The Accelerated Learning Cycle is really a device for teachers who wish to facilitate learning for their students. In the cycle illustrated below there are eight stages which should be considered in the delivery of a lesson (or within a short sequence of lessons).

1. Consider the environment and ensure a positive learning climate (see Needs)

2. Connect the learning which is about to take place with the students' experiences,  in previous lessons and/or in the outside world. This could be incorporated into a brief starter activity.

3. Ensure that the students have the "Big Picture". eg let them know how this lesson fits into the overall topic of study.

4. Make the expected outcomes of this lesson very clear. eg. "By the end of this lesson you will ...." (be positive, creating an expectation of success).

5. Give the necessary teacher input, remembering to cater for the students' various learning styles (see Learning Styles, VAK)

6. The main student activity should be designed, whenever possible, to allow students to utilise their multiple intelligences (see Intelligences)

7. Give the students an opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned

8. Allow  time for review of the lesson

Clearly, the time allocated for stages 2 to 6 will vary depending upon the lesson, but planning to this cycle will ensure that the lesson is appropriately "chunked" and cater for the different learning styles of the students in the class. Where it is not possible to cater for all styles within a given lesson, the teacher wll at least be aware of this and plan to redress the balance in other lessons in the sequence. Furthermore, as the cycle repeats in the following lesson, essential reinforcement will take place as the first stage of the next lesson re-connects with the previous learning, and is set in the context of the BIG Picture for the topic of study.

To view and save a template of a lesson planning sheet based on this cycle, please click here (requires acrobat reader).

 For a version in Excel format, click here.

Our Brain - promoting brain-friendly learning

Bryn Evans 2003