Training the Trainer
Prepared for
North Central Texas
Council of
Governments
by
Environmental
Trainers, Inc.
817-339-2554
Training the Trainer
• Success takes planning.
• For effective instruction, you have
to plan, plan, and them plan more.
• The instructor must know what s/he
wants his/her students to learn.
• You must also understand how
adult students learn.
OUTLINE
•Instructor Objectives
•Attendee Objectives
•Adult Learning Techniques
•Tips and Tricks
•Examples
Instructor Objectives
• Set learning objectives for the
course. This gives you the outline of your course.
• Plan the instruction of the learning
Do
objectives. ID details of how to teach the material.
Use of lecture, video, graphics, practical application, etc.
Check • Evaluate whether the students are
achieving the learning objectives.
Plan
This could be testing, discussion, games, hands-on
activities or other means.
All of this equals…….
Lesson Plans!
Instructor Objectives
Your goal as an instructor is to have
as much ACTIVE learning as
possible during your course.
• Active: participating, taking part in
an activity; “an active member of
the club”
• Passive: lacking in energy or will;
“the passive class was dull, slow,
and sluggish”
Learning Objectives
This becomes your course outline.
Learning Objectives
The learning objectives should be
attendee focused. Example:
“At the end of the training, the attendee
should be able to…..”
1. Apply knowledge
2. Describe a problem
3. Recognize the symptoms of …
Learning Objectives
When developing ACTIVE learning
goals, use these verbs:
•
•
•
•
Create
Evaluate
Analyze
Apply
•
•
•
•
Describe
Identify
Locate
Operate
•
•
•
•
Detect
Organize
Prepare
Revise
Using verbs like the following equals
PASSIVE learning:
• Understand
• Remember
• Learn
• Appreciate
• Believe
• Know
Learning Objectives
Mine for you today are:
1.Use at least 3 tips from today’s
class in preparing to teach the
IDDE material.
2.Repeat key info 3 times in your
course.
3.Develop at least 1 demonstration or
game for your course.
Active Learning is BEST!
Passive
Note:
This image, "The Learning Pyramid," is NOT based
on any verifiable research, yet it is widely cited.
Nonetheless, those who must teach the material
know it better than those that don’t.
Active
The National Training Laboratories in Bethel
Maine, does exist, but this diagram is not found
on their website. It could, however, be in their
training materials.
Lesson Plans
This identifies the methods you will use
to teach the material. (lecture, video,
graphics, practical application, etc..)
Lesson Plans
• Ensure continuity.
• Show your organization on the
subject.
• Give students a “framework” for the
new information.
• Create interest and motivation.
• Assure balance of emphasis for
major points.
• Serve as an outline for back-up
instructor.
Lesson Plans….
VS
= Details
Topic
Lesson Plans….
Lesson Plans….
• Topic
• 5 main branches
• 13 forks
Lesson Plans Do’s
• Limit the number of concepts you
present.
– Students will retain and use what they
learn if not overloaded.
– KISS principle
– Break topics into multiple training
sessions if necessary
• Remember that your objective is
for your students to USE what
they learn.
Lesson Plans….
• A tree is allowed to grow over time
• So are your trainees!
Instructor Do’s
• Give the students an outline.
– Keep them informed of the progress
with respect to the outline.
• Issue a challenge...it keeps people
interested:
– Keep track of my mistakes during the presentation
– Guess the music
– Guess the quote
Evaluate how much
learning takes place
Testing, discussion, games, hands-on
activities or other means.
Evaluate the Learning
• Evaluate the amount of “active
learning” taking place DURING the
course – don’t wait until the end!
• Make the learners talk to you. If
they don’t talk, call on them.
– When one talks, they all begin to talk.
– When they talk, you can easily
evaluate how much they have
learned.
Evaluate the Learning
• Use photographs and ask “what is
wrong with this picture?”
• Play games and create competition.
• Demonstrations are great!
– make the learners participate!
– Don’t do it all yourself.
– Create competition here if you can.
• Provide scenarios that they must
investigate/solve/etc.
– Can be individual or team-based.
– Can be handouts or verbal
Evaluate the Learning
• Sometimes, written exams are
required.
– If they are, make sure that your test
questions align with your learning
objectives.
– If they aren’t, tell them that they can
get out of the written exam if they
participate the entire time! It’s your
judgment call, so they have to be
good!
OUTLINE
•Instructor Objectives
•Attendee Objectives
•Adult Learning Techniques
•Tips and Tricks
•Examples
Attendee Objectives
• The learner’s goal is MOST
important for any learning.
• Most students have an idea of what
they want learn from a class.
– Note: some want to learn NOTHING!
They are in attendance because they
had no choice!
• If they don’t get what they needed,
your class is a “waste of time” for
them. ASK them what they need!
Attendee Objectives
• Some instructors will have ZERO
credibility with their audience.
• May need to include a supervisor &
the supervisor’s boss to get
cooperation (don’t go too high up the chain).
• Have attendees show what they do
– it’s interactive,
– It recognizes their talents & role in the
organization
– It builds credibility of the instructor when you
are interested in their job
Attendee Objectives
• Most learners EXPECT to be bored
during training.
– Show them up front that you will not
be boring!
– Use a short brain teaser, like the
following….
CRITICAL THINKING
The Professional Questionnaire
The following short quiz consists of 4
questions and will tell you whether
you are qualified to be a "professional."
The questions are NOT that difficult.
1. How do you put a giraffe into a
refrigerator?
Correct answer: Open the refrigerator,
put in the giraffe, and close the
door.
This question tests whether you tend
to do simple things in an overly
complicated way.
2. How do you put an elephant into a
refrigerator?
Did you say, "Open the refrigerator,
put in the elephant, and close the
refrigerator"?
Wrong!
Correct Answer: Open the refrigerator,
take out the giraffe, put in the
elephant and close the door.
This tests your ability to think through
the repercussions of your previous
actions.
3. The Lion King is hosting an animal
conference. All the animals attend
except one. Which animal does not
attend?
Correct Answer: The Elephant.
The elephant is in the refrigerator.
You just put him in there.
This tests your memory.
OK, even if you did not answer the
first three questions correctly, you
still have one more chance to show
your true abilities.
4. There is a river you must cross but
it is inhabited by crocodiles. How do
you manage it?
Correct Answer: You swim across. All
the crocodiles are attending the
Animal Meeting.
This tests whether you learn quickly
from your mistakes.
According to Anderson Consulting
Worldwide:
– 90% of the professionals they tested got
all questions wrong,
– Many preschoolers got several correct
answers.
Therefore, this disproves the theory
that most professionals have the
brains of a four year old.
Attendee Objectives
• They want “PRACTICAL” not
principles!
You can discuss the size of a spill all day, and
no one will really know how big a spill is.
Fix this with a demo: take them outside and
“spill” 5 gallons of water, then 10, 15, 20 and
25 so that they see on the ground how big a
spill is.
Ask them to predict how far it will go before
you start –then see who was right.
Attendee Objectives
• Most learners do not sit at a desk
all day. Sitting in a classroom can
be tedious for them.
• Another way to make something
interactive…try walking with
questions.
Rules
 If you answer a question with “yes”, then walk
across the room.
 If you answer a question with “no”, stay
where you are.
 Note the number of people who are standing
with you at each answer and how that
changes with each question.
OUTLINE
•Instructor Objectives
•Attendee Objectives
•Adult Learning Techniques
•Tips and Tricks
•Examples
Adult Learning
You can’t teach adults the same way you
teach children….in other words….
Don’t teach like you were taught.
1. Adults need to know why they should
learn something.
• Your job as a trainer is to create that "need
to know“
• Demonstrate the value of what is being
offered.
Adult Learning
2. Adults need to be active in the
learning process.
• Adults easily revert back to their
conditioning as children.
• They fold their arms, sit back and say,
"Teach me."
• Your role is to help them quickly
transition from that old behavior to
actively learning.
Adult Learning
3. Adults learn when they
experience a need to know .....for
work or personal reasons. Make a
work-related topic apply to their
personal life and you have them
hooked!
4. Applying what they learn
increases retention. Get them to
apply what they’ve learned to a
“real life” situation.
Adult Learning
5. Learners want to tailor
knowledge to their specific
situation. Use “war stories – if you don’t
have any, ask the audience for theirs!
6. Learners also want to interact
with others during training. Let
them learn from each other.
7. Learners will excel if you show
the benefits of learning. Certificates
of training equal faster promotions.
Adult Learning
8. Things learned last are the best
remembered.
9. Neutral is boring!
•
•
Create stress or fun to induce learning.
A little fear can be good!
10. First and last impressions are
retained. Open and end with laughter,
war stories, funny photos, etc.
11. Students remember the unusual
rather than the normal.
Adult Learning
12. Show what “not” to do…it works.
13. Learners believe “experts”. Don’t
make yourself the expert if you are not!
14. Tell them they are doing well.
Encourage them!
15. Show your students the “tie-in”
to their job. You MUST do this.
And finally…………
Adult Learning
16. Don’t try to use all of these
concepts at once…you’ll
drive yourself and your
class crazy!
OUTLINE
•Instructor Objectives
•Attendee Objectives
•Adult Learning Techniques
•Tips and Tricks
•Examples
Do’s
• Get your students to introduce
themselves. Keep it short:
– Name
– Employer and/or position
– Biggest problem in last 6 months on
the job
• Create a need to know…give an
example up front and show its
relevance. (i.e., fines, jail time, etc.)
Do’s
• Keep the lecture interactive….ask
students questions as you go.
• Always talk from the slides – don’t
use additional notes or paper. You
will lose your place, look inept, and create lulls
in learning.
• Give tips on how to remember the
important points.
• Give a recap at the end of the
important points.
Do’s
• Students need to hear each important
concept at least 3 times before they
retain it.
– Use different methods to “repeat” the info 3
times. Lecture, pictures, application, games,
videos, etc.
• Use real-life experience – either yours or
the students’.
• Pick a problem of one of the students
and get the class to solve it.
Do’s
• Keep fonts and slide design simple.
• Keep bullets short.
• Use sound effects, photos, video
clips as necessary to reinforce.
• Plan on 1-2 minutes per slide.
• Don’t bore them with regs – tell
only what they need to know (fines
& jail time).
Do’s
• Stay on track – you are the facilitator.
• Timing - Do the training prior to budget
planning. That way, budget is not an
excuse for not doing the work!
• Visit facility prior to training – integrate
pictures into training (good and bad)
• Make the class find issues you’ve
covered in the training at their facility.
• Make the supervisor attend.
• Praise your staff – tell them they are
important and that they are the front line
in pollution prevention!
Do’s
• Most employees don’t know that
sediment is a problem - use the example
of a clogged air filter to simulate fish
gills.
• Get your folks to think about which way
the water would flow, IF it rained during
their project. Also – where is the nearest
creek.
Don’ts
• Don’t just read your slides!
• Too much text:
– 5-7 bullets per page, 5-7 words per
bullet
– Fonts at least 24 point for text.
• Too many bells and whistles.
– Keep background, fonts, etc
consistent throughout.
– Patchworking from different
presentations is distracting.
Don’ts
• Graphs and charts must be easy to
read and understand.
• Do not give the same presentation
over and over. Vary the games,
questions, and demos each year
even if you must cover the same
info!
Handouts
• You can provide a copy of your slides as
a handout.
– Students will want to know what page you
are on – be prepared to tell them.
– Students will point out mistakes and typos –
be prepared.
• Students take notes if you don’t provide
a full copy.
• If you provide an expanded text versus
slides, the students get more info and
may stay more involved in the course.
• Use anecdotes and war stories, but don’t
include in the handouts. When they
realize the story isn’t in the handout, they
pay attention to you.
Recap
Recap
• ID the learning objectives
• Do a lesson plan that teaches each of
the learning objectives at least 3 times.
• Create the “need to know” in your
students.
• Design a test that focuses on the
learning objectives and NOT the obscure
or less important info.
• Keep in mind what the students’
objectives are.
Recap
• Keep the class interactive – ask
your students for their experience.
– Make them talk to you.
– Don’t assume you know everything!
• Get students to apply what they are
learning.
• Get students to interact with each
other.
• Give positive feedback when they
do well.
Recap
• Use an outside trainer – your staff
gets “immune” to you.
• Edit any “canned” training materials
for your specific needs. Providing
info that is irrelevant negates the
good info.
• Help your staff to streamline their
paperwork - it will actually get done
if it’s easy.
• If you make your processes
inconvenient, it won’t happen.
OUTLINE
•Instructor Objectives
•Attendee Objectives
•Adult Learning Techniques
•Tips and Tricks
•Examples
•Interactive Questions
•Demos and Scenarios
•Games
Interactive Questions
Interactive Questions
• I like to add questions throughout a
presentation
• Create a game that you can play
during your course – encourage
them to keep score.
• You will see the entire game at the
end.
Storm Survivor
Question
Why is it important to protect water
quality?
Storm Survivor
Answer
We depend on clean water for:
• Drinking water
• Recreation – boating, fishing,
swimming
• Economic development
Demos & Scenarios
You are the
municipality.
storm
water
coordinator
for
your
A coal train traveling through your city had a wheel
bearing overheat and melt off. This let a truck support
drop down and grind on top of the rail & create molten
metal droppings.
The train crew noticed a small amount of smoke
halfway back in the train and immediately stopped the
train in compliance with their rules.
The BAD NEWS is that the train just happened to stop
with its hot wheels on top of a wooden trestle bridge
built with creosoted ties, bents and trusses.
Your city gets the call to fight the fire.
What do you have to do regarding storm water
for this incident?
• Phone calls
• Notifications of state/federal agencies
• Containment?
•ID potential impacts
•ID potential contaminants
•Liability?
Storm Water Walk
• This one is good to get them on
their feet.
• Even better if you have pictures to
show for each answer – this
reinforces what they are learning.
STORM WATER WALK
Games
by
Environmental Trainers, Inc.
101 South Jennings, Suite 205
Fort Worth, Texas 76104
817-339-2554
Your Training
Learning Objectives
Mine for you today are:
1.Use at least 3 tips from today’s
class in preparing to teach the
IDDE material.
2.Repeat key info 3 times in your
course.
3.Develop at least 1 demonstration or
game for your course.
• Open the IDDE training powerpoint
and use it here.
QUESTIONS????
Environmental
Trainers, Inc.
817-339-2554
BLJ@ENVTRAINERS.COM