Managing the Learning Environment Chapter 5

Managing the Learning Environment Set the tone of the session Communicate expectations Adapt delivery as needed Manage time Help learners be successful Manage problem behaviors You have to remember that you set the tone for the whole training session. If you look and act bored, your audience will act bored. If you are enthused, your audience will be enthused about the training. You also must communicate your expectations for the session’s outcome to your audience at the start. They will also need to share their expectations of what they need from the session so you can adapt and try to meet their needs. As a result, you may need to change or adapt your plans to meet those needs. If you find out you have more or fewer people than you expected, you may have to qickly choose different activities or examples you planned to use. Thiink on your feet and tap dance. Learn to manage your time. Pace the session so that your audience can keep with you or so they don’t get bored. Not too fast or too slow for them to learn. Plan on success. Do one wants to fail, but some need more help than others. Adapt and adjust for different styles of learning. Support visual, audio, and tactile-kinesthetic learning styles wherever necessary. On occasion, there will be someone who simply does not respond and who does not want to be there. Or perhaps someone keeps whispering or heckling you. You must address these behaviors for the benefit of the rest of the audience.

Selecting the Strategy (p 146) Get the learner’s attention Provide examples Stimulate curiosity Facts and statistics Pose questions Convey benefits Use aids (props) In order for everyone to learn, you must get their attention first. You can do this by using the strategies listed here.

Selecting the Strategy Selecting ice breakers Purpose Size Space Leader Time If your training session has a number of people who do not know one another, an ice breaker is a good place to begin. This is an activity that allows participants to get acquainted with each other. This is especially helpful if some team project or effort is the purpose of the training. You need to consider several things when selecting an effective ice breaker activity.

Selecting the Strategy (p 147) Communicate Expectations and Administrative details Establish appropriate learner comfort level Adapt delivery to match learner characteristics Content Examples In the session itself, you need to keep these things in mind.

Managing Time (p 148) Starting time Late arrivals Breaks / Returning from Breaks Cultural perception of time SocialValue You should always start on time, since your time is valuable. What will you do with late-comers? How will you handle breaks? How will you round folks up and get them back on task? There are cultural differences in the way time is perceived, so be very clear when talking about time and hours and expectations. However task oriented you are, make sure you allow for some social time and networking opportunities in your session.

Managing Time Pacing the delivery Adjusting the pace Keeping on time Agendas Contingencies Time Buffers Be prepared to make some during-training adjustments. You may have to speed up or slow down,depending on the body language you get from your audience. You may have to skip some stuff to keep on time, so have some idea ahead what you can leave out and not miss. Similarly, you may have to keep some extra activities in your bag of tricks in case things go much quicker than you expected and you find you have extra time.

Opportunities for Learner Success (p148) Encourage Growth Evaluating Learner Success Quizzes Tests Self-assessments Discussion questions Always encourage your participants to stretch themselves a little. An if you give tests or assessments of some sort, don’t try to trip up your participants, try to help them succeed by only testing for what you have covered.

Group/Team Development Stages Forming Storming Norming Performing Adjourning These are one way of looking at the way teams develop. They form and get to know each other, They storm and learn how to get along and put the task or project first. Then they settle down to work. A successful team then begins to be productive--they perform. When the task is accomplished or the project finished and closeed, the team adjourns. A facilitator must be ready to help the team move forward as quickly as possible through the first three stages to performing.

Group Dynamics (p 148-9) Trust Functional Behaviors Dysfunctional Behaviors Groupthink Conflict Social loafing In any group of people, trust is an important component to success. While most of the participants will contribute to the successful outcome, there may be behaviors that hinder progress.

Effective Group Work (p 134) Introduce the group activity Set ground rules (p 134) Have / be facilitator In order to be effective, you must clearly explain the desired outcome of the group’s work. Clear ground rules such as “no negative comments or criticisms” or “only 5 minutes per person” can reduce confusion and conflict. Your role is a facilitator. You don’t “run” the group session, you guide it.

Resolving Learner Behavior Problems (p 149) Identifying prisoners, clowns, hermits,etc. Prevention Intervention Handling hecklers, derailers, whiners, eager beavers, and latecomers There is always one. Seldom are all the participants eager and ready to work. You must identify disruptive behaviors and learn to deal with them. Have some plans in your head to pull out when you need them.

Summary Set the tone of the session Communicate expectations Adapt delivery as needed Manage time Help learners be successful Manage problem behaviors