Paul Signorelli started the discussion about what we can do to help learners make the connection between learning and the audience they serve with that learning? For example, if you’re training people to do reference work, how do you train them to understand truly how to apply what they are learning to their workplace? Paul offered this blog post as inspiration: Clive Thompson on the New Literacy. Ideas included:
- Role playing
- Shadowing
- Working a practical application of the skill
- Project based learning
- Having the work supervisor ask that the person (trainee) share what he/she learned
- Learners need to come to the training with an idea of how they intend to use what they are going to learn
- Ask people why they are attending the training and get them to articulate how they will use the information
We talked about asking for feedback, which not only helps the trainer, but also helps the learner understand the impact that the training had. Feedback needs to gathered several weeks or months after the event, when people may have implemented what they have learned.
Can learners, who come together for a training, create a community that becomes a long-term support community? (An ongoing community of learning.) How about creating learning buddies?
Paul asked an interesting question, who owns your learning?
On the call were Paul Signorelli, Maurice Coleman, Jules Shore, and Jill Hurst-Wahl. You can listen to the show here.
T is for Training 