
potential to create amazing learning experiences for participants. They
are that impactful. From critical gas-like elements like the air we
breathe, present in every training room (think instructional design or
visual design), to radioactive elements, powerful and dangerous yet
commonly used (think PowerPoint), Washburn guides you through the
pitfalls and choices you confront in creating engaging learning
experiences. A well-designed training program can be world-changing, he
argues, and if you believe in your craft as a learning professional, you
can do this too. Whether you're an experienced learning designer or new
to the field, this book inspires with new ideas and ways to organize the
design of your learning programs. With stories from Washburn's
professional experience, the book includes a hands-on glossary of
definitions and descriptions for more than 50 of his elements.
