Tips for engaging learners
Use a variety of methods and media.
Sometimes you will have no alternative but to “stand and deliver” the content of your programs, but it’s important to remember that lecturing is the least learner-centred method of teaching and the least likely to engage your learners.
This is because when you’re talking, your learners are listening – a passive activity. Try to break up a lecture with some activities that stimulate your learners both mentally and physically, and incorporate the use of different media such as the whiteboard, overhead slides and multimedia presentations to add some variety to your presentation and cater for the different learning styles in your group.
Incorporate active learning.
There’s an old saying – if you don’t use it, you lose it! Many of the programs we deliver in VET are practical in nature, so why not consider building some active learning strategies in to your delivery plan! Many adult learners prefer an active style of learning, where they can actually get “hands-on” and apply the new skills and knowledge they are gaining. Active learning also encourages collaboration and teamwork in a group of learners.
Remember that OHS is an important consideration in all training delivery, so always consider any safety issues that could arise in your active learning strategies.
Group-based learning.
Humans are essentially social by nature, and we enjoy working with other people. Group-based learning is an excellent strategy to integrate both the social and cognitive dimensions of learning.
By providing opportunities for learners to collaborate and discuss things together, group-based learning uses and builds on the collective knowledge and skills of the individuals in the group. It also encourages the sharing of ideas and opinions.
Problem-solving.
Most people enjoy the challenge of trying to solve a problem, and will actually learn more through the experience as well as build confidence in their abilities. Problem solving (sometimes also referred to as problem-based learning) is an excellent strategy to encourage learners to “stretch” their brains and apply their skills and knowledge.
This strategy works best when the problem to solve reflects real life; that is, a problem the learners would typically encounter in either their personal or work environment. Be careful to pitch the problem at an appropriate level, so that your learners will actually be able to solve it. The level of challenge should match your learner’s abilities, skills, knowledge and confidence.
Get to know your learners.
Research has shown that learners respond best to trainers that they feel comfortable with, and like on a personal level. Trainers that take the time to get to know their learners tend to find the training experience more rewarding, and their learners generally achieve better results.
Take the time to get to know your learners; their interests, goals, background, experiences etc – even a little of their personal life such as family, children, hobbies etc where appropriate. Sometimes getting out of the classroom is the best way to achieve this – try a field trip or excursion, or some simple training games outside.
Reflection as a trainer/assessor.
Time can pass us by so quickly that we forget to stop for a moment and think back on what we have been doing and what we achieve each day.
After you finish each training or assessment program or session, take some time out to reflect on the experience and ask yourself some questions. Things like:
Was that a positive experience for my learners?
Did I do everything I could to engage and motivate the learners?
What didn’t work as well as I thought it would?
What can I change to improve it for next time?
Of course, seeking feedback from your learners is also very important. Then you can put your own reflections together with your learners’ feedback to get an overall picture of how things went and what might need to be worked on to improve it for next time.
Share, be honest and open.
It’s important that your learners see you as a real person, so that they believe in what you’re saying and do not feel intimidated by you as their trainer/assessor. We learn just as much from our learners as they do from us, so the sharing of thoughts, ideas and opinions is a wonderful strategy for sharing skills and knowledge.
Aim to encourage an environment of sharing through being honest and open in your communication, actions and attitude. When your learners feel safe with you, a far more positive learning environment will be created.
Giving feedback.
We all like to know when we have done a good job, and we also need to know when there’s something we could have done better. Everyone responds well to encouragement and recognition of a job well done – as long as it is given in a sincere and honest way.
Try to make your feedback specific. Instead of just saying “that was great”, expand it and make it more useful by saying “that was great because…” – see the difference? Now the learner not only knows that what he/she did was great, but they understand what was so great about it. This is a far more powerful way of giving feedback.
Likewise, when giving negative feedback, rather than saying “that didn’t work very well”, try something like “that didn’t work very well because…” – again, a small difference but far more helpful to the learner.
Reinforcement
Getting a new skill and demonstrating it once or twice (including one time for the purpose of assessment) does not necessarily mean that the learning has been effective. Will that learner still be able to perform that task six months from now? It is important that trainers provide opportunities for learners to consolidate, build on and apply the skills and knowledge they are developing.
Reinforcement of learning is not just about repetition. Making a learner repeat a task over and over again will reinforce the learning, but it’s not a very sound teaching strategy. Try to use a variety of methods to give your learners opportunities to reinforce their new knowledge and skills.
Seeking feedback
Trainers that don’t seem to care what their learners think can come across as conceited and arrogant. Learners appreciate having the opportunity to put forward their own views and opinions, and you can help this happen by asking for feedback.
Try to use open questions starting with words like “what”, “how”, “why”, etc – rather than closed questions such as “did you like that?” or “was that good?”. Open questions will encourage your learners to give you more detailed answers. Similarly, if a learner makes a comment like “that was boring”, ask for more information – why was it boring? What didn’t you like about it? What could I have done to make it less boring?