Month: October 2016

T is for Training Bookshelf: Classroom Assessment Techniques

Thomas A. Angelo and K. Patricia Cross co-wrote the book Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers, 2nd Edition. Angelo was in Syracuse in mid-October to give a workshop on the topic, which T is for Training regular, Jill, attended. (Presentation slides.  Handout.)  Angelo is a truly engaging instructor.  It can be tough to be an instructor teaching a roomful of instructors (because we’re opinionated and hard to impress), yet he showed us that we all could learn to be better in the classroom.

Assessing students in a classroom – or workshop – situation is something every trainer or instructor needs to do. Angelo provides ideas on how to make assessment part of the instructor.  He also talks about how to obtain actionable feedback from our students.

If assessment is a topic of interest to you, go find this book at your library.  If you interested in this topic, but don’t want to read a book, look at this handout for a few specific techniques.

 

 

T is for Training 196 : I’ll Talk, You Kill the Spider!

Soft Pastels
Pastel flowers

Kate Kosturski and Jill Hurst-Wahl talked about some of the things that a trainer should pay attention to, noting that little things – small details – mean a lot.

For the workshop/conference organizer:

  • Appoint someone who will help each presenter understand how the technology works.
  • Tell people upfront how the person should bring his/her presentation.  USB drive? Post it online?  Should the presentation be in specific file format?
  • Tell the presenter if there will be Internet access.
  • If lunch is part of the session, what is your expectation for how long it well be and ho the time will be used?

For the trainer:

  • Get there early so you have time to test the technology.
  • Make friends with the technology person.  Be sure to ask lots of questions about how that setup works.
  • Have a backup of your presentation on different media and in the cloud.
  • Make sure your presentation is in a normal/frequently used format.
  • Make friends with the facilities person. This is the person who can help with physical resources (e.g., heat, chairs, water, room setup).
  • Be clear on how you will handle questions. Do you want questions as they come up or at the end?
  • Tell participants how you want them to interact (or not) with their technology during the session.
  • If the session includes lunch, will it be a working lunch?
  • How many breaks will you give participants?
  • Test your presentation on a projection unit before the workshop/presentation. Is the font color readable?  Is the font large enough? Is the background distracting?
  • Bonus (not on the recording): Use fonts that are good for accessibility.  For some with print disabilities, a san serif font (e.g., Tahoma, Franklin Gothic, Arial) are good to use.  (No, do not use Comic Sans or any of “fun” font that can be difficult to read, even if it is a san serif font.)

You can listen to the show here, and hear details about this show title!

T is for Training Podcast Shelf : Lessons Learned While Being a Student

“It’s the things you learn after you know it all that count.” – Coach John Wooden

Rarely do we hear about training from a student’s perspective long after the lessons have been given, and the real “training” has sunk in. This 25-minute podcast is an interview with NBA Star Bill Walton, who learned from one of the best coaches who ever lived, John Wooden.  As a student, what did Walton learn from Wooden? And how did Wooden teach?  And – in trivia – what is Walton’s connection to libraries?

Load this Growth Show podcast on your mobile device, go for a walk, and give it a listen.  (It is available through Soundcloud, iTunes and Google Play.)