Mastering Sequential Learning

Why Instruct Step-Wise Learning? Although the average person does not understand how sequencing memory works, parents and teachers are beginning to recognize the critical necessity for teaching visual and listening sequential memory as a separate supplemental instructional piece, as it is so integral to academic learning proficiency.

Now, students at all learning levels can be trained to optimum achievement levels with powerful learning solution outcomes.

Not only is serial learning critically fundamental to all technical and skilled trade operations, but it is at the root of all academic and athletic learning – reading, writing, spelling, mathematical equations, learning foreign languages, communicating through written composition, athletic plays, musical compositions, recipes, including operational procedures.

Every movement in your day is a series of orchestrated steps. The faster you can sequence, the more organized you are, and get more accomplished.

Creating adequate working memory resolves often unidentified learning problems. Schools have not overly taught memory organization as an independent course. Not only have there been few available programs, but they have not fit into traditional educational curricula as adaptive learning instruction.

For years, textbook companies did not have a niche for this type of training, and curriculum's absorbed this concept necessity within the routine teaching of math equations or reading comprehension exercises.

Technically speaking, step-wise learning is called visual and listening (auditory) sequential working memory training. Much research was conducted in the 1960s and 1970s in this arena, but few training programs existed, and even today, very few academic or professional programs teach sequencing and coding operations as auxiliary “How To” course.

Now, various supplemental academic learning options abound with digital, online learning, but the question is how to find as an academic companion, like a sequencing training program with evidenced validity. It becomes a question of sorting out options.

Online working memory courses offer teaching visual figural memory matching, and with few
sequencing operations (as in algebraic equations). Two-dimensional cartoon characters lead the way through rapid pacing activities, which actions may be difficult to follow. Video games develop fast visual processing speed, and leave operational logic devices up to the player. Serial operations, or step-wise learning, that instructs formal chunking and coding “How To’s” are not systematically taught.

Now that we have touch screens, we are relegated to visual figural, tactile learning, through tapping interfaces. We are not offered listening/auditory serial processing that is critical as a gateway into our technical world.

It should also be pointed out that any supplemental, accelerated training should not be considered “remedial”. Since listening and visual sequential memory creates conceptualization or the integration of information, parents should step forward to ensure that their youngsters have this necessary foundation to excel in academics at any level.

As a classroom teacher, recognizing the critical need, I researched and developed a training system to optimize fast sequential or operational learning. As the root of all technical operations, it had definite instructional merit.

As a result, my graduates have since risen to top administrative/executive/official levels with the ability to make fast and decisive decisions. Serial training is not only administratively beneficial, but it adds personal power, as it opens access to logic, reasoning, and problem solving, not to mention creating optimized school and workplace efficiency.

For example, recently, an electronics store’s sales clerk inadvertently gave me incorrect operational sequences, leaving out two steps, when programming a newly purchased television remote. Of course, the remote did not operate. Unabashed, I referenced the manual (which most of us are reluctant to do), and noticed that steps were verbally inaccurately transmitted to me. This results in a loss of time, not to  mention the ensuing frustration receiving inaccurate instructions.

To resolve these daily ineptitude issues, schools will emphasize the teaching of reading comprehension, or deep understanding and retention of classroom assignments. There will be alternative forms of practice recitation to create deep learning. Work process flow states will be introduced, and speed of careless input work will be deemphasized.

Professional educator development will be instrumental in learning these new training procedures and processes. The school culture will become one led to continuous personalized student improvement. Now students will move into secondary school levels optimizing their ability to follow directions, compute, read, write, and communicate effectively. All, of which, have the basis of serial learning.

Questions for consideration: Does your student listen, remember, and follow oral directions and/or procedures easily? Can they spell words correctly? Can they complete serial answers clearly? Are mathematical step-wise procedures easily understood and followed without missing steps? Technical operations will not operate correctly if a step is omitted, removed, or out of proper sequence.

Our nonprofit organization, Innovative Learning Stratagems, Inc. offers an information portal
www.edstretch.com to ease parents’ search for applicable online resources. As a result, parents will become more involved and supervise online learning sessions at home, where their child is not lost in a classroom quantum of multiple, asynchronous activities. Students will have their school computerized dashboard transferred to homework assignments. Supplemental online supplemental help – will be utilized and applied at optimum levels.