What’s next after attending a training?

I was preparing my ingredients to cook pesto today. However, when I started to blend the basil with olive oil, our blender unfortunately did not work. Then, I realized that we have not used the blender for almost 2 years and this is the cause of the malfunction.

This simple scenario reminds me of the things that we learned during trainings. If we will not use them, we will end up losing them.

Focus on what you want to apply

I heard you! You learned a lot of things after your training and so prioritizing on the key concepts you would like to focus on will help you to successfully apply what you learned. I suggest you to think of 2-3 things that directly apply to your current situation and create your action plans. I always tell my students to put timelines to challenge themselves. Remember, a goal without a timeline will just be a dream.

Find a partner to share your action plan

Look for someone to share your action plan to reinforce the commitment. He can be your mentor, manager, colleague, friend, or anyone who can relate with you and give you guidance if you need to. If you can, let him sign on your action plan as a witness to it. It is also helpful to have a follow through by setting up a recurring meeting as checkpoint of your progress in accomplishing your action plan. This is also a way to talk about whatever issues you have encountered and discuss ways to solve them.

Commit to your action plan

You are accountable to your development. Thus, do not lose the opportunity to leverage the learning you have acquired from each training. By committing to your action plan, this will guide you all throughout your journey of changing for a better you professionally and personally.

In a nutshell, participating in a training is a privilege you have to maximize by focusing on what you want to apply, finding a partner  to share your action plan and committing to it.

Training Should be Fun

While I was organizing my training files last week, I fortunately glanced at a document containing some tools, tips and toys for trainers and teachers in making their sessions more effective and fun.  The following contents were thankfully consolidated by Trainers Warehouse.  Hope this would also help and motivate you!

Games and simulations

“One must learn by doing the thing, for though you think you know it–you have no certainty until you try.”  Sophocles 5th c. B.C.

Approximately 65% of 131 student surveyed stated that they prefer to play in teams:  Only 37% gave high importance to competition with a clear winner.

Seventy six percent (76%) of students surveyed felt game rules need not be strictly followed. 37% gave high importance to competition with a clear winner.  47% preferred games with a mixture of skill and chance.  Sherry Robinson, Penn State Univ., Academy of Ed Leadership, Vol. 12 No. 1 Jacksonville, 2007

“Setting time limits for game questions and team tasks creates a competitive spirit that motivates learner interaction with the topic.  It’s a great way to bring fun and energy to your lesson plan.”  Steve Sugar, The Game Group

Recognition

Don’t wait until the end of the session to congratulate learners. “Feedback has been shown to be one of the most significant activities a teacher can engage in to improve achievement.”  Hattie, J., Spec. Ed. Conf., May 1992.

Invite Oscar recipients to give an acceptance speech. It adds levity to the session but also helps them share their wisdom, pride and accolades with others.  Marci Goldshlack, Director of Corp. Training, Philadelphia Workforce Development Corporation

Memory

“Allow students to consolidate their notes by pausing three times for two minutes each during a lecture. Students will learn significantly more information.”  Ruhl, Hughes, and  Schloss 1987

Students who used more imagery [mental visualization of objects, events or ideas] during learning displayed more creativity in their discussions, modeling and assessments.  LeBoutillier & Marks, 2003; Sousa, p. 231

Studies show that retention after 3 days is 10% from lecturing and 20% from demonstration.  Sousa, p. 231

You are more likely to keep students focused during lesson segments if you go off-task between the segments [i.e. tell an unrelated joke].  Tony Buzan 1989; Sousa, p. 93

During a learning episode, we remember best that which comes first, second best that which comes last and least that which comes just past the middle.  Gazzanniga et al., 2002; Terry, 2005; Sousa, p. 89

Practice does not make perfect.  Practice makes permanent. If practice is stopped altogether, the neurons that are no longer being used are eventually assigned to other tasks and skill mastery will decline.  In other words, use it or lose it! Amunts et al., 1997; Sousa, p. 97

Several studies have shown that listening to certain music [Classical, New Age, etc.] can stimulate the parts of the brain that are responsible for memory recall and visual imagery.  Nakamura et al., 1999; Sousa, p. 224

In a study of surgeons, for example, background music enhanced their alertness and concentration.  Restak, 2003, Sousa, p. 224

When we sit for more than 20 minutes, our blood pools in our seat and our feet.  By getting up and moving, we recirculate that blood.  Within a minute, there is about 15% more blood in our brain.  We do think better on our feet!  Sousa, p. 34

Test performance improves if you prepare the brain.  Try this mix:  get learners up to exercise for 2 minutes; give the 2 oz. of fruit (fresh or dry); wash it down with 8 oz. of water to get sugar into the bloodstream and hydrate the brain.  Then wait 5 minutes before testing.  The energy effect lasts about 30 minutes.  Sousa, p. 35

“Chunking,” treating a set of data as a  single item, is an effective way to enlarge the working memory’s capacity. Sousa, p. 111

When asking a question, extend the wait time to 5 seconds or more to give everyone time to answer and improve the quality of responses.  “Calling on the first hands to go up signals the slower retrievers to stop the retrieval process.”  Mary Budd Rowe 1974; Sousa, p. 129

Relieve stress and help people feel positive about their learning environment.  It will release endorphins in the blood, which gives a feeling of euphoria and stimulates the frontal lobes.  Sousa, p. 84

Stress

Eliminate stress and make learners feel welcome. Stress causes your body to release cortisol into the bloodstream, which destroys glucose, the brain’s only source of food.”  Tina Konstant, Teach Yourself Speed Reading

Laughter reduces stress.  Actually, it reduces at least four of neuroendocrine hormones associated with stress response–epinephrine, cortisol, dopac, and growth hormone.  Paul E. McGhee, PhD, Health, Healing and the Amuse System, 1999.  Laughter Remedy

Many doodle while on the phone or jingle pocket change.  Invite your group to fidget in class. It helps all types of kinesthetic learners and improves everyone’s enthusiasm for learning.  Jerry Evanski, Classroom Activators

Student performance increases with the use of background music. Students remained on task longer and commented, “the music helps me concentrate, relax, and remember…”  Anderson, Henke, et al.  “Using Music to Enhance Memory and Improve Learning,”  Saint Xavier Univ., 2000

Positive learning environments lead to endorphins in the blood, which gives a feeling of euphoria and stimulated the frontal lobes.  Sousa, p. 84

Participation

90.9% of the students surveyed either “Agreed” or “Strongly Agreed” that Audience Response systems improved engagement and participation; 81.8% said it increased their attention span and helped them learn more effectively.  Caldonian Business School, UK, Andy Sharp and Angela Sutherland

Give everyone time to answer. “Calling on the first hands to go up signals the slower retrievers to stop the retrieval process.” Mary Budd Rowe 1974; Sousa, p. 129

Photo courtesy of Trainers Warehouse.