March Distance Learning: Seize the DayThis short piece of distance learning is designed to keep you thinking about a number of key ideas we’ve begun to explore in both design and delivery of development:MASCOTLearning TheoriesMindsets – the importance of addressing them, and the learning theories that can be used to do soRapport – keeping an eye on how you’re building and maintaining a connection with the people you’re developing, and still stretching that rapport with the risks you take in design or delivery – risks designed to take people into new thinking or new places.We’d like you to watch a short section of the film “Dead Poet’s Society” (starring Robin Williams as a school teacher named John Keating) – just 5 minutes. This is a different clip than the one we recently watched together at your workshop. If you watch it as part of the whole film, the clip runs from minute 10.50 ending at minute 16.00. There are a number of versions of the scene on YouTube; the most suitable for this is entitled “Dead Poets Society (1st lesson, Carpe Diem)”.Use the following questions to help you consider what you’re noticing in the clip. Be aware that by the end of this exercise, we’re going to ask you to consider a session or some material which you’re designing, or a session which you’re already used to delivering, and identify how you might use the structure of communication which John Keating demonstrates in this scene to re-design it or deliver it differently.Please select your roleManagerPartnerDesignerTrainerEmail*Please enter your email address. The email address you choose will receive a copy of the answers. Question 1As the scene opens, Mr Keating (Robin Williams character) walks through and out of the class saying very little, but whistling a famous snippet from Tchaikovsky’s 1812 overture. As he leaves he invites his students to follow him.What’s he doing in terms of Mindsets, Learning Theories, and Rapport?Your Answer to Question 1*A1 & Q2 Reveal* Reveal Answer and Next QuestionQ1 Answer:His whistling, his silence and particularly his leaving the room without a formal instruction is all incredibly different from what these students are used to from their teachers. He’s using this as a first signal that he’s going to require them to think differently in this class.He’s taking a rapport risk leaving the room; his behaviour is not a match for them, and the risk is that they don’t follow him. In rapport terms, if they do follow they’re already physically matching his behaviours, which is unconsciously moving them into a better connection (rapport) with him.Creatures with brains thrive on movement. The movement to a different room, which John Keating makes, is immediately awakening the students’ interest, giving them a hit of dopamine – the brain chemical of novelty and alertness. And the change of room is, again, a big signal of a change of thinking (sometimes just this change of environment is enough to shake people’s mindsets). Consider how this piece of communication would be less likely to affect the students’ mindsets about their studies (and their collective mindsets or groupthink), if John Keating left them sitting in their usual seats and showed them the photograph on the blackboard (or on an overhead…) whilst he stood at his desk.Question 2When Mr Keating gathers the students in the hallway, he introduces himself with a reference to a poem: “Oh Captain my Captain”. He suggests that, if they’re feeling brave, his students might dare to address him via the poem.Why is he doing this? What’s going on here in relation to learning theories?Your Answer to Question 2*A2 & Q3 Reveal* Reveal Answer and Next QuestionQ2 Answer:Following the interruption (or Zeigarnik moment) created by the move to the hallway, Mr Keating makes use of the primacy moment with this very memorable quote – he even manages to hook in some key information about this poem (the ‘My Captain’ which Walt Whitman is referring to is Abraham Lincoln – he’s educating his students before they’re even ready to learn).He’s also making use of the principle of Priming – getting them ready for the somewhat ‘different’ language of poetry (which he’s going to be teaching).And, of course, he’s now locating the whole session in a very particular place (the hallway) – making use of ‘physical environment’ as an aid to learning and potentially creating an anchor of this moment and this place for them to recall at another date (when they walk through the hall).The whole thing continues his attack on their mindsets – their mindsets about learning, and in particular their mindsets about poetry. He’s looking to create a mindset of curiosity (‘what’s this guy doing - what’s he talking about?!’ - and therefore a more open and receptive attitude towards poetry).Question 3Next, he asks a student to read the first verse from a crusty old 17th Century poem by Robert Herrick: ‘To the Virgins, to make much of time’ (first line: “Gather ye rosebuds while ye may…”)How does he manage this potentially boring mismatch with the interests of the students, and, again, which learning theories is he making use of to make this interesting and relevant.Your Answer to Question 3*A3 & Q4 Reveal* Reveal Answer and Next QuestionQ3 Answer:First, he selects a particular student – choosing one with an interesting name. He risks breaking rapport with this student by gently poking fun at his name “Mr Pitts … unfortunate name.” He’s taking every opportunity to make things memorable with outstanding moments (Von Restorff) and promote curiosity and interest.He does the same with the title of the poem – gently making fun of the fact that they’re all virgins. As before, this is not behaviour that the students expect or are used to from a teacher at this school – he’s gently waking them up, promoting their curiosity (priming) and signalling the objective of his class, which will become to “think differently” (or think for yourselves).Then he’s beginning to make use of the repetition principle to emphasise his points, but also to make sure that the students brains have processed the potentially complex information (the poem) before he moves them on to think about its meaning.He asks who can interpret the meaning of ‘Carpe Diem’, and again creates a small Von Restorff moment, making fun of the name (“another unfortunate name”). He begins the first of several repetitions of ‘Carpe Diem’ – and this is important as this is the key message of the lesson.Question 4Finally, he invites the students to step forward and look at the photograph of the ex-pupils and makes use of a number of techniques and learning principles to communicate his key message.Make a note of the learning theories, communication and rapport techniques you notice.Your Answer to Question 4*A4 & Q5 Reveal* Reveal Answer and Next QuestionQ4 Answer:He moves them closer to the picture – this continues his approach to deepening their rapport or connection with him that he’s used from the beginning. They’re not resisting the way in which he’s physically moving them around (they’re doing as they’re told) – making the connection deeper and emphasising that he’s leading, and they’re following.Crucially, he doesn’t continue to stand in front of them (which would be a normal approach for a teacher); he gets out of their way, which allows him to move into the group, and face the picture. This is a key matching move, communicating that ‘we’re all facing the same way’ – ‘we’re in this together’.Of course this also allows him to take further risks – whispering messages from the back of the group, as if the people in the picture are speaking. This is a big outstanding moment (Von Restorff again). He’s paying attention to their response, pausing when they turn to stare at him (thinking ‘what a weirdo’ this guy is) – waiting until they’ve got over it before carrying on as if it’s all quite normal).He’s making use of the silence, further repetition. And, of course, he’s personalising the whole piece – he’s once again priming them for an interest in poetry. He’s taken this seemingly irrelevant poem from the 17th Century and connected it to them and their own experience. The message he’s going for is that poetry is real (not just a study topic), and it’s going to be relevant for you. And all the while he’s landing the key learning points: ‘Carpe Diem,’ ‘think differently,’ and they’ve already learned a key passage from a poem they’ll be expected to know.Question 5 Consider the structure of the communication that Mr Keating uses – it might look a little like the following.When the learners are ready, refuse to begin the session – move them to a different room instead, with minimal instruction (confidently wait for them to arrive).Introduce the session with some curious personal anecdote designed to address what the learners are probably thinking (“you’re probably thinking …”).Ask one of the learners to read for the group the key content to be considered. (Make sure to use their name when asking them).Ask the group as a whole to comment on the content that’s been introduced and make sense of it.Emphasise the key points – repeating them a number of times (changing the speed and emphasis as you do so).Bring the learners closer, as a group. Gently insist they get much closer than normal to the illustration of the key content that you have displayed.Find the moment to move to the back of the group (getting out of their way).Ask them to consider key features of the information displayed.Commentate on these key features, dramatising what you’re saying with different vocal qualities. Regularly hold the silence and give them the space to consider what’s been said.Continue to repeat the key message you want to emphasise.End the session with silence.Now identify a piece of learning material, or a session you need to design or re-design; or identify a session which you’re already used to delivering – one which you think this kind of structure (as listed to the left) could be suitable for.Make a few notes on how you’d redesign it, or how you’d play with the delivery of it in line with the structure of John Keating’s lesson.Be ready to discuss what you’ve tried at our next off-job workshop together.Your Answer to Question 5*Your data will be used in accordance with our Privacy Notice