A week ago I read an interesting newspaper review of a theatrical 'show' called Wondermart. As I read the article I was intrigued, it sounded interesting and I could already begin to imagine that it could have some relevance for learning!
Now let's begin on the right track, Wondermart is nothing like any theatre event I've attended. Quite simply it is an MP3 track that you download to your MP3 player (iPhone in may case) and then at a time and place that suits you, you listen to the audio track and follow it's instructions as you move through your local supermarket. I know it sounds a little different, but I found it really interesting, I'll talk you through my experience, it began at my local supermarket!
Following the instructions provided, I got myself a trolley, put my earphones in and pressed play. The voice, with quite enjoyable music in the background, began to tell me about the history of supermarkets before telling me to enter the store. I was then told about some of the ways supermarkets place products to attract purchases. It did feel a bit weird, being guided by an unknown voice, however I did see things I wouldn't have seen otherwise and was able to think about supermarkets a little differently.
Now I was told to watch another customer, look at how they behave, what they purchase and try to imagine why they were buying it. Other than feeling a bit like a stalker, it was an interesting exercise in looking at shopping from another person's perspective. I was also told to go to the freezer section, open a door (at which point background sound effects of a blizzard could be heard behind my guide's voice), pick up whichever product attracted me most, look at the packaging, place it back on the shelf.... again the aim seems to have been to place me in a different situation than I normally am when zipping around the supermarket buying tonight's dinner!
After 30 minutes I placed any products I'd picked up back on their shelves and left the store!
So....what has this to do with learning?
Well, when I first read the newspaper article, I was thinking of how this approach could be used as a type of on-site learning, for example in large retail stores or malls, in factory settings, in hospitals and so forth. I could imagine real benefits in providing a new employee with an MP3 player and a recording then asking them to follow all the instructions as they move around their work site. I've had experience working with large retail businesses helping them to design ways of 'inducting' their new employees and one common issue has been that new starters are given a 'rushed' introduction to their workplace, resulting in productivity issues, safety problems and less employee engagement.
The outcome!
After 30 minutes of listening to instructions and moving around a supermarket I am sure that this approach has applications for workplace learning. Perhaps it is already being used within some businesses, I haven't seen it however (if so would love to hear of some examples!). What I have seen however is online virtual stores where employees move through and learn about various aspects of their workplace. These can work reasonably well, however it could be just as easy to use the MP3 approach with the added benefit of 1:1 application of everything learnt - unlike even very good virtual worlds where it can be difficult to get learners to see the virtual world as equivalent to their actual workplace.
For me the best aspect of this is the ability to get a new 'voice' inside a person's head. We all know that we only see what we see. We filter out most of the visual signals around us, the use of MP3 tracks allows you to direct the listener's (learner's) attention to what you want them to look at and then provide them with information.
This approach encourages both attention and focus from learners whilst allowing you to challenge establish ideas and patterns of behaviour - worth a closer look I reckon!
