A few tips from Train Smart

As my previous post outlined, I've been reading "Train Smart" by Rich Allen in which he lists 25 key concepts for training smart. I'll just pick out a couple of my favorites to chat about here.

1. Acknowledgement - It seems like common sense but it's important to pay attention to each person and each response to create a positive atmosphere. While we can't let it seem like fake praise, just keeping everybody's efforts acknowledged can lead to a good learning environment.
2. Precise directions - Again, it sounds like common sense, give precise directions so people can know exactly what they need to do. It's a little more difficult to do however since sometimes we can give directions and not realize that they need to be more specific. For example, instead of asking a question, tell students to raise their hands if ... which gives them better direction (ties in with another tip, participant inquiry). Also keep directions concise and give them one at a time.
3. Teach it standing - I tried this in the Comm 101 classes I teach and it worked a treat! It's a simple concept, just get the students on their feet for a while so they are not falling asleep in their chairs. It's important not to use it during important times when students need to write things down or answer test questions.
4. Question/clarify/question - As a teacher when you open the class up to discuss a questions, adding in lots of details after the question can be confusing. This tip recommends the teacher first states the questions, gives the additional details and a specific example of what they are looking for, then restates the question at the end so it's fresh in the minds of students.
5. Managing disruptions - This tip outlines various ways to deal with disruptions which is an area I definitely want to get better at. It can be as simple as giving participants time to voice concerns or get out frustrations or can require the instructor to stop in to diffuse the situation. Any remarks that are offensive or hurt feelings need to be dealt with right away.
6. Positive language - I'm a pretty positive person so I'm surprised this one hasn't occurred to me before now but this just involves framing each thing you say as an instructor in a positive way instead of negatively.
7. Involve don't tell - This encompasses a lot of the Train Smart ideas and is quite self-explanatory. Students will learn best if they have to do something to learn it rather than just sit and listen. So come up with activities that allow the students to interact with others and the material.
8. Visual-field variations - Mix up where you have students looking as an instructor to keep the students attention focused. Have visuals such as a powerpoint for some content but then write other content on a board to mix up the visual-field, for example.