The (Not-So) Accidental Trainer

Russell Palmerrussell.palmer@lyrasis.org

LYRASIS ©2012

Objectives

After this class, you will be familiar with• The various aspects of instructional

design• A common model of individual learning

styles• Different presentation techniques and

activities for different learning styles• Methods for evaluating the

effectiveness of a training session

Introduction

• Few who train have had training on training.

• What are your training memories?

Types of Learning

• Acquire knowledge or understanding

• Develop a skill• Change an attitude• Instill a value

You've been asked to teach a class…what do you need to know?

The Training Environment

• Audience• Time frame• Space• Equipment• Budget• Travel

Communication

• Be in touch with host/sponsor– Share contact information– Where, when, parking, etc.

• Ask for what you need, understand what will be there for you– Whiteboard, flipchart ?– PC or laptop (your own?) or flash drive?– Meeting room or lab?– Equipment?

Instructional Design• Establish objectives based on needs• Organize content & research

– Consider types of adult learners – Consider your training style

• Identify environmental concerns• Choose type(s) of delivery• Design the materials• Evaluate

Content should drive delivery and materials.

Needs Assessment

• Surveys• Questionnaires• Interviews• Observation• Work samples• Reports • How else to determine needs?

Needs Objectives

• Objectives formula Desired performance

– Actual performance = Training need

• Ask yourself– What must they know at the end?

• Ongoing needs assessment– Communication

Exercise 1

• Think of a class you are currently teaching, planning to teach in the future, or can imagine teaching. Who are your potential students for the class, and what are their training needs?

SMART Training Objectives

• Specific• Measurable• Action-oriented• Realistic• Time-related

Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives

Cognitive• Knowledge• Comprehensi

on• Application• Analysis• Synthesis• Evaluation

Psychomotor• (Not fully

developed)

Affective• Receiving• Responding• Valuing• Organizing &

conceptualizing

• Characterizing by value or concept

Sample Objectives – Libraries Helping Job Seekers in Hard TimesIn this class you will

• Identify the tasks involved in searching for work and how libraries might assist job hunting patrons

• Review the basics of resumes and cover letters

• Discover resources available to job hunting patrons

• Decide upon initiatives and programs to undertake

Sample Objectives – Introduction to Metadata

With hands-on practice and class discussion, you will

• Gain foundational knowledge of metadata basics and terminology

• Be comfortable at a beginner level with a variety of metadata schema, including Dublin Core

• Understand metadata topics and issues, such as interoperability and best practices

• Feel comfortable getting started with metadata at your organization

What are the objectives for the class YOU will teach?

• Exercise 2: for this class and these students, develop three to five objectives.

Learning Styles• Different categorizations of styles

– Audio, visual, kinesthetic– Feeling-thinking, watching-doing (Kolb)– Multiple Intelligences (Gardner)

• A person retains information better when it’s presented in one way or another– Combination of more than one

• Appealing to different styles is best chance for retention!

VAKThree different learning styles:• Visual• Auditory • Kinesthetic

Visual Learners

• Think in images• Visualize words• Prefer demonstrations• Memory is often triggered by images• Remember faces but not names• Use metaphors• (Usually sit up straight)

Auditory Learners

• Associate sounds with understanding• Prefer dialogue or lecture• Sounds trigger memory• Repeat words• Enjoy talking with others• (Nod head a lot when presenter is

talking)

Kinesthetic Learners

• Tactile• Motion-oriented• Prefer “learning by doing”• Prefer action stories• Use gestures• (May take notes; often jump right in

and try things)

Retention

Read

Hear

See

See and hear

Talk over with others

Use and do in real life

Teach someone else

10%

30%

70%

95%

20%

50%

80%

AdultRates

Your Teaching Style• Active listener• Actor/Director• Assigner• Coach• Consultant• Content expert• Coordinator• Designer• Evaluator

• Facilitator• Lecturer• Negotiator• Observer• Organizer• Questioner• Resource person• Role model• Resource manager

Exercise 3

• Considering the three learning styles we discussed (visual, auditory, kinesthetic), what will you include in the design of your course to work with each style? (Such as, presentation, demonstration, lecture, exercises.)

Designing & Organizing Content

• Brainstorming• Clustering• Napkin method

• Plan on 10 hours prep for each hour of class

• Over-plan • Provide variety

Napkin Method

• Break your core topic down– 4 sub-topics, at most

• Cluster in each sub-topic• Develop outline for sub-topics

– Becomes an agenda

• Back of napkin: resources needed, environmental concerns, learning styles

Research

• Print sources• Digital sources• Human sources• Experiential sources

May alter content/agenda.

The Adult Learner

I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught.

- Winston Churchill www.quotegarden.com

Adult Learners• Practical orientation

– What’s in it for me? (WIIFM)– Expect immediate usefulness

• Varying levels of experience• Motivation – internal or external?• Responsible for own learning

– Decide for themselves what's important

• Collaborative environment• Various reactions to change

What does this mean for you?

• Keep atmosphere positive– Respect & trust– Friendly & professional

• Keep it interesting and pertinent to their work– Know your audience– Keep the focus on the topic

• Tell them what’s expected• Don’t have any expectations of your own

How do you do all this?

• Show enthusiasm• Introductions and/or icebreaker

– Not just to you but to each other– Introduce the material too

• Conversation– Greet participants as they arrive– Encourage questions, sharing

experiences– Accept and listen to everyone

How do you do all this?

• Have a sense of humor– Be careful with jokes!

• Remember names– Name tags or table tents

• Have a schedule – and keep to it– With some wiggle room

• Know the material• Don’t pretend to know something

Keeping Their Interest

• Remember learning styles?• Give (and solicit) additional examples• Tell anecdotes (if appropriate)• Don’t read the slides

– Read the exercise instructions

• Ask questions– Involve participants

• Re-phrase things• Repetition actually works

Your Tools

• Your voice

• Your body

• Your material

Your Voice• Modulation

– Avoid monotone! Vary your tempo.• Enunciate clearly• Breathe• Emphasize

– When and where appropriate• Don’t be afraid of silence

– Pause • Don’t “um” or “ah” or any such thing

Your Body• Move around

– Laser pointer? Remote control?

• Sit at times, if possible

• Use your natural mannerisms– Gesture to draw attention

• Eye contact– With everyone

• Nervous tics are distracting– Constant fidgeting, swaying, pet phrases or words

Your Material

• Presentation software/application

• Demonstration

• Lecture

• Manual, handouts

• Activities

• Exercises

• Flip charts, markers, post-it notes

• Online documentation

Activities & Exercises• Nominative group technique• Brainstorming/Clustering/Mindwalk• Practicum

– Critiques• Case study• Group discussion• Exercises based on real world

scenarios– Group exercise(s)

Handling Questions

• Don’t focus only on the individual who asked

– Involve the group

• Restate and/or paraphrase

• Reflect feelings back to individual

• May have to draw out the real question

• Confirm answer is adequate for him/her

• Smile and thank the person

The “Problem Trainee”• Disruptive, challenging, attention-

seeking, distracting, disengaged

• If you’ve established a good relationship with the group, these will be minimized– Ground rules?

• Don’t become defensive, and stay calm

• Exercise authority – subtly

• Listen, ask to talk to “offline”– Advise at beginning of day that you’ll do that

Problems

• Disruptive side conversation • Sleeping• "Know-it-all"• Resentment• Unrelated/inappropriate

questions• Wide spectrum of past

experience• Deviation from topic at hand

Logistics

• Arrive early and make sure things work– Files ok, software ok, internet access

ok– Don’t stress over technical glitches

• Room arrangement– Can you alter?– Lighting?– Temperature?

• Breaks, lunch, restrooms, etc.

Room Arrangements

• What do you plan to have happen?– Small group work

– Formal lecture

– High participation

– Large group discussion

– Hands-on activities

• Where should the focus be?– On the instructor

– Between participants

– On an activity

Nervous much?• Accept it

– Happens to everyone– People in the room want you to do well

• Know the material– Memorize or know well the first portion

• Breathe• Move• Put on your “game face”• Be gentle with yourself…you'll make

mistakes.

Exercise 4

• Considering what you’ve planned in Exercise 3, what would be your ideal training environment? (Such as, meeting room vs. computer lab, tables and chairs vs. chairs only, flip charts, etc.)

Evaluation

• Survey and questionnaire• Interview• Observation• Work samples• Records & Reports• Exercises

Be prepared to make changes in your class!

Exercise 5

• How will you determine whether the class objectives have been met? Observation? Quiz? Exercise answers? Post-Assessment? Something else?

Thank You for Attending!

Questions/Comments?Questions/Comments?• 1.800.999.8558• ext. 4916• Email: russell.palmer@lyrasis.org