Last week I was asked a fascinating question by an experienced facilitator that taught me something new about learning. I was describing a process and methodology we would follow for an exercise and then afterwards he pulled me aside to build on the structure with a question.
“How can we build confounding into the process?”
It is not uncommon for learners to already have some context into what you may be teaching. When this happens it is important to confound the learner so they do not know what to expect next. This primes the mind of the learner to accept new information and increases the likelihood of new connections being made in the brain.
This idea is abstract so to bring it closer to home I’ll share how I introduced confounding into my becoming goals without realizing it.
Last year I filled out a survey every day of the year and one question was “did you take your wife on a date?”. A simple yes/no question that got old quickly. I responded “no” so many times that it did not have an impact on my behavior. I knew the pattern and I needed to be confounded.
This year, rather than recording when I take my wife on a date, I fill out a survey that allows me to type something that I want to highlight or recognize about my wife that day. The answer is a different answer every night. I introduced confounding into the process. It forces me to be fully engaged. The result is I am a better husband. I love my wife more purely because I see more quickly the many things she does for me, our children, and others.
What is important to you? How can you build confounding into your process? When you answer the question act right away. You will not regret it.
