Reading Teaches Thinking Skills
There is no argument that technology has donewondrous things for us over the years. My carlasts longer, my food cooks quicker and I cancall anywhere in the world for pennies if notfor free.One argument that some will make is thattechnology (the web) has also made us smarterdue to our ability to find vast quantities ofinformation - far more than one could find in their local library or - horrors - confinedto one tome. And isn't more always better?Another argument is that technology allows us to retrieve information at lighteningspeeds. Have a question or concern? Look it up. Think you might have malaria? Aquick web-search returns 10 very authoritative sources of information about thedisease.A third argument is that this vast "library" of information, available at ourfingertips, allows us to learn from entities we would never have heard of or hadaccess to in the past. How else would we have learned of the Handbook of MusicalDevelopment published by Oxford University Press?These are all very compelling - and true - arguments... to a degree.The "pro" pundits overlook the fact that having information and making meaning fromthat information are very different. There is also the risk of interpreting opinionas fact and limiting one's "research" to the first answer that is returned or theone that seems most popular (because everybody thinks this way).The Training Doctor is challenging organizations to get back to basics. Readingfor comprehension is a basic, yet seldom-used skill.Being able to read critically instead of skimming for factoids requires one to assessthe words that are used, the logic of the argument, or the validity of one opinionover another.The skills of logic, reasoning, extrapolation, and synthesis are critical to runningbusinesses, yet we rarely, if ever, teach or encourage people to learn these skillsthrough our L+D efforts. (If you have an example of a curriculum that DOES teachthese skills - please send it along!)After purposeful and thought-provoking reading assignments, we need to ask Socraticquestions (see article #1) such as, Do you agree with the validity of this argument/premise? Why or why not? How does this compare to this other author / theory? Howcan you incorporate this new information into your day-to-day responsibilities?What are the risks (or rewards) of ignoring this information? What economic,societal, or technological impacts could change this premise?The possibilities for stretching people's thinking abilities are endless. But don'tbe overwhelmed. Let's just start with this one: Assign purposeful reading assignmentsas part of your L+D curriculums and begin to require learners to truly think aboutwhat they are reading.
Workplace Loner? You're not alone!
- More than half of Americans (52%) prefer working individually.
- Despite the trend toward more collaborative work teams, only a third (33%) of those surveyed voluntarily want to work that way.
- One-tenth (9%) prefer to work one-on-one with a supervisor or boss.
- Younger Americans believe that they will spend no more than seven years working in their current industry and no more than six years with their current company
Source: "Finn Futures" research conducted online of 1,000 American adults nationwide, November 8 - 17, 2015
Fired for Adult Learning?!
College professor fired for using Adult Learning
Principles: Black Mountain college opened in 1933 in the middle of the Great Depression. It was formed as an institution to be led by educators, not administrators. One of the founders was a professor who had been fired from Rollin's College, in FL, because he embraced the Socratic method of teaching by asking questions that caused his learners to think, rather than following a standard curriculum. Another founder and fellow professor at Rollins quit his post over the firing of the first professor. Together they vowed their college would follow a liberals arts curriculum and produce critical thinkers.
Workplace Training Trends for 2016
Training Industry's winter quarterly publication has a "futuristic" article examining the following workplace training trends they have identified for 2016:
A growing number of technologies or apps will help to "boost" transfer of learning from the classroom to on-the-job (aka performance support)
Continued research into neuroscience to enhance learning outcomes and breaking the 'paradigms' of classroom and online training
Curated learning allows the learner to identify and partake in the training they deem appropriate for themselves
Properly preparing SMEs to be instructors in order to get the best information from the most-qualified authorities
Video will be the dominant approach to mobile learning delivery
Corporate training organizations will continue to use independent training professionals instead of carrying fixed staff for variable activities (like ISD) YAY!
Speaking at Training2016 This Week
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The Training Doctor will be speaking at Training2016 in Orlando FL this week on Tuesday February 16 and Wednesday February 17th.
Tuesday the topic is Moving Your Classroom Training to Live and Online (21 Keys) and Wednesday the topic is Adult Learning Theory in 60 Minutes or Less
Please stop in and say hello if you will be in attendance!
Resources for Graphics to Enhance Your Instructional Design Efforts
Well-designed instruction is quite reliant on well-designed visual representation (in our humble opinion). Given that premise, here are some excellent resources for you to check out:
123rd.com - royalty free photos and music/sound effects. You must pay, but very affordable. (This is our preferred site).
Morguefile.com - completely free photos. Lots of great nature scenes; not business oriented but great for backgrounds or accents.
Pixabay.com - photos, illustrations and vector graphics. You are able to browse by category such as Business or Industry. Completely free.
eLearningArt.com - is very unique for two reasons: 1 - you can download "character packs" which are anywhere from 50 - 75 photos of one individual in many poses. Super helpful when you want a consistent character in your learning, and 2 - "cut out people" which provides thousands of photos of just people - no backgrounds.
Training Design Basics, by Saul Carlinger - Interview with the author
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An interview with our friend and colleague Saul Carlinger, on the publishing of the 2nd edition of his book Training Design Basics (ATD)
What motivated you to write this book?
The motivations behind the two editions differed a lot. ATD (then ASTD) asked me to write the first edition. Although I was flattered, I had my concerns. First, I had just finished Designing e-Learning and was concerned about too much overlap between the books: both were about instructional design. But the distinction between the two was clear: one focused solely on e-learning and the other focused on more traditional forms of training-classroom and workbook-based programs, both of which were still dominant at the time.
My second concern was more fundamental; with so many books on the market about instructional design, what could I add? But as I looked at most textbooks, I realized that most focused on analysis, writing objectives, and evaluation. Those are all important, but I remember from my own time as an instructional designer that the majority of the work is focused on design and development. I covered analysis, objectives, and evaluation, but decided to emphasize the daily reality of most instructional designers: design and development.
Fast forward to 2011. Designing e-Learning was increasingly out of date, so I contacted ASTD to see if they would be interested in a revision. At the time, they had not made a long-term decision about that particular series of books on e-learning, but said they were looking for someone to write a book on informal learning. That interested me because I had explored that topic for my dissertation. Within 90 minutes, I had an outline for the book that would eventually become Informal Learning Basics: not the book I had planned to write when I called my editor but one I was delighted to write.
When that book was published, I suggested revising Training Design Basics and expanding its scope to include all training media, including e-learning. So the second edition of Training Design Basics is essentially a single book that updates both Training Design Basics and Designing e-Learning.
Part of the motivation was practical. The only way to integrate e-learning into the mainstream is to treat its design along the design of other types of programs. I also wanted to update Training Design Basics to address issues that arose when I used it in the classroom.
In addition, I wanted to address a general misunderstanding about ADDIE in this edition: that it is a linear one-size-fits-all process. Part of that is addressed in language about ADDIE (each part is described as an activity rather than a step in a process). Part of that is addressed by describing how the "full" approach is adjusted for revisions and lower-impact projects.
If you could distill your message down to just one - what would it be?
Given that my publisher always has to cut sizeable chunks of my original manuscripts to meet page limits, the real issue is whether I'm capable of distilling my message. (ATD's wonderful editors make this a learning experience more than anything else and the resulting versions are much tighter, stronger, and focused than the originals.)
But I'll try: Effective instructional design is problem solving. The better that trainers define the problem up-front and the tighter the alignment among the objectives, assessment of learning, and the course material, the more likely that designated learners will be able to develop the intended skills with the materials prepared for the learners.
How can business/ HR / training use this book to assist them in the work that they do?
Use this book to guide a training project. For example, suppose someone is starting their first training project or trying to improve their design technique. Read the first three chapters before starting a needs assessment. Then use the book to complete an entire chapter, reading one chapter at a time and using the worksheets at the ends of the chapters to apply the content in their work.
Do you have a personal motto that you live by (related to your book)?
Focus!
You can learn more about the book at Saul's website: https://designingelearning.wordpress.com/
The Demise of Thinking Skills
In addition to a lack of work experience, the younger generations have learned what they do know in two primary ways: through rote memorization and by searching for information that they need, in the moment. While these practices are certainly useful in the knowledge economy, they do not begin to build the ability to extrapolate meaning or action from that knowledge and apply it in the real world to inform decision making, influence and performance.
In the past, there has been a gradual ascent into leadership positions in the "second half" of one's career; often after years of experience which contributes to a broad and "expert" level of performance. Malcolm Gladwell coined the "10,000 Hour Rule" to explain this path toward mastery in any field. However, the expectations of younger workers for advancement, along with the simple fact that today's leaders will have soon retired, makes it likely that many Gen Y/Millennials will be promoted to management and leadership positions before they have the skills, knowledge and experiences to be fully prepared for success at that level.
We simply do not have the luxury to wait 10,000 hours for the next generation of leaders to develop the thinking skills required to lead organizations in the 21st century. When development time is short, every missed opportunity to "grow a leader" is a costly business mistake.
(This is an excerpt from our recently published white paper: Teaching Thinking: Solving Tomorrow's Impending Leadership Crisis, Today. You can download a copy by clicking on the News and Resources Link in the top menu bar.]
Where is your Training GPS Leading?
GPS football player
There is an individual in our workplace who is 100% reliant on their GPS to get them places - even if they have been to that place numerous times in the past.
This "phenomenon" is caused by the fact that when information is readily available to you, you don't have to commit it to memory or learn it. In some instances, this is a wise approach. You don't need to remember what is in your refrigerator - just open the door and remind yourself. You don't need to learn how to complete your taxes when there are step-by-step guides available online (the GPS of taxes, if you will).
But, in other cases, being completely reliant on prompts is counter-productive and potentially dangerous. Sadly, there is more than one example of a person who followed their GPS to doom (go ahead, we'll wait while you Google "GPS Fail"). And, alarmingly, the GPS example is akin to what is happening in our companies today. How often have you heard (or said!) Hmmm. I don't know, give me one second, I'll Google it.
Google and "generic" or "universal" information is just one part of the equation, however. A readily available "smartphone" enables workers to have instant access to information they need to do their jobs - either from that universal fount of information, or from a company-supplied portal. In some arenas this is known as mLearning (an abbreviation of mobile-learning) - however, simply putting the word "learning" in the title doesn't magically turn it in to learning. It should more accurately be called: mInformation
Just like the driver who is dependent on their GPS, an employee who is dependent on a resource to provide them with information to do their jobs, will be consistently dependent on that device. They will never grow their skills, or experience, or capabilities because they will never put any of their own independent thought in to the work. They will be 100% reliant on prompts.
True learning is dependent on experience, experimentation, practice, reflection, and an internalized understanding of not only what and how to do something, but why it is done the way it is. True skill and mastery comes from having internalized the rationale or thinking that underpins a process.
Imagine a football coach who is reliant on robotic prompts to call the next play. Come to think of it, the coach wouldn't be necessary would he? The prompts could be transmitted to the players through their helmets. They would be completely focused on their job, and their position, without having to take in to account the environment around them (e.g. other players, both on their team and against), the score / clock, their proximity to the end-zone, etc. While in some respects, this might lead to a very accurate game, you would have players who never had to learn the sport, the rules, the strategy. They simply would follow the information they were provided, whether accurate or not.
A Filter is Required"whether accurate or not," is an important point. If you know nothing about a topic, and suddenly you are presented with a "how to," it seems perfectly reasonable to you. Why? Because you have no critical thought through which to filter the information. Especially in the workplace, where decisions are made quickly and can have far-reaching effects, it is imperative to have perspective on a topic or process, and not rely on a quickly-received “answer.”
For worker and workplace success, it is important that we teach people to think more thoroughly, to ask questions, to look for more than one answer, and to be able to make judgements about the information they receive.
10 Challenges When Creating A Blend
More than 60 individuals responded to a survey regarding the challenges they experienced when implementing a blended learning curriculum in their organization. Being aware of theses common challenges will help you to manage them in your own design.
1. Ensuring participants can be successful using the technology.
2. Overcoming the idea that online learning cannot be as effective as classroom training (convincing stakeholders).
3. Keeping online offerings interactive rather than just "talking at" them (keeping the attention of the learners).
4. Ensuring participant commitment and follow-through during "non-live" elements (accountability).
5. Matching the best delivery medium to the objective(s)- arriving at the right blend.
6. Readjusting facilitator roles.
7. Looking at how to teach content- not what to teach.
8. Resisting the urge to use technology simply because it is available.
9. Ensuring all the elements of the blend are coordinated.
10. Managing and monitoring participant progress.
Virtual Training Saves Best Buy Big Bucks
Through the use of virtual training at Best Buy, the company saved $630,000 in travel expenses and an additional $120,000 in labor expenses in fiscal year 2015.
Adults need time for Observation and Reflection
How often do we allow trainees to contemplate what they have just learned and how it will affect them or how they might implement it on the job? Not often. Reflection takes time and these days we aren't even offered enough time to do the teaching, much less allow for observation and reflection. (Our usual requests sound something like this: Can you take this 6 hour class and cut it down to 3 hours?
No one ever asks, once the teaching is done - how much additional time would be needed for the learners to reflect on what they've learned and how they can best implement it on the job?)
Here is a great case study of one company that "gets it”.
Background: New-hire orientation of a select 300 people per year.
Curriculum design: 12-week program which includes self-study, virtual classes, in-person sessions, group case study and individual assignment.
Time for observation and reflection: The entire final class meeting (2 hours) is dedicated to ensuring observation and reflection. The participants are reminded of each phase of the training and the intended learning outcomes. They are then asked reflective questions:- What did you learn most from this segment of the curriculum?- What are you already using on-the-job?- What do you intend to start doing, as a result of your learning?
They are also put in small groups to compare and contrast their responses, which helps to further their awareness of what they have learned (oh yeah! I forgot about that. How are you going to do it on the job?)
Next they are asked "What more would you like to learn?" Once they have completed the "prescribed curriculum" they are often aware of what they don't know about the organization or their field. By giving thought to what more they would like to learn, the organization is able to direct them to further professional development.
Finally, (and our favorite) they are asked: How can you take what you've learned and pay it forward? Since they are in a select group of 300 enrolled in the curriculum, they have become privy to information, approaches or perspectives that not everyone in the organization would have. They are tasked with taking the initiative to coach others in the organization and share what they have learned in constructive ways.
This formal approach to observation and reflection ensures the learners have thought-through what they have learned, identified the value of the learning for themselves and how they will change their behaviors on-the-job as a result of their learning. It also makes them good "corporate citizens" by tasking them with sharing what they've learned with the rest of the organization.
Ted Talk Fails
Straight from the Ted Talks Blog - they suggest these videos as "how NOT to" create / deliver a Ted Talk. Funny, but full of insight and important lessons as well. Enjoy!
Adobe Connect Tip
Adobe Connect Tip
If you like to make engaging, visual, dynamic slides for use in your online sessions, you undoubtedly love the SmartArt feature of PowerPoint. However, if you use Adobe Connect you undoubtedly are also frustrated by the fact that Connect doesn't always display your beautiful creations.
Here are two work-around tips that can fix that:
1) Try loading your slides to the Content Library of your Connect account, then load your Share Pod from there (rather than loading the slides directly from your hard drive/server). Choose Browse Content Library rather than Browse My Computer when choosing what to share.I
f that doesn't work -
2) Go back to PowerPoint, click on the SmartArt to highlight the whole design (not just one segment), and then right click to display sub-menu options. Choose "Change to Image." This will make your SmartArt function like a .jpg that Connect will recognize.
The downside to this approach is that if your design builds, it will have "fused" it in to one image, which isn't always the reason you chose to useSmartArt in the first place.
How to Conduct a Level 3 Evaluation
According to best-selling author Marcus Buckingham, performance ratings rely on "bad data." Labeled the "idiosyncratic rater effect," he states that who we pay, what we pay, who we promote and the training we offer is based on the assumption that one's "rating" is reflective of the one being rated - when in fact it is reflective of the one doing the rating.
Often, when conducting Level 3 evaluations, we ask a manager or some other entity to "rate" a newly trained employee in order to confirm they have learned and can apply their new skills on the job. In order to not succumb to the idiosyncratic rater effect, it is wise to use an impartial observation sheet, so that the rater simply confirms whether or not the employee is performing the job as expected.
For example:
Comments
Answers phone within 3 rings ¨ Yes ¨ No
States name and badge number ¨ Yes ¨ No
Asks permission to put caller on hold ¨ Yes ¨ No
But even a seemingly straightforward observation checklist can be fraught with imprecision that may skew the rating results. Before designing a Level 3 evaluation for your own training, consider these factors which may impact your learner's reported "success."
Who should be the observer?
What should be the setting?
Should the trainee be told in advance they will be observed?
Does the time of day matter?
Does the day of the week matter?
Should it be a simulated scenario or a real life one?
How long should the observation last?
Should the observer give them feedback? When?
Should the trainee explain what they are doing?
If you need assistance with designing training evaluations for your organization, visit our web page.
Which Type of Learning is "Best?"
According to a survey of 422 employees, spanning all generations, the #1 "preferred" type of learning and the one deemed "most helpful" is one-on-one mentoring.
The other top vote-getters, in order:
1. One-on-one mentoring
2. Traditional classroom learning
3. Team collaboration
4. Online courses (they did not specify if this was asynchronous only)
Source: Jones/NCTI survey
You can view the full report, "What Gap? Generational Views on Learning and Technology in the Workplace," here.
FAIL: LMS's not living up to their promises
Source: Software Advice survey of 155 HR professionals. You can view the full report here.
Users spend 59% more than they expect to (average spend $70,000+)
Live video / conferencing ranks as the #1 feature LACKING in current LMSs
26% of users are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their current LMS
LMS's have the greatest impact on overall costs of training
WebEx Tip: Pop-Up Note
If you'd like to have a pop-up welcome note as people join your WebEx Session, you can program it when you schedule your class, OR if you are opening a session spontaneously, go to the menu bar: Meeting > Welcome Message. It will open a new browser window and you can type your message. Be sure to check "Display this message when attendees join the meeting."
The result: As each new attendee joins, this message window will pop up over the WebEx interface. Useful for introducing yourself, giving instructions (e.g. "Be sure to close down your email."), or providing alternate call-in numbers, if needed.
Which Type of Employee Training is Most Effective?
Cited as the most effective approaches for developing global leaders:
External academic or leadership development programs
Experiential learning (such as games, exercises, simulation, role-play, case studies, etc.)
Traditional classroom-based instructor-led training were
Source: 6th annual Global Leadership Development Survey conducted by Training, AMA, and i4cp