Incorporating Various Strategies in a Training
By: Darryl Callens
As I move through the process of developing my training course, I’m now on the 3rd step of the ADDIE model, which is the Development part of the course or training. So far, the ADDIE model has assisted me already in the first two steps of the model. One, the Analysis; and two, the Design step. From my reading I learned that various strategies in a training can help bring learning to life for participants. I want to keep my learners motivated and engaged in my course so I decided to choose two strategies that would work well with the type of course that I’m developing.
When I begin searching through some of the resources provided I found that Kahoot would be a great tool for me to use for my course. Kahoot already has a large database of information about the subject that I’m training people on in my course. The learning is very engaging and from my past experience using Kahoot it was something that really brought the training people together and was a perfect ice breaker or transition from the end of a lesson. Or a nice preview to a new lesson or activity.
Kahoot is something you can use on your phone or on a computer so it makes it an equitable tool for everyone! Just looking ahead, I think this would be a great tool for me to use to assess my students level of understanding. Instead of me just handing out papers for my participants to answer questions, having this interactive tool is a far better option to ask those same questions and get more participant engagement.
Along with the this Kahoot tool that stood out to me as an option for my course. I found a strategy that coincides with the vision that I had for my course while doing some reading. And that is, Strategies to build a sense of community: have students share information and a picture of themselves; use ice-breaker activities, establish group norms and negotiating patterns.
One of the first activities in my course is to do introductions but in a fun way using ice breakers. So this strategy instantly resonated with my thoughts because I want my participants to share information with the group and me so that we can established a sense of community. I want them to know that we all are seeking to be better at managing our anger and emotions. Developing this type of strategy will help my participants be able to connect the dots as the course moves along.
I’m glad that I came across the Kahoot tool because I was still trying to figure out how I would implement some of the information I wanted to give out without being so boring or predictable. In my reading, it mentions how important it is to organize instructional activities. “Designing the best instruction possible involves organizing instructional activities to create a satisfying and effective learning experience” (Brown & Green, 2020, p.119). So I’m beyond excited that I have one of my activities accounted for with a great instructional tool!
I mentioned that I didn’t want to use a boring or predictable method in the first part of my training because I understood how things were for me as a student. I like to bring some type of edge and different approach with my learners. The reading backed me up again with this in chapter 8 of my reading. “A pitfall to avoid when designing instruction is to make use of activities that are comfortable to you simply because they were used on you when you were a student” (Brown & Green, 2020, p.138). I definitely didn’t want to bore my participants with an old traditional way of learning by just reading material on some handouts.
My course is about anger management so I wanted to create a course that I could help people connect directly to their emotions. My whole focus has been to generate activities that would help do this. The book states that, “instructional activities are the experiences designed to help students learn. These are the interactions and events in which people participate to gain new knowledge, skill, or insight” (Brown & Green, 2020, p.143). I’ve accomplished a successful course if I can create the type of activities that my participants have gained a better understanding of the subject and have more insight.
I hope this was a helpful blog to assist anyone in developing strategies or tools to create their own training courses. As I continue with developing my course I just wanted to share this resource that was shared with me that could help someone else as they enter the development stage of their ADDIE model.
This YouTube video was short and helpful to me as I continued to develop my training course!
Reference
Brown, A. H., & Green, T. D. (2020). The essentials of instructional design connecting fundamental principles with process and practice. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
Darryl,
ReplyDeleteI love that you are going to be using Kahoot in the training you are planning. I have never created a Kahoot, but I have allowed students to share Kahoots they created. I had a blast playing Kahoot with my students, they all love it, and I know that the teachers in your training will enjoy it too! Whether they are willing to admit it or not, students and teachers both like to be challenged and most of us are competitive by nature. When I think of strategies or resources like Kahoot, I generally think of them being used as a review at the end of a lesson. In your post, you mentioned using Kahoot as an introduction - I think this is a really great idea! A game is an excellent way to get participants fired up about a new subject or even new information on an old subject. I agree that tools like this increase engagement and hopefully retention as well. According to Baszuk and Heath “the use of technology in the classroom can create better learning opportunities to increase student engagement” (2020). In their article, Using Kahoot! to Increase Exam Scores and Engagement, they also discuss how student engagement is critical to learning and ”when students engage, they commit to the knowledge process, understand the learning objectives and goals, and maintain motivation toward learning” (Baszuk & Heath, 2020, p. 548). In your post you mentioned the need to avoid teaching the way we were taught. While reading The Essentials of Instructional Design, I also took note of their warning to avoid teaching the way we like to be taught, because not all students/participants learn the same way we do. (Brown & Green, 2020). Chapter 8 in The Essentials of Instructional Design briefly discusses instructional games. In the book, Brown and Green state that games offer many advantages, such as maintaining learner interest, offering a fun activity, and providing a “relaxed atmosphere for learning” (2020, p. 145). The activities you are planning sound like a great way to jump start the process of building community within a classroom. I am eager to hear more about how you will be bringing anger management into your training on “Strategies to Build a Sense Community” and I can’t wait to learn more about what you are planning.
References
Baszuk, P. A., & Heath, M. L. (2020). Using Kahoot! to increase exam scores and engagement. Journal of Education for Business, 95(8), 548–552. https://doi-org.ezproxy.montevallo.edu/10.1080/08832323.2019.1707752
Brown, A., & Green, T. (2020). The essentials of instructional design: connecting fundamental principles with process and practice. Routledge.