II. Information for Trainers: Training Tips

When organizing training, a trainer needs to give thorough attention to a number of issues to ensure that the training is well planned and capably delivered. What follows are suggestions to help make training interesting and successful.

Before the Training

The preparation that a trainer does before the training is invaluable for making the training coherent, engaging, and appropriate for the audience. Pretraining preparation includes more than making a schedule for the training. A trainer needs to think carefully about the audience, the content to be covered, the materials to be used, the presentation format, and the sequencing of the session. If possible, a trainer should conduct a needs assessment of the participants prior to the training to know their familiarity with the topic and their specific questions about it. If there are state or program initiatives regarding the topic, then the trainer should tailor the training to those initiatives to make it more meaningful to the participants. If a needs assessment cannot be conducted prior to the training, the trainer should interview the administrator who arranged the training to know specifically why this training is being offered and what state or program goals this training is meant to fulfill. (A sample of a teacher needs assessment that can be used with teachers in a state or program is found at the end of this section.) The trainer can also do a quick, informal needs assessment of participants at the beginning of the training, asking two or three questions to see what participants already know and what they would like to take away from the training.

If a trainer would like to gain more expertise before giving a training, the trainer can arrange to observe a more experienced trainer. This will help a new trainer to see how an expert trainer interacts with and responds to participants. A Training Observation Form for watching an expert trainer and making notes is located at the end of this section.

Review the material in light of the audience: While reviewing the materials carefully before trainings, trainers should be able to assess the content with their audience in mind. What areas might this audience know already, and what areas might be new to them? Because adults are purposeful in their learning, it is important that trainers ascertain what aspects of the materials will be most important to a particular audience and make those concepts and ideas prominent. To do this, ask questions of the person arranging the training or ask this person to conduct a short survey of the participants. A training that gives people what they already know will waste their time, and participants may quickly lose interest. It is best if a trainer knows which parts of the training will be most appropriate for a particular audience and tailors the training accordingly.

Decide on a presentation style: There are many different ways to present material in a training session. A trainer needs to plan in advance how a particular audience might best learn the material and take into consideration the different learning styles that may be represented in the audience ( Gardner, 1983). Different people learn in different ways: some teachers learn a new teaching strategy best by watching it demonstrated to them; others learn best by reading about it and trying it out in their own classrooms; still others learn best by discussing the new strategy and then trying it out during the training in a role play. An effective training session uses a variety of presentation styles to include many of the different learning styles that may be in the audience.

• Lecture: A lecture is a quick, easy way to get new information to people, but it is trainer centered with little participation by others. A lecture also requires much preparation time.
• Discussion: A discussion allows an audience to actively participate. However, the trainer may need to do a lot of follow-up work, especially if some new concepts are confused when they are discussed by a large number of people.
• Role play: A role play allows participants to act as other people to try out something new, for example, a new teaching strategy, a new grammar or vocabulary item in a dialogue, or a new questioning technique.
• Demonstration: A demonstration might be very helpful to teachers trying to visualize a new method or teaching practice.
• Case study: A case study is a way of providing participants with a realistic situation; however, a trainer needs to be able to handle conflicting opinions about the case study, should they arise.
• Games and learning activities: Games and learning activities allow active participation, but not everyone likes games. Some feel that games are not serious enough for training; others feel that they add needed variety to sessions.

 

These are some of the ways to present information. A trainer needs to think carefully about the material to be presented and the characteristics of the audience involved. The choice of a certain type of presentation depends on a careful analysis of the material, the audience (its size and its familiarity with the topic of the presentation), and the length of the training. Using a variety of presentation types may ensure that the audience does not grow bored with the same type of presentation throughout the training.

Related to presentation type is the decision on when to have participants work as a whole or in small groups. There are no strict rules about when to use whole-group interaction and when to use small-group interaction. Whole-group interaction is generally used when a trainer wants to get the audience’s opinions about a topic, to gauge the audience’s prior knowledge about a topic, or when time is short. Small-group interaction is often used when a trainer wants the audience to discuss and examine a new idea through participatory interaction. Whether whole-group or small-group interaction is used, the trainer should clearly spell out what participants are to discuss or do. Because participants need something to refer back to when they begin their discussions, instructions are best given both orally and in writing. The instructions can be written on a whiteboard, a handout, a PowerPoint slide, a flip chart, or an overhead transparency.

Tips for small-group work in trainings: When using small-group work, there are several tips that a trainer can follow to make the group work go smoothly and be meaningful to participants:

 

1. In addition to stating instructions clearly orally and in writing, state the amount of time that participants have to work. If a trainer is unsure how long an activity will take, it is better to give less time and lengthen it than to give too much time and lose participants’ interest.
2. State clearly what each group will need to produce or present at the end of its time working together.
3. Move among groups and listen to what they are doing. This is especially important in the first few minutes of their time to ensure that all groups know what to do. However, do not interrupt group work when circulating. In most cases, the purpose of group work is to develop ideas through discussion. The role of the trainer is to answer clarification questions and monitor the time for the discussion. A trainer should not become a participant in small-group work.
4. Think carefully about the make-up of each group. Is it important that similar people are together, or would it be better to have different people together? (For example, will the activity be more meaningful if teachers and administrators are in the same groups, or if a group is all administrators or all teachers?) Also, should participants work in the same groups for the entire training, or would it be good to vary the groups?
5. Ensure that all groups have a chance to report after they have finished their work. If time is running short, have each group present only a portion of their work so that all groups can make a presentation, or have groups present their work to each other rather than to the whole group. An effective trainer monitors both the time spent in groups and the time each group spends reporting.

 

In The CAELA Guide, the workshop modules and the study circle guides include the type of presentation styles to be used. For example, in the workshop module on Using the TESOL Program Standards for Program Review and Improvement, the session begins with small-group work to have participants think about program, content, and performance standards. This small-group work introduces participants to the major terminology of the workshop, has them obtain information from a CAELA article written on the topic, and helps them get better acquainted with one another at the beginning of the training. This is followed by a lecture to give participants new information and explain it. After the lecture, there is a demonstration to show participants how to use the standards for self-review. Thus, the workshop uses different presentation styles. Each style is carefully chosen to complement the content of and purpose for the presentation.

 

Sequence the session: After a presentation style is selected, it is important to sequence the session. How long a trainer spends on each part of the training will depend on how new or different the content of the training seems to the audience. By thinking through the sequencing of the session carefully and keeping an audience’s training needs in mind, the trainer can see which parts of the training should receive more emphasis. The parts of a training session, in order, are

1. Opening: When beginning training, participants should know something about the other people in the training and should know the agenda for the training. Introductions are made, and the objectives of the training are presented. The objectives are best expressed positively: Provide a rationale for the work and motivate participants. (This is referred to as “Introduction and Warm-Up” in The CAELA Guide.)
2. Presentation: New information is introduced in the presentation style the trainer has decided upon. There is time for the audience to ask questions. A trainer may want to relate the new knowledge to participants’ prior knowledge.
3. Practice: Participants are given an opportunity to practice the new concepts. The trainer can introduce controlled, guided, and free responses and can monitor participant work and give feedback.
4. Application: Participants apply the new information in a different situation or setting; they may apply it to their own teaching situation. The trainer monitors their work and provides opportunities for feedback. This step can be done during or after the training. For example, participants can return to their own classrooms and try out their new knowledge. Their peers or an administrator can give them feedback, or they can share their experiences at a subsequent training session.
5. Closing: The trainer reviews what has been done in the training and allows time for further questions participants might have. Participants, working alone or with the trainer, decide how they will implement what they have learned in their own classrooms or settings. (This is referred to as “Wrap-Up and Evaluation” in The CAELA Guide.)

 

(Adapted from Mary Ann Christison and Sharron Bassano, “Advanced Teacher Training for Staff Developers and Teacher Facilitators,” presented at TESOL 2003)

Prepare visuals: It is a good idea to have visuals to support what a trainer says. Visuals include pictures, graphs, videos, film clips, charts, forms, overhead transparencies, and PowerPoint slides. These help participants understand what is being presented and, in rooms where acoustics are a problem, give support for what participants might not be able to hear clearly. Some visuals are used only in the training room, and some are given to participants to take with them. Trainers may want to reproduce PowerPoint slides or overheads on handouts so that participants can take the information with them. The results of group work, role plays, or any realia used in a trainer’s presentation will most likely remain with the trainer at the end of the session. But it is helpful if the trainer can provide handouts of the resources participants need to implement ideas and activities from the training in their classes and report back to the group, either in another training session or by another means (e.g., in online discussions).

When preparing visuals for the whole group to see, keep the following in mind:

• The font should be simple, clear, and big enough to be seen from the back of the room.
• Each visual should have enough, but not too much, information on it. Crowded visuals are often difficult for an audience to read. Participants will spend more time trying to figure out what the visual says than listening to the message a trainer is giving.
• If a visual has a chart or graph on it, all parts of the chart or graph need to be clearly labeled.

 

Check supplies: Make a list of all the supplies that are needed for training. Depending on the training, supplies may include pens, pencils, paper, readings, notebooks, poster paper, transparencies, whiteboard markers, Post-its, an overhead projector, a TV, a VCR, and a laptop and projector. (See the Training Checklist at the end of this section.) If the trainer is responsible for bringing the supplies, then a running list of supplies should be kept while preparing for the training. If someone else is responsible for supplies, then the trainer may want to contact this person ahead of the training to ensure that the supplies will arrive on time.

Check the training venue: Find out what the training venue is like and ask whether the training room can be set up in a way that complements the presentation style. If a training venue cannot accommodate the trainer’s preferred presentation style, consider changing the venue or the presentation style. If the trainer is not near the training venue, it is a good idea to have an onsite coordinator who can take care of the logistics before the date(s) of the training and ensure that the room and equipment are set up correctly on the day of the training. It is also a good idea to try the equipment the day before the training to make sure it is functioning properly and to identify a technical person onsite who will be available in the event of technical difficulties.

 

During the Training A trainer needs to be aware of the following aspects of the training while it is occurring to ensure that the training is going well and to make adjustments if needed.

Time: A trainer should be aware of the passage of time throughout the training and try to stay with the original schedule as much as possible. Participants in a training often have different interests and knowledge needs; for example, even though one group may want to spend more time on a topic than has been scheduled, to do so may result in others not getting the information they wanted from a later section of the schedule. The trainer, aware of the group’s interest, can make these decisions for the group or negotiate them with the group. If some participants want more time to discuss a topic, or when some digress into an interesting, related topic, the trainer can interrupt these comments and ask that these topics be discussed during a break or at lunch.

Nonparticipation: If some individuals are not participating in the training, a trainer should consider whether or not it is important to try to bring them into the discussion. As these trainings are for adults, there may be some topics that are more important to some participants than others, and some people may lose interest when topics not of interest to them are being discussed. In most cases, a trainer can simply leave these people alone. Participants may be learning or interested even though they do not appear to be paying attention. A trainer might also try to bring them into the discussion by asking them nonthreatening questions. (For example, do not ask, “What do you think of this?” because they may not know what “this” is. Instead, ask, “What do you think of using mixed-ability grouping for a vocabulary exercise?”) However, if a group of participants is not paying attention and creating a disturbance, then a trainer might want to talk to the members individually during a break, asking why the training is not meeting their needs.

Availability: All trainers need to be available during breaks to talk with participants. Some of the most important questions come from individual conversations during breaks, and questions asked during breaks help the trainer to gauge when a participant has not understood a concept or idea. If one or several participants do not understand an activity or concept, it may be worth repeating that information for the entire group. Trainers also should have time for a break. Whether it be a few minutes away during group work or during lunch, trainers need to think about when they can sit for a moment and regroup during the training day. If two trainers are cotraining, it is much easier to take a break than if a trainer is working alone.

Using visuals: The role of visuals is to support the work that the trainer and participants are doing. When using a visual aid, be sure that all participants can see it: Do not stand in front of it. Also, put a visual up when it is related to the topic of discussion and take it down when that topic is finished. It can be confusing when a visual is left up after the discussion of a topic has finished.

A list of questions and comments: During the training, keep a running list of participants’ questions and comments on a flip chart or whiteboard that everyone can see. Sometimes this is referred to as a “parking lot.” This list is especially important if there is not enough time to answer everything during the training. If a trainer has a list of questions or comments, they can be answered when there might be a few minutes to spare in the schedule. If there are questions on the list that go unanswered during the training, the trainer can refer to these questions at the end of the training, point out other resources participants can use, and respond to participants via email. If there is no list, these questions may be lost, and participants might leave the training feeling that all their questions were not answered.

 After the Training

After the training, the trainer should be available for 20–30 minutes, if possible, to answer remaining questions. As participants start to leave, they often start to think about implementing a new method or idea in their own classrooms, and questions are likely to arise. A trainer should give participants his or her contact information so that they can contact the trainer with questions as they are implementing a new concept in their classrooms or institutions.

After the training, a trainer should look over the training evaluations. These can give the trainer an idea of what participants liked and understood easily, what participants did not enjoy so much, and what was more difficult for them. A trainer can use this information to redesign subsequent trainings on this topic.

Finally, if there are remaining questions from the training that there was not time to answer, or if the trainer has promised to send participants more information or material, these should be followed up at the first opportunity, preferably the trainer’s first workday after the training. By sending participants information and answers to their questions, the trainer builds credibility and establishes a link with participants beyond the training session. This is especially helpful if the participants will be implementing something new in their classes or programs.

The guidelines discussed above are presented in checklists on the following pages. It is hoped that when these guidelines are followed, participants will find trainings professionally rewarding and personally enjoyable experiences.

Reference

Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. New York: BasicBooks.

Resources

Brookfield, S. (1991). Understanding and facilitating adult learning: Analysis of principles and effective practices. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Eitington, J. (2001). The winning trainer (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann

Knowles, M., Holton, E., & Swanson, R. (2005). The adult learner: The definitive classic in adult education and human resource development (6th ed.). Burlington, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Silverman, M. (1990). Active training: A handbook of techniques, designs, case examples, and tips. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.

Timm, Paul R. (1992). Basics of oral communication: Skills for career and personal growth. Cincinnati, OH: South-Western Educational Publishing.

Van Horne, R. (2005) Online adult professional development resources. Available from www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/bibliographies/pdonline.html