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I’ve always been interested in how people learn things and how I teach to that. I spent many years in the Army and much of that time was devoted to teaching and learning. From early years on the parade ground teaching drill to later years with officer training and teaching classes of cadets tactics and other skills.
The army approach to instruction is very formulaic; there was a set way to teach a class, lesson, skill etc. and you don’t dare change the approach until you really understand why it’s done that way and what the benefits are. You learned very early on the impact of specific phrases or approaches to presenting material that would be the most effective vehicle for students to consume. There were always exceptions and you had to know the signs that indicated students weren’t learning the material and have some other approaches ready to go.
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