Learning to overcome baby brain

Nine months and one baby later, last week marked my return to the working world of Learning Pool.

As any parent will tell you, that one to one time with your new baby is a joyous time. However, it is also a time when you ponder over becoming susceptible to the old “baby brain effect”.

Working in an organisation such as Learning Pool, where learning is our bread and butter, peaks my curiosity in this phenomenon even further.

Myth or Reality

If you’ve not privy to the baby brain, it allegedly involves suddenly becoming scatty and forgetful as part and parcel of becoming a mother.

However, according to a study from earlier this month in the Daily Mail, so-called ‘baby brain’ may be a myth, scientists say. In fact, having a child may actually improve a woman’s memory.

Hurrah I cheer!

In a series of experiments, new mothers scored better on tests of visuospatial memory – the ability to perceive and remember information about their surroundings – compared with women who didn’t have children.

Seven days ago, my memory was tested.

“Baby brain” did try to rear its little bald head a few times, especially when it came to the working of WordPress and MailChimp.

Triumphantly, it was denied entry.

As all learners out there may agree, if you are exposed to a method of learning that peaks your interest the information that you take on board will remain with you.

This is where e-learning works.

E-learning & long-term memory 

At Learning Pool, there are a variety of tools that we use in our module design that help learners take information in with ease. Once it’s in long-term memory the learner can recall it and transfer the knowledge to the real world.

The average content retention rate for an instructor-led class is only 58% whereas the more intensive e-learning experience enhances the retention rate by 25 – 60%. [Source: The Advantages of eLearning By Karen L. Jones].

Our content development team organise content into small chunks that are presented with visual impact and navigated with ease. This content in housed within our Learning Catalogue in over 400 modules that range from the latest ‘Equality and Diversity’ standards to ‘How to Use Twitter’.

So with a week behind me, the brain’s muscle memory has kicked in thankfully and left the ‘baby brain’ in its wake.