Trendy Training Techniques

Success in any field doesn’t just happen. It requires careful and detailed planning. The businessman doesn’t make hazardous or off-the-wall investments. A lawyer spends days getting ready to present a case to a jury.

Training is no different. However, before you begin planning your session, let’s take a look at the learning process. This will help you in your auxiliary job as trainer. This background information will aid you in developing a session plan, because it will discuss how adults learn. Causing student learning is what being an instructor is all about. Let’s take a look at a simplified version of the Psychology of Learning.

Psychology of Learning

Psychologists say that certain things must exist within the individual for learning to take place. He/ She must go through certain logical steps to learn. The characteristics of learning, laws of learning and psychology’s rules of learning will be discussed in this context.

Characteristics of Learning

Learning has a purpose. Most people have a pretty definite idea of what they want to do and achieve

Learning comes through experience. Learning is a very individual process and must be done by the participant himself - the instructor cannot do this for him

Learning is multifaceted. A trainer who thinks his job is only to train a participant’s muscle or memory is wasting his own and his student’s time

Learning is an active process. The more actively a participant is involved in the class, the greater his chances are for both learning and remembering

Laws of Learning

The five laws of learning are suitable for most learning situations. Keeping these laws in mind when planning a session lets the trainer creates a better learning atmosphere for the participants.

Law of readiness - A person learns best when he has the necessary background, a good attitude, and is ready to learn. He does not learn much if he sees no reason for learning.

Law of Exercise - Those things most often repeated are the best learned. This is the basis for practice and drill.

Law of Primacy - Primacy is being first, which often creates a strong impression. This means that the instructor must be right the first time. . This helps to provide a stable foundation for all that follows

Laws of Intensity - A sharp, clear, or exciting learning experience teaches more than a routine or boring one. This law implies that a student will learn more from the real thing than a substitute. Mockups, videotapes, interactive courseware, slides, charts, and any number of other training aids add sharpness and action to classroom instruction. Demonstrations, skits, and role playing do much to increase the leaning experience of students

Law of Recency - Other things being equal, the things learned last will be best remembered. The trainer must recognize the law of recency when planning a good summary. He should repeat, restate, or reemphasize the training objectives. He also repeats important information the participants need to remember

Psychology’s rules of Learning

The objective of training is to have participants learn something, and remember what they have learned. Instructor’s constantly employ many different psychological principles of learning. This section presents principles of learning, established by psychologists, which are useful for training. Some of these principles have been followed by more experienced instructors for years. All should be useful to the instructor who wants to be effective and successful.

Stimulate Students - Unpleasant things may be learned as easily as pleasant things. The worst stimuli are those which cause little or no feelings. It is better to have rewarding conditions than unpleasant conditions, but either is better than neutral conditions

Recognize Individual Differences - What your students can do is important in determining what can be learned and how long it will take. The ability to learn changes with age. It reaches a peak around 16 years of age, then begins to decline steadily for most people. An instructor should be more patient if he is trying to teach older or slower students

Understanding and Repetition Aid Retention - People remember what they understand better than what they try to memorize. Practicing a task over and over won’t help unless the reason for learning is understood by the students. However, remember that a lot of drill is still very important in getting facts across, in reinforcing them, and in creating performance habits.

First and Last Impressions Are Retained - The order of presentation is very important. Points or objectives presented at the beginning and end of the class are remembered better than those given in the middle. So, if four objectives are given during an hour, the two most important points should be given first and last

Showing Errors Can Aid Learning - Showing how errors happen can lead to increases in learning. Showing not only “what to do” but “what not to do.” This can be critical in teaching safety points. This doesn’t mean teach “the wrong way” to do something, just show what could go wrong

Rewards Aid Learning - Irregular or unexpected rewards are better then expected or constant rewards. Rewards that are always given at the same time (answering a question, when finishing a project, grading an exam, etc.) sometimes seems phony. Unexpected rewards provide tremendous encouragement and motivation and keep students “on their toes”

Exact Repetition Effective - Repeating the facts over and over helps memory just as much as using new examples each time.

Fear Is Effective In Small Doses - The use of a moderate fear appeal is better than a strong fear appeal. “No stress produces no learning.” However, too much stress is likely to turn off the students. A good instructor finds the right balance.

Success Begets Further Success - Knowledge of how well they are doing leads students to greater learning. So does telling them how the lesson will help them. Tell your participants when they are doing well

Belongingness” and “Satisfiers” Aid Learning - Just repeating facts does not always lead to learning. Two things are necessary - “belongingness” and satisfiers.” Belongingness means that the things to be learned must belong together. They must show some connection or order. It has been shown that just saying the word “right” when the person is making the correct response is a satisfier. This helps speed up the learning process. The word “wrong” is an annoyer or “punishment” and is not as effective.