0408

HOW TO REVIVE

THE CLASSROOM

EXPERIENCE

Participant Notebook

Copyright 2008, Rockhurst University Continuing Education Center, Inc.

PRESENTED BY

ROCKHURST WEB

CONFERENCE SERIES,

A DIVISION OF ROCKHURST

UNIVERSITY CONTINUING

EDUCATION CENTER, INC.

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Participant Notebook

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Conference Agenda

1. Creating collaboration with your participants will build the training for success.

2. Pre-training tips and techniques to get learners motivated.

3. Advantages of pre-training activities.

4. How to use pre-training activities.

5. Advantages of experiential learning vs. a lecture format.

6. Tips and techniques for using experiential training methods.

7. How to overcome adult learner reluctance to games and experiential learning.

8. Four essential elements every activity must have.

9. Using podcasts, music, videos, photos, room setup, and signs.

10. Using video/DVD vignettes to take content from the workbook page into an application mode.

11. How to successfully train every generation.

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Collaboration as Your Foundation

• Getting collaboration from the very start will build your training session for success.

• No matter what the topic is, divide participants into small groups to discuss and recordtheir goals for the training.

• Once they have shared their learning goals, you have collaboration.

“Until the student has a stake in the learning, they will learn very little. Once they have astake in the learning, you will have collaboration.”

— Benjamin Zander, Boston Philharmonic Conductor

What All Adult Learners Need

1. Relevant information

2. To know what is expected of them

3. Activities that associate with past experiences

4. Respect for their experience

5. Information in a variety of ways

6. Active involvement in their learning

7. A sense of self-direction

8. Freedom from anxiety

9. Feedback about their performance

10. Immediate application of their new knowledge

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Pre-training Tips and Techniques to Get Learners Motivated

Advantages of a Pre-training Activity

1. Participants think about the training before they come to the training.

2. Saves training time by providing content outside the classroom.

3. In some cases, the participants complete work and assessments, or review a case study todiscuss and debrief during the training.

Pre-training Activities and How to Use Them

1. Articles

• Locate articles with an Internet search or search on www.findarticles.com.

• Use the public library. Ask for assistance from the research librarian to look for articles.

• Ask learners to read the articles and give them questions to think about for the discussion.

• Assign one or several of the participants to be prepared to lead group discussionsabout the article — this will ensure that it will be read because, in reality, some willnot read it.

2. Case studies

• Give learners a case study that presents a problem or issue within the topic. Havethem read the case study and use it for discussion in the classroom.

• If it is a real case study, share the outcome and whether it worked and why.

• If it is a case study you wrote, use it for the foundation of the discussion.

3. Pre-tests

• Pre-tests can be used for a variety of purposes. One is a general knowledge test togive the trainer a sense of what information needs to be covered the most. Pre-teststhat are used to measure the gain of specific knowledge can be given both before andafter the training.

• Caution: Make sure the test is valid and that your training includes the informationyou are testing.

4. Assessments

• Have learners take an assessment on the related topic.

• Assessments are used to determine a number of different types of information.Assessments are different from tests in that there is no right or wrong answer to thequestion or scale being used.

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• Many assessments are available online with results being sent to the participantand/or instructor.

• Examples of various assessments include:

— Personality style assessments, e.g., the SELF Profile, Myers-Briggs, DISC.

— Thomas Kilmann’s Conflict Mode Assessment

— Time management

— Management style

— Customer service

— Negotiation style

• When using assessments, it is important to remember to bring the assessment into thetraining and make it a central point of what you are teaching.

5. Blogs, wikis, and discussion forums

Each one of these tools is used to create discussion, ask and answer questions, continuethe learning after the training is over, and facilitate networking.

• Blogs

— A blog (Web log) is often used as an online diary.

— A blog is usually set up for people to respond with comments on what the author has written.

— The advantage of a blog is that anyone can post to one from any computer withno training and no special software.

— Example: A blog can be used to begin the discussion of a topic several weeksbefore the training and to stimulate the participants to start sharing ideas andasking questions.

— Blogs are also useful to keep the conversation and learning going after the training.

• Wikis

— Anyone with access can edit the post of anyone else.

— Example: A wiki can be used to post the curriculum and invite the participants toedit the curriculum, to reflect what they want to learn instead of what we thinkthey want to learn.

• Discussion forum

— This is unique in that it allows anyone to post a topic, and then all discussion onthat topic is linked together by topic.

— There is an unlimited amount of topics that can be started and used.

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The Advantages of Experiential Learning vs. a Lecture Format

Experiential training engages the learners in a direct experience with deliberate debriefing andreflection in order to increase knowledge, develop skills, and clarify values.

Tips and Techniques for Using Experiential Training Methods

• Experiences must be supported by a “debrief” that allows participant analysis and a“tieback” to work.

• Experiences should be fun and physically and emotionally safe.

• Exercises must be structured to require the participants to take action and then give themthe opportunity to see the learning on their own.

• Learners must be challenged.

• The participant may experience success, failure, risk taking, and uncertainty.

• The activity must be appropriate to the group.

Examples of Experiential Activities

• Art

Place butcher paper on the wall. With colored markers, have participants draw picturesrelated to the topic, and then have the participants explain what the pictures mean.

• Games

Use reference books, e.g., Creativity Games for Trainers, to come up with games.

• Tabletop initiatives

Board games, puzzles, riddles, toys, or homemade challenges — involve the group indiscussion and “debrief” the activity.

Does this type of training work for all types of topics?

Yes, it does. In some cases, it requires the trainer to be more creative in how to putexperiences into training on technical topics such as Microsoft Excel.

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Participant Notebook, continued

How to Overcome Adult Learner Reluctance to Games and Experiential Learning

• Start small with a simple exercise that is nonthreatening and done on an individual basis.

• Don’t argue; if someone really does not want to participate, support that and ask him orher to observe the activity and share observations.

Four Essential Elements Every Activity Must Have

1. Challenging

2. Appropriate to the group

3. Fun and safe — any physical challenge should match everyone in the group.

4. Debriefed by the trainer, and skills learned are tied back to work.

Possible debriefing questions:

• What questions do you have?

• What are your observations or thoughts?

• What did you learn?

• Based on what you have experienced and learned today, what will you start, stop, andcontinue when you return to work?

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Participant Notebook, continued

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Using Podcasts, Music, Videos, Photos, Room Setup, and Signs

Podcasts

Uses:

• Record a podcast and e-mail it or post it on the Web for your participants to listen to as awelcome message.

• Record a podcast of a role play between two people that illustrates the point you want tomake and play it during the workshop.

• Record an after-workshop podcast and e-mail it as a reminder of the training or even as ajob aid or a follow-up on training.

Keep your podcasts under five minutes or you will lose connection with the audience.

Music

Uses:

• Play music before and while participants are gathering.

• Play music when the group is doing any individual exercise.

Videos/DVD Vignettes

Take content from the workbook page into an application mode.

Uses:

• Illustrate a point. If you are teaching a session on conflict resolution and you wantparticipants to see and understand what an inappropriate comment looks and soundslike, show a two- to three-minute video/DVD clip that illustrates this. Have the groupdiscuss what they saw and heard.

• Teach a case study. Play a video/DVD vignette and have the group discuss and analyzewhat they saw, heard, and felt along with options for handling the situation.

Room Setup for Activities

• Set up the training room in round tables or pods whenever possible to facilitate groupconversation and activities.

• At each table, have a sign with a quote and a picture that illustrates the point of the quote.

• During breaks and lunch breaks, switch the signs to keep them fresh.

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Participant Notebook, continued

How to Successfully Train Every Generation

• Get the different generations to interact with one another right from the start.

• Participants who interact find that they have needs for knowledge and have a lot more incommon than they might have thought.

• Usually Generations X and Y want more technology and multitasking than the boomergeneration; therefore, vary your pace and teaching methodology.

• Mix approaches to connect with everyone.

• Check with participants to make sure they are getting what they want from the training.

• Use more experienced learners to help less experienced learners.

Summary

• Pre-training activities ranging from reading to assessments to online virtual tools such asblogs and wikis are important because they get participants involved in the trainingbefore it begins. It helps get them prepared.

• Well-managed, well-run activities are important because a poorly run activity will not only miss the mark on the training but can also turn off the participants from other learning.

• Experiential training is important because the effective use of games, challenges, andactivities will enhance the learning and engage the participants.

• Experiential training methods can be used for any topic. It is important to understand thatwe need to continually work to improve and bring life to the topics we are training.

• How do we get to the most resistant people involved? Remember, gain their trust withsmall safe exercises; if they still do not want to engage, don’t fight it and ask them to be observers.

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Recommended Resources

Books

75 Cage-Rattling Questions

Creativity Games for Trainers

Get Weird

How to Manage Training, third edition

The Big Book of Business Games

The Trainer’s Handbook, third edition

Trainers in Motion

Turning Training Into Learning

Wake Up Your Creative Genius

Manuals

Conquer the Brain Drain

High-Impact Presentation and Training Skills

DVDs

Digital Juice 2.0

Audio CDs

The Power of Persuasion

The Winner in You

Thinking Outside the Lines

CD-ROM

Clip Words

To order resources, call Customer Service at 1-800-258-7246, or visit our Web site at www.NationalSeminarsTraining.com.

BonusMaterials

Dear Customer,

You are a valued customer and to say “thank you,” we haveincluded the following as a bonus for you. We believe you’llfind it helpful as a job aid or to further your knowledgebeyond today’s broadcast.

Thank you,

Susan EnyeartDirector, Curriculum Development

0408

Bonus Material:

BRAINSTORMINGAND CREATIVETHINKING

Copyright 2008, Rockhurst University Continuing Education Center, Inc.

PRESENTED BY

ROCKHURST WEB

CONFERENCE SERIES,

A DIVISION OF ROCKHURST

UNIVERSITY CONTINUING

EDUCATION CENTER, INC.

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Bonus Material: Brainstorming and Creative Thinking

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Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a form of thinking that involves two or more people. The strategy of goodbrainstorming is to develop many ideas in a hurry, building off the thoughts of other people. Allyou need for brainstorming are two or more people, something to write on, and a place that isaway from your normal work area.

What you have to do is come up with as many ideas a possible as quickly as possible. The ideais to have a quantity of solutions to a problem and then choose the quality solution from yourmany potential thoughts.

1. Choose your brainstormers carefully.

2. Get away from your normal work space.

3. Brainstorming prohibits negative thinking.

4. Far-out, wild, wacky, off-the-wall, weird ideas are welcome — the stranger the better.

5. Brainstorming encourages Janusian thinking — seeing both sides of an idea, both positiveand negative. When you understand why an idea doesn’t work, then you can focus onhow to make it work.

6. No negativity is allowed — don’t shoot down any ideas.

7. The key is to critique ideas, not attack the person who has the idea.

8. Build on each other’s ideas.

9. No interruptions are allowed. (Check cell phones at the door.)

10. Write down ideas.

11. Take a short break every hour.

12. Evaluate later.

As you create your ideas, write them on 3 x 5 cards. Post the cards on the wall with tape. Whenyou begin your evaluation process, take the best ideas “off the wall” for further discussion.

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Bonus Material: Brainstorming and Creative Thinking, continuedRethinking …

Terms for Creativity

Use the following terms to think about how you will think.

• combine • compose • generalize

• modify • invent • adapt

• anticipate • collaborate • compile

• devise • create • formulate

• integrate • rearrange • design

• reinforce • structure • speculate

• intervene • negotiate • plan

• express • validate • reorganize

• substitute • facilitate • rewrite

Use these tools for times when you need to tear down the wall.

• Swipe file — Keep a file, box, folder, or scrapbook filled with ads that have caught youreye. When you need to do some fast thinking, pull one of these out and use it as alaunching pad to new ideas.

• Use the octopus chart — There are computer programs, like MindMapper and Microsoft® Office Visio®, that create octopus graphs easily and quickly, but a pencil and paper work well.

• Flowchart thinking — The traditional flowchart is good for examining processes.

If you need to do planning, the flowchart is an exceptional tool.

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When Those Brainstorms Are Reduced to a Drizzle …

Remember: To find an idea, you must be looking for one!

Wallis’ Four-Stage Sequence for Ideation

1. Preparation: Gathering information, researching, preparing to think/problem-solve.

2. Incubation: The best creative ideas develop during this stage. It is at this point that youare consciously not thinking about the problem, allowing your subconscious to do somework for you.

3. Illumination: The “Eureka!” moment — the moment in time when the brain catches sightof a possible good idea.

4. Verification: Testing the solution — this stage involves organizing data and conducting experiments.

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Bonus Material: Brainstorming and Creative Thinking, continuedTen Ways to Jump-Start Ideas

1. Activate childlikeness.

• Watch a kid’s movie.

• What if I were in the first grade?

2. Carry a pen and paper with you at all times or carry a tape recorder to capture thoseseemingly irrelevant ideas.

• Journal.

• Write down everything.

• Draw pictures.

This hones ideation processes and organizational skills, and strengthens memory.

3. Ask open-ended questions; avoid “yes” or “no” questions.

• “Yes” or “no” questions limit ideation.

• Ask, Why … ? What if … ? How come … ? How does … ?

4. Transform your problems into positive present-tense action statements.

• Don’t state the problem. State the solution as though it has already taken place, withthe steps necessary to make it true.

• “I have this sale in my pocket because I …”

• “I can solve this problem because I …”

• “I can write this copy because I …”

5. Remove the barriers.

• Ask: If time and money were no object, what would I do to market and promote theorganization, product, or service?

6. Plan for the result; begin with the end in mind.

• Visualize the end result and work backward, laying out the specific steps.

7. Ask bizarre, unexpected questions to rattle your own cage.

• Getting off track can help stickiness.

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Bonus Material: Brainstorming and Creative Thinking, continued

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8. Give yourself impossible deadlines.

• As you try to meet them, your creative faculties will accelerate.

• Creation of a false (early) deadline is a crucial skill for procrastinators.

9. Go on a field trip.

• Go by yourself or with your team to visit the competition or customer.

• Get out of the office.

• Leave the place where the thoughts aren’t happening.

10. Meet your mentor.

• Think of a person you consider a mentor or someone whose ideas you admire orwhose advice you trust.

• The person may be living or deceased.

• The person might be real or imaginary.

• In your imagination, make this person seem real, and ask this person how he or shewould deal with the problem.

• Write down “their” ideas.

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Bonus Material: Brainstorming and Creative Thinking, continuedThe Scientific Method

If you need to think in the absence of a brainstorming team and need extremely precise ideasthat are immediately applicable, try using the method your high-school physics teacher alwaystalked about: the scientific method.

“ … When I think of formal scientific method, an image sometimes comes to mind of anenormous juggernaut. A huge bulldozer — slow, tedious, lumbering, laborious, but invincible. It takes twice as long, five times as long, maybe a dozen times as long as informal mechanic’s

techniques, but you know in the end you are going to get it. There is no fault isolation problem in motorcycle maintenance that can stand up to it. When you’ve hit a really

tough one, tried everything, racked your brain and nothing works, and you know that Nature this time has really decided to be difficult, you say, ‘Okay, Nature, that’s

the end of the nice guy,’ and you crank up the formal scientific method …”— Robert M. Pirsig,

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

1. Observation and description of a phenomenon or group of phenomena — Express theproblem in writing. This is where the thinker decides what ideas are needed to solve theproblem. This is key: Precisely describing the problem will allow for more preciseideation results.

2. Formulation of a hypothesis to explain the phenomena — Develop modes and processesto solve the problems you have listed in step 1.

3. Use of the hypothesis to predict the existence of other phenomena, or to predictquantitatively the results of new observations — As a working pre-test, use the ideascreated in step 2 to solve other problems or examine how similar ideas have worked inthe past.

4. Performance of experimental tests of the predictions by several independentexperimenters and properly performed experiments — Test the ideas. Try them out on atest market, friends, superiors, etc.

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Bonus Material: Brainstorming and Creative Thinking, continued

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