Does what the learners listen to increase or hinder learning?
Composer George Burt once commented, “When we see pictures and hear music at the same time, we invariably make a connection, if only on an unconscious level.” When music is combined with information, powerful brain connections occur. Anyone who learned their ABCs by singing a song or remembers the song that was playing on the radio during a critical moment in their life, knows first hand the power of auditory signals. Wouldn’t you like to control the auditory component so that you can increase the retention of learning? Of course you would, and e-learning should harness the auditory advantage. There’s ample evidence of the effectiveness of music in aiding learning. Accelerated learning, neurolingistic programming, multiple intelligences, and learning style theory all attest the usefulness of music. For instance, both accelerated learning and multiple intelligences suggest that music aids provide sensory memory keys, or anchors, for learning points. In addition, a wealth of studies from
