Learning Plateaus

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Learning Plateaus

• Dr. Fran Tracy-Mumford
• Director of Adult Education

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Learning Plateaus

• Have you ever felt that you could not understand
  how to do something after you spent time
  attempting to learn it?

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What is a learning plateau?

• Time period during which there is no evidence of
  learning progress (ERIC)
• Period of time when the brain assimilates new
  learning with old where no progress is noted
  (Intelegen)

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Learning Curve
Amount of Learning
Time
The amount of time for new learning and the time
needed to learn it.
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Student Response to a Learning Plateau

• Frustration with self
• Decreased desire and interest in learning
• Loss of self-confidence in learning
• Absenteeism from class or tutoring
• Withdrawal from the program

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Causes of a Learning Plateauthat is Student
Related

• Fatigue
• Loss of interest in content or skill
• Inadequate learning processes
• Lack of attention given to practice content
• Distracted
• Lack of motivation to learn

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Causes of a Learning Plateau that are Program or
Teacher Related

• Ineffective instructional methods or strategies
• Lumping (in too large of chunks) content
• Ineffective assessment measures
• Insufficient practice provided
• Lack of reflection for assimilation
• Classroom environment that creates a learning
  threat

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Overcoming a Learning Plateau Student Action

• Increase commitment to learning
• Examine learning style preferences
• Take a 10 minute break every hour
• Concentrate on content/skill
• Increase practice of content/skill
• Remove distractions
• Examine stress level
• Use visualization techniques

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Overcoming a Learning Plateau Program/Teacher
Action

• Chunk content especially for complex learning
• Modify instructional strategies use a different
  method
• Emphasize the importance of practice for brain
  processing from working memory to long term
  memory and for retrieval
• Build guided practice into instructional delivery
• Provide reflection time during instruction
• Discuss the importance of practice with learners
• Use different assessment measures

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Explain the Relationship between Practice and
Mastery

• Let the student know that
• Learning plateaus will occur
• Time and practice are needed by the brain to
  process new learning
• Mastery begins with a commitment to practice
• Without practice, there will be learning decay

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How to Help Students

• Show them the learning curve
• Explain learning plateaus
• Chunk learning content and introduce new learning
  in a systematic manner especially for complex
  skills/tasks
• Watch for lumping
• Help students stay motivated (toward their
  learning goals)
• Encourage them to practice, practice, practice.

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Questions?