How students learn

Nuero linguistic programming (NLP)

People to establish a rapport with other people use NLP, by establishing the type(s) of people they are dealing with and mirror the body language.

Started in 1970's California is now part of the business world.

Looks at people's behaviour and the underlying structure of communication - verbal and non-verbal.

Based on the premise that people process information but always give away clues as to the method used.

Creating rapport means playing to the dominant sense.

People work at six levels from nuts-and-bolts environmental to spiritual level. Mismatching is often found during restructuring, where the organisation looks at what and how the organisation functions as opposed to peoples hopes, fears and values.

According to NLP, people come in three different types.

Auditory people:

Talk to their neighbours and do a lot of "internal talk"
Their head often moves toward the noise in the room
When "internally talking" they may have their chin in their hand on the side of their face, like a telephone
Use auditory words like; say, tell, bell and sounds

Visual people:

Notice things like inconsistencies in typefaces on a business proposal
How they look is important (from haircut to briefcase)
Use coloured ink and draw pictures to express themselves
Use visual words like see, picture, visualise and perspective

Kinesthetic people

First people to move around in their seats at meetings
Comfortably dressed
Breathing is deep and they are comfortable with their body
Use tactile words like hold, grip, touch and move.

Ref [134]Dominion Jul 12 '95

Remembering

Some ideas to help you remember things:

Use as many emotions and senses as possible
Remember to personalise it by relating it to events, physical objects etc. relevant to you.
A slightly weird or stupid story is easier to remember
The golden rule "You will remember it better if it is "way out" and weird.
It is important you make the connection between what you are trying remember and the story.
Repeat the story to yourself over and over again.

Example 1: A Story for remembering the Components of a Management Information System.

Imagine you are walking up to your front door at home. As you approach the door you see a man sitting at a desk he records the number of people entering and leaving the house as well collecting admission fees This person represents the Transaction Processing System (TPS)

You enter the house and see your father reading your school report. The report isn't very good and your father wants to talk to you about it. School reports summarise you year's results and come in a standard layout. You father represents a Management Reporting System

The phone rings (Communication Support System) and it's Michael Jackson reminding you he's coming for dinner tonight.

Panic What to cook? , What to wear? Michael Jackson represents the Decision Support System (DSS).

Tomorrow you have a meeting with Bill Gates Chief Executive of Microsoft. You must present a summarised report of Microsoft's development over the last few months.

Bill Gates represents Executive Support System (ESS)

[Source: O Giles EIT Hawke's Bay 1996]

Example 2: Remembering the planets.

A person holds a thermometer close to the sun, making the mercury get hotter and hotter and eventually bursts, sending blobs of mercury all over the universe. A beautiful lady "venus" find some and annoyed tosses it over into our back yard (earth). Similarily annoyed we toss it over the fence. The large neighbour "mars" comes out red faced, and tosses it at a bigger chap called jupiter who is leaping over a pile of rocks (asteriod belt). Round his chest on his sweat shirt he has the word "SUN" (which stands for Saturn (orange + rings), Uranus (lemon) and Neptune(lemon)), and on his head he has a dog called pluto.

Some other things you can deduce from the story: The largest planet is jupiter. Saturn is the "round" the chest so has the rings. Mercury is the hottest. Mars is a red planet!

Example 3: Remembering the macarina dance (macroni screen saver!)

Actions are tied up to a story.

Post the letter, post the letter (hand faces down)

Pizza, pizza (hands facing up)

indian, indian (arms crossed)

hat on, hat on (hands to side of your head)

find the money, find the money (cross hands to hips)

try other pocket, other pocket (uncross hands on hips)

roll around

jump ... "Hay Macroni..."