Chapter 6: Lecture and Experiential Activities

How do we make sure that trainees take away what we want them to learn? It’s not as easy as just telling them the information, or even showing them. So, an important step is identifying what training method you want to use, and fully preparing the lesson. There are several options from which to choose. The first part of Chapter 6 covers two popular training methods: Lecture and Experiential Activities. Below we’ll cover how to effectively use these methods to deliver training. While lecturing is one of the most widely used training methods, it’s easy to drone on and lose the trainees to boredom. With adult learners, it’s especially important to remember how they learn, and incorporate these aspects into a lecture. It starts with making the training relevant. In fact, the first thing trainees will want to know is, “how does this material apply to me?” Explaining or demonstrating this early will help to start the training session off right. We do this by such things as storytelling, where we give trainees a problem for them to create an ending to, so that they can see how the training applies. We also can share videos or pictures that describe the issue, so that the trainees they see. Another way to make training relevant is to test their knowledge up-front, so they can see how their skill and knowledge improves through the course. Next, when lecturing we want to organize content similar to writing an essay – with an introduction, middle section which covers the main points and a conclusion. With this, the first thing we want to be sure to do is to package the material, also called chunking, into understandable sections. Along the way, there are several techniques that can be used to keep trainees on track. Using signposts can help – they are similar to transitions in an essay that take the learner from one point to the next. Trainers an also review what has already been covered, and preview what’s next to come, which helps solidify the intended messages. Handouts or manuals help to allow trainees to follow along and take notes during the lecture. Finally, the use of mnemonic devices can also help to make information easier to understand, such as using acronyms (e.g. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats). Another technique that helps to reinforce learning is through redundancy. Repeating content helps to solidify a message. Restating information in different ways also helps to ensure that the message is understood. Highlighting specific points helps trainees understand material that is of particular importance. Finally, any pieces of information that are critical to the trainee’s understanding can be called out by using a feedforward message (such as, “listen to this next point, which is critical”), which tells the trainee to sit up and take notice of the information being covered. When lecturing we also want to be sure to engage trainees and use immediacy behaviors that relate to them in an intimate way – doing so will help trainees to pay attention during the lecture. Examples of immediacy behaviors might be nodding in approval, using trainee names and using body language that shows interest. How do we engage trainees? By asking rhetorical questions, allowing the trainees to finish sentences or interact with their classmates, to write down their thoughts on the topic. All of these techniques will help to add interaction to the lecture. Another training method used is experiential activities, such as role plays or case studies, which get the trainees directly involved in learning. To use these methods, we start by planning the activity - identifying the learning objective, and then preparing materials and instructions for the students. Next, the activity is presented to the trainees, with an explanation of the purpose and instructions on how to complete the activity. Afterwards, it’s important to have each trainee assess what they learned, as well as “unpack” the experience. By using the EDIT method, trainees further understand the experiential activity. With the EDIT method, we ask trainees to participate in the Experience; we ask trainees to Describe what occurred during the activity; we ask trainees to Infer what would happen if they used the knowledge they learned; finally, we have trainees Transfer the knowledge by explaining how they will use the information they have learned. With the experiential activity of role playing, trainees can practice skills through acting them out. The role play is scripted and then staged. With scripting, trainees are provided information that enables them to act out the role play. Role plays range from improvisation, where trainees create a detailed situation from a general scenario they are given; to participant-prepared skits, where trainees create their own script to address a problem. Staging refers to the way the role play is acted out. In stage-front role playing, one set of trainees acts out their play and the rest of the class observes to provide feedback. With simultaneous role playing, the entire class acts out their parts at once, with the trainer overseeing. Again, role playing allows the trainees to actively participate by acting out the scenarios. The experiential activity of a case study allows trainees to problem-solve a detailed situation that is given to them. Case studies can be provided to trainees, or they can be asked to create their own based on experiences they have had. If trainees create their own, as trainers we need to give them guidance on how to create it. They should be advised to change the names of players in the case study and describe who they are, to give the context of the case study and to explain the problem in detail. Then, to process the case study trainees read through it and discuss through comparing and contrasting their thoughts on the problem, reasons for the problem, and recommended solutions for the problem. Multiple training methods may work in any given situation. By following the guidelines above for lecturing or experiential activities, we can help to ensure that if one of these methods is chosen, trainees will take away a good understanding of the material. Link to article for discussion: “Experiential Learning” http://facdevblog.niu.edu/experiential-learning By: Sherry Hanna