Designing Effective Technology Learning Experiences for Nonprofits

Designing Effective Learning

Experiences for Technology Training

January 19, 2005

By Beth KanterN-TEN Webinar

What We’ll Cover

1. When training fails

2. Crash course: learning theory

3. Using learning styles

4. Blending technology content with learning activities

5. Anatomy Lesson: 90-minute workshop

6. Summary and Q&A

Logistics

• Interactivity– Raise your hand button for questions/polls– Chat for ? or brainstorm – Voice line heavily facilitated

• Mute Your Phone– *6 to mute– *7 to un-mute– I can control your phones

Introductions

• Quick Poll

• Share one title of a technology training workshop you are designing or recently delivered

What happens when training fails?

I said, sit!

The 5 Fatal Reasons

1. Reading all slides

2. Too long, too much information

3. Lack of interaction

4. Lifeless presenter

5. Room & tech problems

Hate Most Want Most

Too much information Clarity

Lack of interaction Interaction & Connection

Lifeless presenter Enthusiasm

What Workshop Participants …

Apply these 7 principles of learning theory to your

workshop design and delivery

#1:Get past the brain’s crap filter

Role Play Exercise: Why? Who Cares? So What?

Person A: Describe the topic you’re going to be training on in one sentence.

Person B: Asks "Why?" Person A: Provide an answerPerson B: Who cares? Person A: Provide an answer (without

killing the other person)Person B: So?Person A: Provide an answer

#2. The power of visual processing!

Use diagrams, pictures, visual metaphors

Exercise: Power of Visuals

From the airport, take the road that goes out to the rental parking lot and follow it past the barrier around the lot until you get to the end where you connect up with the road out. Take the road, and just before it veers right, you’ll see a triple fork. If you take the left branch, you’ll head west and away from the lake. Don’t do that! Straight puts you under the viaduct and really off track. Take the right branch and, at the next for, bear right to the roundabout where you go not quite halfway around to the second road. That’s 378 East, although it really goes South, so don’t be worried. From then on, it’s a straight shot to our house.

How much of the details do you

remember?

Does the visual make it easier to

remember?

Debrief

• Why incorporate an exercise like this in your presentation?

#3. Use "chunking" to reduce cognitive overhead and help the learner remember.

The process of how training info sticks!

Bad Chunking

Good Chunking

#4. Pacing

#5. Variety

#6. Emotions Matter!

#7. Learning is a two-way channel.

Active engagement with the content requires participant interactivity based on learning styles

7 Learning Theory Principles

• Get the past the brain’s crap filter

• Power of visuals

• Chunking

• Pacing

• Variety + surprise = Learning

• Emotions matter!

• Learning is a two-way channel.

Going Deeper

Questions?

Online Learning Styles Surveyhttp://www.mitest.com/o7inte~1.htm

If you took it already and have your results, please raise your hand!

Who is this man?

Exercise

1. I’m going to ask you to raise your hand if a particular preferred learning style is yours. (That is, it was one of the your top 2 or 3 scores)

2. I’m say your name and ask you this question:

Given that your preferred learning style is X, what helps you learn best?

3. Answer on the phone

Verbal/Linguistic

Visual

Movement

Logical

Intrapersonal (self)

Interpersonal (others)

Learning Style Learner Interaction With Content

Verbal/Linguistic Create handout with theory and ask to read and discuss in small group or large group.

Visual Use the diagram with pictures/symbols to represent the different styles and use interactive presentation or also incorporate in handout above.

Movement Have key points for each one on large piece paper on the wall and ask group to read them and stand in front of the one that matches their style.

Logical Learning style bingo game.

Intrapersonal Give them the assessment tool to discover learning style and write up description of activities

Interpersonal Small group or share pair to discuss preferred learning styles and least preferred learning styles and report to full group.

Example

Going Deeper

Blending Your Technology Content With Learning Styles To

Create Activities ….

Brainstorm Exercise: Task

A workshop title and learning goal or concept

Yours or mine ..

Slide with two learning styles and sample activities

Brainstorm how to adapt activities to the topic.

Brainstorm Exercise: Process

1.Pick 4-5 people to use the phone to verbally brainstorm, “talkers”

2. Rest of group listens

3.Listeners can contribute ideas via the chat

4. I will be the verbal advocate for chat.

#2 Computer security workshop and want learners to understand the importance of making backups

Linguistic Reading – study written materials

Verbal Debate – present both sides of an issue

Visual Guided imagery/visualizing – create pictures/images of different items in the mind

Drawing – create a graphic representation of the concept

Kinesthetic Dramatic enactment – a skit which shows the ideas, processes, or ideas

Body tableaus – arrange a group to express an idea, concept, or process

Interpersonal Sensing others motivations – explore a topic through why others acted in a certain way or made certain decisions.

Peer Coaching – Small group where the groups provides feedback and advice on solving a problem.

#1 Computer security workshop and want learners to understand the importance of making backups

#3: Identify audiences for a web site or Internet strategy

Intrapersonal

Silent reflection – each individual completes a worksheet

Creativity Trigger – use strategies to stimulate creative thinking within oneself

Logic Smart

Outlining – invent point by point logical explanations for different items

Number sequences/patterns – investigate numerical facts or statistics on a topic

Graphic Organizers – Concept map, diagrams, or classification matrix

#5 : Design an activity that helps people identify common roadblocks to sharing data within their organizations and strategies to overcome roadblocks.

Interpersonal Sensing others motivations – explore a topic through why others acted in a certain way or made certain decisions.

Peer Coaching – Small group where the groups provides feedback and advice on solving a problem.

Linguistic Reading – study written materials

Verbal Debate – present both sides of an issue

#5: The difference between flat and relational databases.

Visual Drawing – create a graphic representation of the concept

Pattern/designs – create abstract patterns and designs to represent the relationships of different pieces of knowledge

Kinesthetic Human graph – stand along a continuum to express agreement/understanding of a concept or idea.

Body Tableaus – arrange a group to express an idea, concept, or process.

Physical Game – create a contest/game based on specific knowledge about a topic.

#6 Workshop on protecting your computer from spam and viruses. Create activity that

helps people understand how to look at email critically to determine whether its fraud or

legitimate email.

Interpersonal Sensing others motivations – explore a topic through why others acted in a certain way or made certain decisions.

Peer Coaching – Small group where the groups provides feedback and advice on solving a problem.

Logic Smart

Outlining – invent point by point logical explanations for different items

Problem-Solving – list appropriate procedures for different situations

Syllogisms – make closed logical if … then statements about a topic or thing.

#7 Workshop on managing tech volunteer relationships effectively. Design activity that

helps people understand how to set clear goals.

Linguistic Reading – study written materials

Interviewing – gather information by asking questionsStorytelling/story creation – make up/tell stories about anything one is learning.

Kinesthetic

Role playing/mime – show understanding of different concepts through skits and charades

Impersonations – pretend to be someone else in words, deeds, actions, and facial expressions

Dramatic enactment – create a mini-drama which shows the dynamic interplay of ideas or processes

Anatomy Lesson: 90-Minute Workshop

Introduction 15 min

Content 15 min

Participant Interaction 15 min

Content 15 min

Participant Interaction 15 min

Summary 15 min

Introduction

• Agenda overview

• Objectives

• Logistics

• Introduction or Icebreaker

• Lighting Bolt

Icebreakers

The Lighting Bolt!

The Content: How to make it fun?

How?

•Ask questions •Create a conversation •Intersperse tasks•Guided note-taking •Handouts •Visuals •Humor•Ask if everyone is with you•Reinforce questions

Participant Interactivity: Design

Does the activity address different learning styles?Will the activity help the participant gain knowledge, practice or learn a skill, or change an attitude?Reinforce your contentDo all participants have the minimum skills to contribute and learn from the experience?Is the activity comfortable for the culture of the group?

Participant Interactivity: Logistics

Appropriate for the size?Can you provide easy, simple instructions?What is the timing and sequencing? How may logistics impact the design?Will a debriefing be helpful to the learning?

Summary, Q&A, Lighting Bolt

Summary

• Think about content and learning equally.

• Thread participant interactivity throughout your workshop

• Don’t be afraid to shake things up!

• The art of training is a learning process! So, make sure your learn as much from your “mistakes” as your successes.

Questions?

Using learning styles will help your training stick!