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To help you with your reply, please consider the following questions: 250 words each part 1 and 2
What did you learn from the posting?
- What additional questions do you have after reading the posting?
- What clarification do you need regarding the posting?
- What differences or similarities do you see between your initial discussion thread and your classmates’ postings?
- Ask each other questions about why the specific training methods were selected.
- How do the types of training methods selected by your classmate apply to other learning style(s)?
- Analyze your classmates’ training objectives. Do the learning objectives describe the key conditions, observable performance or behavior, and set the standard for performance? What modifications would you suggest to ensure trainees understand the expectations clearly?
Part 1
As we have all learned throughout this course, not one person is similar in how they prefer to learn as another person would. This is why it is important that as a trainer in an organization you are aware of the groups who you will be teaching, their titles/positions, the location of the training, and the methods of delivery for training before you begin the preparation for the training. These steps would help you be successful when conducting and delivering training in your organization. I have chosen three types of training methods to review with you all and how they function during the delivery of a training course.
Equipment Simulator (technical skills)
This activity involves the operation or maintenance of equipment. These activities are meant to imitate a process as if you were doing the real thing. The type of activities could be virtually operating machinery, whether that may be an airplane, construction equipment, or navigating a ship. This provides a tangible experience for the trainee to really feel like they are in the moment operating the machinery in real-time, this is also otherwise known as physical fidelity simulation (Blanchard and Thacker, 2019). This learning style and activities accommodate gaming or simulation styles. Some adult learning characteristics that trainees should have to be able to properly practice and incorporate themselves into the training is the willingness to be self-led learning. The negative piece of this type of learning style is that it could be very costly, especially for the equipment needed.
Training objective:
The objective during a training session utilizing the equipment simulator is for the trainee to gain knowledge of the processes, procedures, and meaning of each part of a machine. The skills and knowledge needed for one to gain a good understanding of the training are going to require someone who is hands-on as a preferred learning method and someone who is analytical. Be sure that as a trainer or instructor you are determining the critical thinking skills of each of your trainees.
Role Play
This activity and method involve the enactment of a scenario in which each participant is given a role to act out. Typically, once the role is acted out, the trainer will review the practice session with those involved and those in the audience and reflect on if there could be any improvement or success. These can come in many environments and locations, it can be in a traditional training group session which can be structured, spontaneous on-the-spot training that could be one-on-one with management, or a single role-play. The learning style that this activity and method accommodates is that of an adult learner who would rather learn from their own experiences during their training sessions and is under the games and simulations styled learning. The only negative thing about this process is that during the time of feedback, trainees are typically reluctant to provide negative feedback to peers (Blanchard and Thacker, 2019). As well as it is only half controlled by the trainer since the other role parts would be acted out by trainees.
Training objective:
The objective of this training method or style is to have the trainee become more comfortable during situations that could be uncomfortable and to allow the trainee to be able to fully conduct the simulation that is recreated in real life, whether that may be with a real client or training another employee. The skills and knowledge needed for this learning simulation are simply for the trainee and the trainer to be knowledgeable in the role-playing that will be conducted. As for a trainer, you can prepare for role-playing by generating phases in the role play so that your trainees can be ready for the next phase in the role play (Plummer, 2019).
Straight Lecture
This type of teaching and training is conducted as a presentation by the trainer on selected content and the role of the trainee is to gain as much information as possible. Some activities that the trainers must do to ensure that all content is shared on the topic is to prepare for their lecture or presentation with the right data, layouts, and topics that will be covered. This learning style is under the lectures and demonstrations style and typically accommodates adult learners who are particularly interested in relevant information that pertains to their jobs or goal setting and achievement. For example, if an organization is in need of addressing a time management concern, then this training will accommodate those who need new methods to help overcome time management to achieve their goals and tasks. A characteristic of this learning style that should be considered is if the training is more than 20-30 minutes long, then it should be broken into segments since trainees typically will lose interest in long-duration training. The negative part of this style is that the instructor could make many small errors which then the trainee will become distracted. For example, the instructor could use a monotone voice during their lecture, or the instructor could just read from a slide and not actually lecture on the content being shared.
Training objective:
The training objective of this teaching method/style is to present all information on a topic to employees/trainees and for them to grasp all the information presented which they can implement in their roles. The skills and knowledge needed for this type of training can be very specific as you want your trainees to be able to easily grasp and retain the information given while implementing it in their day-to-day routines. It would need to involve individuals who are experienced in their roles and the business to ensure great success from the training conducted. The trainer must ensure that their presentation is clearly defined and delivered effectively for trainees to properly say they understand that they have learned.
References Alicia H
Blanchard, P. N., & Thacker, J. W. (2019). Effective training: Systems, strategies, and practices (6th ed.). Chicago Business Press.
Plummer, M. (2021, September 10). A short guide to building your team’s critical thinking skills. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2019/10/a-short-guide-to-building-your-teams-critical-thinking-skills
Part 2
Lecture/Discussion method uses a lecturette to provide learners with information and depends on interaction between the learners and instructor to deepen the understanding. This can be far more powerful than a lecture alone as the combination allows for application of the information immediately after. This sequence of event reinforces the topic and does an excellent job of providing the instructor with immediate feedback regarding retention and learning. This type of method favors intuitive learners who prefer new concepts, learn quickly, and do not like training which requires a great deal of memorization (Blanchard and Thacker, 2019). A learning objective would be, “Learn 3 techniques for delivering feedback and understand how they are applied in the workplace.”
Demonstration method is a visual display of how to accomplish a task. This can be used integrated into the lecture/discussion method and is very effective when training objectives are to improve skills and technical abilities. The best way to utilize this method is to provide the equipment or materials needed for learning used within the demonstration. As this can be an effective means of learning, acquiring the materials or equipment for demonstrations can be costly. This method is the best for visual learners who understand information by using pictures, diagrams, or actual demonstrations (Blanchard and Thacker, 2019). A learning objective for this method would be, “Observe and be able to demonstrate the steps in providing appropriate feedback.”
Role-playing method is where learners are required to apply acquired skills and knowledge to the simulated situations. Based on the learning objectives, the role-play may be structured or require spontaneous actions from participants. This can follow a lecture and it’s an excellent way to keep the attention of learners as well as engaged on the topic. For larger groups, role-play can be difficult to execute due to room configuration or sheer number of those who can participate. This is an excellent method for active learners who require stimulus or activity to keep their attention during learning activities. A learning objective for this method could be, “Be able to provide feedback for poor performing employees.”
References: Nick P
Blanchard, P. N., & Thacker, J. W. (2019). Effective training: Systems, strategies, and practices (6th ed.). Chicago Business Press.