The Natural Learning Project Principles of Natural Learning

In “natural learning” the learner takes responsibility for learning. This responsibility applies to setting objectives, selecting active learning tasks, obtaining feedback, and making applications. Self-oriented skill training (SOS) provides a highly structured procedure to help the learner through the above four phases of natural learning. Of particular importance in SOS is the experiential exercise; this can put the learner through the unfreezing, change, and refreezing steps. The design of SOS is based on substantial empirical evidence. Results from five crude field experiments were consistent with the hypothesis that SOS increases the efficiency of learning. In a 6-month follow-up, participants using SOS reported 2.1 behavioral changes vs. 0.6 for those following a traditional approach to learning.