TRAINING CLIMATE

Simply stated, ‘climate’ is what it feels like to work somewhere, how motivating that is, and consists of six clear elements; clarity, commitment, standards, responsibility, recognition and teamwork – all of which can be measured and managed.

MEANS
Various influences in an organization that can affect the effectiveness of the formal and informal training. Although many variables may influence the effectiveness of the training and development efforts, the organization’s training climate appears to be playing an important role.

THE ELEMENTS WHICH MAKE THE TRAINING CLIMATE ARE

Managerial Support (MS):
1. Supervisors give recognition and credit to those who apply new knowledge and skills to
their work.
2. Supervisors match associates’ needs for personal and professional development with
opportunities to attend training.
3. Independent and innovative thinking are encouraged by supervisors.
4. Top management expects high levels of performance at all times.
5. Top management expects continuing technical excellence and competence.

Job Support (JS):
1. Gaining new information about ways to perform work more effectively is important in
this organization.
2. Job assignments are designed to promote personal development.
3. Learning new ways of performing work is valued in this organization.
4. Work assignments include opportunities to learn new techniques and procedures for
improving performance.
5. There is a strong belief that continuous learning is important to successful job performance.

Organizational Support (OS):
1. There is a performance appraisal system that ties financial rewards to use of newly
acquired knowledge and skills.
2. This organization offers excellent training programs.
3. Employees are provided with resources necessary to acquire and use new knowledge
and skills.
4. There are rewards and incentives for acquiring and using new knowledge and skills in
one’s job.
5. This organization rewards employees for using newly acquired knowledge and skills on
the job.

IF YOU DESIRE TO IMPROVE THE TRAINING CLIMATE
IN YOUR ORGANIZATION, YOU NEED TO WORK
ON SOME OF THESE ELEMENTS .

=====================================================
ANOTHER FACTOR, WHICH NEEDS TO BE CONSIDERED
IS
HOW TO CREATE A TRAINING CLIMATE IN THE
TRAINING ROOM.

HERE ARE SOME GUIDELINES.

1.ENABLING OBJECTIVES

• Identify characteristics of how people learn
• Explain how groups form and develop
• Use effective presentation skills
• Introduce a presentation
• Use questioning techniques
• Summarize a presentation

2.CHARACTERISTICS OF LEARNERS

• Require learning to be relevant
• Are highly motivated if they believe learning is relevant
• Need participation and active involvement in the learning process
• Desire a variety of learning experiences
• Desire positive feedback
• Have personal concerns and need an atmosphere of safety
• Need to be recognized as individuals with unique backgrounds, experiences and learning needs
• Must maintain their self-esteem
• Have high expectations for themselves and their trainer
• Have personal needs that must be taken into consideration

3. INVOLVING PARTICIPANTS

• Allowing participants to provide input regarding schedules, activities and other events
• Questioning and feedback
• Brainstorming and discussions
• Hands-on work
• Group and individual projects
• Classroom activities

4.USE A VARIETY OF METHODS

• Audiovisual aids
• Illustrated lectures
• Demonstrations
• Brainstorming
• Small group activities
• Group discussions
• Role plays and case studies
• Guest speakers

5.USE THE POSITIVE FEEDBACK

• Give verbal praise either in front of other participants or in private
• Use positive responses during questioning
• Recognize appropriate skills while coaching
• Let the participants know how they are progressing toward achieving learning objectives

6.TREAT PARTICIPANTS AS INDIVIDUALS

• Use participant names as often as possible
• Involve all participants as often as possible
• Treat participants with respect
• Allow participants to share information with others

7.MAINTAIN SELF-ESTEEM

• Reinforce those practices and beliefs embodied in the course content
• Provide corrective feedback in an appropriate manner
• Provide training that adds to their sense of competence and self-esteem
• Recognize participants’ own career accomplishments

8.INDIVIDUALS BECOME GROUP

• They share a common purpose
• They share a common experience in attending the course
• Each member’s contributions and questions are valued and respected
• An open and trusting climate develops
• The members pay attention to how they work together

9.UNDERSTAND GROUP DYNAMICS

• Observe
• Develop increased awareness
• Discuss observations with cotrainers
• Develop options to support the group

10.TO MOVE TOWARDS LEARNING GOALS

• Structure
• Direction
• Leadership

11.EFFECTIVE PRESENTATION SKILLS

• Follow a plan and use trainer’s notes
• Communicate in a way that is easy to understand
• Maintain eye contact with participants
• Project your voice
• Avoid the use of slang or repetitive words, phrases or gestures
• Display enthusiasm
• Move around the room
• Use appropriate audiovisuals
• Be sure to ask both simple and more challenging questions
• Provide positive feedback
• Use participant names
• Display a positive use of humor
• Provide smooth transitions between topics
• Be an effective role model

12.PURPOSE OF INTRODUCTION

• Capture interest
• Make participants aware of the clinical trainer’s expectations
• Help foster a positive training climate

13.INTRODUCTION TECHNIQUES

• Reviewing the objectives
• Asking a series of questions about the topic
• Relating the topic to previously covered content
• Sharing a personal experience
• Relating the topic to real-life experiences
• Using a case study or problem-solving activity
• Using a videotape or other audiovisual aid
• Using an imaginative transparency
• Making a provocative statement
• Giving a classroom demonstration
• Using a content expert
• Using a game, role play or simulation
• Relating the topic to future work experiences

14.QUESTIONING TECHNIQUES

• Ask a question of the entire group
• Target the question to a specific participant
• State the question, pause and then direct the question to a specific participant
• The key in asking questions is to avoid a pattern
• Use participant names during questioning
• Repeat a participant’s correct response
• Provide positive reinforcement

15.PARTICIPANTS RESPONSES

• Use participant names during questioning
• Repeat a participant’s correct response
• Provide positive reinforcement

16. AT THE END

*SEEK FEEDBACK, BOTH FORMAL/INFORMAL.

PEDAGOGY

IT IS — The strategies, techniques, and approaches that teachers /trainers can use to facilitate learning.

Pedagogy is the ART or SCIENCE of being a TEACHER OR TRAINER. This is the modern interpretation. The word “PEDA” refers to CHILDREN , which is why some like to make the distinction between pedagogy (teaching children) and ANDRAGOGY(teaching adults). The Latin-derived word for pedagogy, EDUCATION, is much more widely used, and often the two are used interchangeably.

Pedagogy is also sometimes referred to as the correct use of teaching strategies.

Andragogy is the art and science of helping adults learn

Andragogy is based on four crucial assumptions about the characteristics of adult learners that are different from the assumptions about child learners . As persons mature, their self concept moves from being a dependent personality toward one of being a self-directing human being
they accumulate a growing reservoir of experience that becomes an increasing resource for learning their readiness to learn becomes oriented increasingly to the developmental tasks of their social roles, and their time perspective changes from one of postponed application of knowledge to immediacy of application.

PEDAGOGY– WHY IT MATTERS

Needs Assessment – What learning is needed?

We change learner performance by figuring out what each learner needs and which strategies will work to unlock patterns that have not been working. Good teachers/trainers are very good at diagnosis and the customization of instruction. They keep checking for understanding and they keep searching for the intervention that will enable each learner to succeed. They do everything possible to give learners good reasons and they view each and every dropout as a personal failure. They don’t shrug off dropouts as a minor issue. .

Professional Growth – How can I improve my teaching/training?

Effective teachers/trainers cannot afford to rest or coast for very long because the learners have a way of bringing a remarkable new set of challenges into the classroom each day. What worked with some learners last year may fail this year. A teacher/trainer who stops adding to her or his repertoire of effective strategies is too much like a knife grown dull for lack of sharpening.

Classroom Culture – How do I cultivate the class culture for learning?

While the importance of emotions and the social aspects of learning are rarely addressed by factory-style reformers, these aspects of classroom life are crucial. If a teacher /trainer does not create a culture that is safe, comfortable, encouraging and supportive, learning may not occur. The art of teaching/training includes the nurturing of group norms that allow learning to thrive. The science of teaching/training is less effective at reducing fears, freeing dreams and inspiring even disadvantaged students to reach for stars.

Strategy – How do I teach to maximize results?

Effective teachers/trainers possess rich repertoires of instructional moves and techniques. They devote time to matching strategy to situation. But they also understand the trial-and-error aspects of helping learners untangle patterns of failure and frustration. It is not a purely scientific process, as even great scientists like Marie Curie sometimes made great discoveries partially by accident (serendipity) and partially by perseverance over thousands of trials and tries. Strong teachers/trainers make sure their efforts to match technique to learners are guided by intuition, empathy and some of the softer aspects of human knowing.

Resource Management – How do I make do with what we have?

Shortages of resources are endemic in many classrooms and are often worse in poorly performing institutions . Time is always in short supply. But there are many other important resources that can frustrate a teacher’s/trainer’s good intentions. These may range from decent, current texts to paper, chalk, adequate heat and insulation from noise. The institutions may be short on leadership. Morale may be low because of outside threats, and bad local press coverage. But good teachers/trainers learn to make good things happen for learners despite these shortages, distractions or threats.

Problem Solving – What could go wrong and how do I cope?

Life in classrooms is ripe with surprises, but not all of these surprises need to stall forward progress. Smart teachers/trainers try to anticipate what might go wrong and have backup plans ready just in case. If the computer network suddenly freezes and a lesson requiring Internet access is suddenly blocked, the teacher/trainer immediately asks learners to brainstorm questions to pursue once the network recovers. No problem.

Orchestration – How do I orchestrate all the different aspects of pedagogy?

Some classrooms actually hum with a purposeful, productive energy. The teacher/trainer of such classes knows how to combine all of the elements of pedagogy mentioned here so that harmony, resonance and synergy result. Sports psychologists write of the ZONE champion athletes enter that makes remarkable performance possible. The same happens in classrooms when teachers/trainers are well schooled in pedagogy. They create a classroom ZONE that makes remarkable performance likely.