- Is 2.3 times as efficient as traditional cram courses.
- Removes learning barriers.
- Focuses on why adults choose to learn.
- The Redding Method is based on the fundamentals of adult learning and motivational theory.
- You learn better and faster.
There are many ways to study for an exam. Most are repetitive and dull. You can reread the book, focusing on those sections that seem the hardest to understand. You can listen to audio or practice with flash cards. However, the flashcards may or may not be current. Audio is an entirely sequential method that is time-consuming and requires you to listen to material you know often to get to the material you need to study.
There are dull computer-based training programs that drill you using a bank of questions. Some of these programs are also finding their way onto the Internet.
The Redding Method is different. Dr. Redding has been involved in adult education, training, and training development for over 30 years. First as a military trainer, then as a training developer for military systems, and finally as a social scientist studying why and how adults learn. Interestingly, one of the outcomes of Dr. Redding’s research is the realization that there are two keys to overwhelmingly effective training. First is understanding the motivation to learn. Second, it is important to realize that there are fundamental barriers that each individual must overcome during the learning process. Combined with these two elements of information is the realization that controlling the learning environment can maximize an individual’s progress along a learning curve.
Adults are knowledge shoppers. Their motivation to learn is typically tied to a need to know. This need to know can be external, such as job pressure, or internal, such as natural curiosity. The Redding Method acknowledges both forms of motivation to learn, however, our courses are designed to satisfy the practical external pressures of an adults need to learn. Our method and content are focused on the adult completing an exam. Our courses are designed to guide students most efficiently and effectively through learning. Other courses may cost less, however, they will consume more of the student’s time and may be less effective.
The first barrier – fear. Most adults returning to school have to overcome the fear that they may not be successful. The Redding Method introduces content in a logical, progressive sequence. Broad concepts, principles and definitions are introduced first. More complex material is introduced and drilled later. Initial questions are simple and presented in a psychologically logical manner that increases the likelihood that students will select right answers. This approach yields immediate success and reduces a student’s fear and, thus, his or her test anxiety. Through practice and mastery of the cram course material, the student becomes completely confident in their ability to pass state and federal exams. Other courses may plod through material, presenting more wrong than correct information, frustrating the student and adding to their fear or anxiety. The Redding Method presents only the right information. Every answer is the correct answer to a particular question.
The second barrier – time. Adult students have a limited amount of time to study. The Redding Method includes course tools designed to permit the students to move directly to the material they wish to study. Several study strategies are available to students. Course material can be studied in the sequence present in the study manual, or a topical sequence of the student’s choosing, or in the sequence in which the exam will cover the material. Through the course tools, students know how many questions to expect on the examine in a given topical area. They can plan their studies based on what they know and what they need to know. Because the cram course is online, it is available when the student has time to study. Other courses may not give the student a way to control access to topics or specific content, thus consuming more time.
The third barrier is location. Some students prefer to study at home, and others prefer to study in the office. Through OLT, students can study the cram course material from anywhere they have access to the internet. They can even study a cram course while on vacation if they can access the internet.
Controlling the learning environment. At OLT, we understand our responsibility to create learning situations that permit high success in the least amount of time and with the least effort. Our training developers and educational analysts follow training development models that optimize our cram courses to be presented in the optimum learning environment. Study tips and guidance are provided during the courses to retain control over the learning process to ensure the student’s success. These tips guide the students learning, without intruding. These tips break up the study sequence at appropriate times to insure the students can take a relaxing mental shrug as they proceed through the course.
