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#ELIXIR – EXCELERATE Train-the Trainer subtask

Session 2: Training techniques that can be used to enhance learner engagement and participation

Delivering a learning event as a mission; establishing learning mode, teamwork and mutual trust

Start with learning objectives. Once you have defined what learners need to achieve, let learning objectives lead the process. The class space influences behaviours. The space in the training room can help to redefine how you implement learning objectives throughout the course. Try to challenge yourself from more traditional, passive and instructor-led methods of teaching to more learner-centric methods that empower learners to be more engaged and involved in the process of skill development, mastery and application. How can you use classroom space to turn challenges into opportunities for learning?

While a lecture or presentation mode can be used to kick-start a session, it can easily be followed by directing students to move to a different learning mode, to access content, their peers and the instructors to support learning. This dynamic interface stimulates both participants and instructors.

Small groups, team-based exercises, and collaborative endeavours support a variety of learning modes. Make sure to use clear and well developed protcolos that minimise any loss of time or productivity. You can leverage multiple learning/teaching modes; indeed, fostering a high order of thinking skills is far more successful when students are given multiple ways to process information. The variety of tools, flexibility of place to work and a range of people, including instructors, to network with at various intervals empower individuals and generate mutual trust. Provide students easier access to you (the instructor).

Try to give up the position of the "sage on the stage", to become the "guide on the side". This makes learners feel free to interact, ask questions, tell they got lost (when they are) and allows you to better understand what problems participants have, work individually with those in need of help, and use your time to focus and (re)explain what was not well received.

####Teaching as a preformance art: promoting learner engagement

###Challenge 1: Training you have been involved in...

  • What makes a good training session?
  • What makes a bad training session?

Think of an example of each that you have participated in and list your thoughts…

###Challenge 2: What makes a good trainer? Discuss it in pairs and write down which characteristics you think a good trainer should have.

Compare your thoughts with ours

###Challenge 3: The GOBLET skills matrix for trainers This matrix was developed by GOBLET TtT taskforce. It aims to provide an overview of the major skills required to be a good trainer; note that not all trainers will have all skills - that is not the point! Try to reflect on your current skills and how they fit with this matrix.

The Goblet skills matrix for trainers

####Communication skills Verbal communication skills - able to deliver information orally in a clear manner that is understood by trainees. Written communication skills - providin written information eg handouts, at the correct level for trainees and in appropriate format Presentation skills - producing suitable slide-sets for lecture-style sessions; presenting complex information in an accessible manner

####Expertise and knowledge Subject area knowledge - having knowledge / expertise in a specific subject User application awareness - understanding how a learner will apply the information "How will this analysis benefit my work?" Knowledge of training methodology - awareness of individual learning styles and basic pedagogy

####Planning and Management Session planning - able to define the requirements for a single session; be able to plan appropriate activities based on objectives of session and time available; Curriculum planning - organising a balanced course; clear definitions of target group and course outcomes; appropriate mix of theory and practice; Event management - "everything else" around the science in a course eg appropriate breaks, running times, networking opportunities.

####Learner engagement Flexibility in delivery - adapting a session / course based on real-time in class feedback; Empathy with learners - recognising how learners are engaging with the subject; drawing learners in to the learning opportunity presented; Understanding / knowledge of learners - understanding learners' requirements from the course.

####Motivation and demotivation

In general terms, as an instructor, if you feel that you need to motivate learners you should stop and think. There must be something wrong. You may be unable to identify the reason but this should be seen as a signal not to continue. You should not need to motivate people that fall in yor hands, but if you do, you should have a strategy in place for that. Start with figuring out the level of the audience and what could grab their interest.

You should identify factors that may demotivate your audience and build plans to avoid them. Factors that relate to delivery format are a particular concern, as they can ruin training that has been carefully built, content-wise. Lengthy lectures, over-crowded slides, lack of materials to follow-up are good examples.

The lesson on Motivation and Demotivation from the Software/Data Carpentry Instructor training is a very interesting reading on the topic. Here is a short extract:

###Things that an instructor shouldn't do in a course

  • Tell learners they are rubbish because they use Excel and/or Word don't modularize their code, etc.
  • Repeatedly make digs about Windows and praise Linux, e.g., say that the former is for amateurs.
  • Criticise GUI applications (and by implication their users) and describe command-line tools as the One True Way.
  • Dive into complex or detailed technical discussion with the one or two people in the audience who clearly don't actually need to be there.
  • Pretend to know more than you do. People will actually trust you more if you are frank about the limitations of your knowledge, and will be more likely to ask questions and seek help.
  • Use the J word ("just"). This signals the learner that the instructor thinks their problem is trivial and by extension that they therefore must be stupid for not being able to figure it out.

From: Motivation - Software/Data Carpentry Instructor training

The techniques that can be used to keep motivation up in an audience are called engagement.

Examples of techniques that you can use to promote engagement in training:

  • Establish teamwork by agreement
  • Introduce blended multi-media materials
  • Make frequent use of instant feedback to monitor and to induce self-assessment
  • Offer participatory stimuli (prizes, gamifications)
  • Let learners doing recaps (in the morning about the day before, at the end of sessions, etc)
  • Introduce physical exercise (e.g. at the beginning of after-lunch sessions): this is good for both physical and mental health
  • Introduce short, relaxing breaks (e.g. one minute meditation)
  • Assign tasks to groups (e.g. Python libraries) and let the groups present the result of their work

####Gamification Using games in training may be an effective technique in many aspects. Games promote:

  • ice breaking
  • interactivity
  • networking
  • fun
  • pace discontinuity
  • relax

Games should be designed/chosen accurately and have specific goals, should not last too much and shouln't be too frequent. Possible games are:

  • Throw props to recap/rehearse: Make a list of concepts/keywords and write it on the whiteboard (or a flipchart). You may also have cards stuck on the wall of the classroom with terms written on them. Throw a light and soft object to a participant, who will have catch the object, stand up, pick a term from the list and explain its meaning (or usage) in a few sentences (not more than 20-30 seconds). After the explanation, the participant will throw the object to another participant. Continue until the end of the list.
  • Mimicking. Make two groups. One person from each group will mimic concepts/keywords (e.g. Python commands). The rest of the group will guess the mimicked concept/keyword. The group employing less time to guess the correct concept/keyword, will get one point. In principle, this should be repeated for each component of the group. This game can also be done without splitting the audience in two groups.
  • Asking (and answering) questions to each other: This activity, should the venue and the weather allow it, would be better carried out in outer space. Form two concentric circles of people facing each others. When you clap your hands, the two circles have to turn in opposite directions. A second clap will stop them and each person from the outer (inner) circle will ask a question to the person before him/her and belogning to the inner (outer) circle. Give 45 secs to answer, then clap again your hands to make people move and again to stop them. When they stop (ensure that facing pairs have changed), people from the inner (outer) circle will ask questions and those from the outer (inner) circle will answer. Repeat for 4-6 questions (and answers).
  • Games to introduce algorithms and/or the logic of programming (i.e., simple but accurate and very specific instructions). Game 1: divide the class into two groups. Each group will draw a simple geometrical figure and write specific istructions to draw the figure. Groups exchange instructions and try to draw the other group's figure based on the instructions received. Game 2: One person (could also be the instructor) will stand blindfolded in a corner (or at the back) of the classroom. Following instructions of participants, he or she will have to walk to the opposite corner (or the front) of the classroom, without bumping into tables, chairs, etc.

####Closed loop learning delivery

Lectures, as traditionally used in formal learning, are characterised by a unidirectional flow of information, from one instructor to N learners. Only in rare occasions is there information going back to the instructor. Moreover, the instructor is not necessarily worried about the result, i.e. if the information that is sent is sedimenting or not in the learners' brain. So, the instructor can speak for several hours in unidirectional mode.

In training, we also use lectures to convey information, but we make them short, and, n«more importantly we make them fit in a model of delivery that is called a closed loop. The instructor delivers information so that it can be immediately utilised in and exercise or some aother form of assessment. The learner perceives the effect of the incoming information and his/her ability to use it, and has an opportunity to interact with the instructor, thus "closing the loop". The instructor uses this mode to ensure that the new knowledge or skill is well sedimented in the learner's brain, and corrects whatever is needed.

####Learning by doing

What people remember

"Learners who actively engage with course materials will end up retaining it for much longer than they would have otherwise, and they will be better able to apply their knowledge broadly."(Waldrop, Nature 2015)

Our experience suggests that there are activities that should be reduced and activities that should be carried out as much intensively as possible.

Activities and attitudes the instructor should keep to a minimum:

  • lecturing
  • individual work out
  • providing answers before letting participants doing it
  • keeping the same pace for long time
  • using a monotone modality of content delivery (including the tone of the voice)
  • showing no enthusiasm

Activities and attitudes the instructor should promote:

  • listening
  • questions asking
  • challenging learners
  • group discussions/brainstorming
  • work in pairs/groups
  • problem solving
  • peer instruction (using sticky notes, see below Carpentry teaching practices)
  • participants' interaction/neworking
  • games
  • physical exercise
  • presentations by participants
  • mode/pace/activity frequent change

####Retention

“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” – Confucius

Memorisation is part of the learning process. Memorising facts and rules happens in the context of the much more complex learning proces where they need to articulate. It so happens that failure to memorise makes most of the learning impractical or at least inneficient.

To learn, we need to be able to memorise - and we actually choose what - and we actually also need to forget. This process is called retention.

Rote learning methods can produce memorisation, but are exclusively based on repetition. The absence of a proper context, meaning and association is a serious obstacle to the acquisition of proper understanding. Therefore, rote methods have a very limited scope of application in learning. Alternatively, instructors need to opt for active learning or even dep learning methods.

In active learning, the learner actively participates in the construction of his new knowledge. Whereas in deep learning, the learner develops his own organisationa scheme/framework where the new knowledge merges with previously acquired knowledge and new meaningful associations emerge logically.

Short term memory (STM) has an evanescent behaviour. Repetition, as on rote learning, is maximally effective in producing long term memory (LTM), when not delivered all at once. Paced repetition combines recall with new memorisation, as typically shown in http://com.msu.edu/Students/Academic_Guidance/long_term_retention_recall.pdf

####Priming ...

####Self-confidence and usage independence

...

####Carpentry teaching practices Very effective teaching practices are described in the [Teaching practices lesson] (http://swcarpentry.github.io/instructor-training/15-practices/) from the Software/Data Carpentry Instructor training.

Here is a short extract:

Sticky notes: We give each learner two sticky notes of different colors, e.g., red and green. These can be held up for voting, but their real use is as status flags. If someone has completed an exercise and wants it checked, they put the green sticky note on their laptop; if they run into a problem and need help, the put up the red one. This is better than having people raise their hands because:

  • it’s more discreet (which means they’re more likely to actually do it),
  • they can keep working while their flag is raised, and * the instructor can quickly see from the front of the room what state the class is in.

Minute cards: We also use sticky notes as minute cards: before each coffee or meal break, learners take a minute to write one positive thing on the green sticky note (e.g., one thing they’ve learned that they think will be useful), and one thing they found too fast, too slow, confusing, or irrelevant on the red one. They can use the red sticky note for questions that haven’t yet been answered. It only takes a few minutes to cluster these, and allows the instructors to adjust to learners’ interests and speed.

One up, one down: We frequently also ask for summary feedback at the end of each day. The instructors ask the learners to alternately give one positive and one negative point about the day, without repeating anything that has already been said. This requirement forces people to say things they otherwise might not: once all the “safe” feedback has been given, participants will start saying what they really think.

Minute cards are anonymous; the alternating up-and-down feedback is not. Each mode has its strengths and weaknesses, and by providing both, we hope to get the best of both worlds.

####The role of wrap-up sessions At the end of sessions (or a day course, or the whole course), it is important to devote a few minutes to wrap-up and collect feedback. Wrap-up should be carried out by participants. In a course lasting more than one day, the wrap-up of one entire day, can be carried out as the first thing on the day after. The various topics of a day can be assigned to a few participants (it is advised to identify max 4/5 main topics each day and assign each to a different participant), who will stand on the stage before the class and briefly summarise what was done the day before. The instructor may decide to give the participants who have to present a bit of time to reflect and organise a bried speach. If you mean to use this type of wrap-up, it is important to inform the participants at the beginning of the course about your intention: many people don't like to be exposed and may feel uncomfortable if not irritated by knowing they have to do something they don't like with short or no notice. Usually they accept talking in front of the class if they have time to adapt to this idea and you explain them what are their benefits in doing this.

Feedback at the end of each session should be quick and simple. One example approach is the fist of five voting, which is described in the session on assessment.

##Challenges: discussion

Challenge 2: What makes a good trainer?

  • Knowledge of subject
  • Clear aims for session outcomes
  • Confidence in delivery
  • Appropriate delivery
  • Listens to trainees
  • Flexible – can change pace / depth if required
  • Approachable
  • Engaging