Happy Labor Day! It is back to school season for adults and students. Below is a model you can use to set-up your learning environment. I learned the Three Zones of Learning model from Kristin Neff, Ph.D. in The Science of Self-Compassion workshop I attended last week. I think you will relate to it from your own experience as a learner, first.

If a learner is in the overwhelm zone, they are not learning. They are flooded with emotion. The best strategy is to find a way back to the safe zone where one is not emotionally out of balance. If a learner is overwhelmed give them permission to take care of themselves. They may need to stretch their legs or get a drink of water to get back into the safe zone.

The challenge zone is where you learn the most. The learner is conscious, open, and receptive to what is being taught. You can notice this in a learner’s body language and the feedback they give you. They look attentive, like they are paying attention and engaged in what you are saying. The learner’s brain is engaged and effort is put toward understanding and integrating the information being taught.

The safe zone is a neutral place where the learner is not being challenged to learn and not overwhelmed. The learner feels safe and secure and knows that he/she/they can return to this internal place of comfort when overwhelmed and after the learner has finished challenging their brain to learn something new.

Three Zones of Learning      Episode 191