By ICG Marketing Director Gary Warren

The culture of learning is radically changing. Formal education just can’t measure up anymore. Our new Team ICG Education Platform on the new ICG® website strives to make education “effortless” for anyone who wants to become part of Team ICG. You now have greater flexibility to search, navigate and read our great courses and blogs, absorb the information and share it with others.

Every education provider in Indoor Cycling — until now — uses a traditional approach to instruction known as “linear learning.” From the manuals to the curricula to the workshops to the certifications, the delivery model has been designed around standardized tests — tests that don’t accommodate individual learning needs.

The assumption has always been that content must be delivered in a linear progression to be learned. You can’t proceed to section 2 until you’ve learned section 1, and you definitely won’t understand section 3 until you’ve mastered the content in sections 1 and 2.

Team ICG’s Education Team believes learning is a process of removing resistance. For instance, we feel requiring someone to read an entire module of information before being allowed to take an online exam generates resistance. What if you could simply take an online exam that provides CECs without having to read all the content in the module?

This type of learning, called “question answering” is, for many people, a preferred method of learning. So, instead of having to read a lot of info, store it in your brain, and remember it for a test (linear), you can now go directly to the online test and try to answer the questions. You’ll be surprised by how much you already know and how fast you learn new material, simply by answering questions before reading the material, which “directs” your reading.

If you like to learn linearly, that’s still available; however, many learn new information in a way that’s quite random. “Random learners” are impulsive and spontaneous. Rather than following a linear sequence, their minds learn best by skipping steps, working backwards, or even rearranging the order of the sequence. For these individuals, learning is more of a network than a line. This is why the new Team ICG Education Platform on our new website enables you to access any and all of our information in a completely random fashion.

You can learn in any way you want, and that's a big difference.

What if you want to get certified? Take an exam. Or not. We think it’s radical. We already have more education online than anyone else in indoor cycling, and plans are underway to expand our curriculum.

The web, like the brain, is all about links. Its network qualities have massive implications for learning. We’re not looking to end linear learning — far from it — just opening up your education opportunities with other possibilities.

Something else you’ll notice is that we took lessons learned from ICI/PRO (Thanks, John!). What ICI/PRO does so well is “informal learning.” It gives you a chance to search and learn in an open and friendly space without a formal setting. This is supported “socially” by enabling others to comment and post viewpoints or questions, and for the authors and other readers to answer. Add value. Correct. Challenge. Debate.

(Along that line, it’s worth mentioning that not all of our blogs have been transitioned to the new site, but will be on line as soon as possible.)

At ICG, our perception of learning is always changing. Such is the evolution of our spirit. ӬWe feel Effortless Learning is based on three pillars: science, community and fun. We have endeavored to build this into our new online education platform, while keeping it FREE and globally accredited (ACE, AFAA, REPs and ACSM).

Effortless Learning occurs in the state of flow (covered in several previous posts by Jim Karanas). As we have worked to remove resistance, we hope that your learning and knowledge expand so you can provide more value for your students.

Originally posted 2013-03-18 05:33:45.

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