Training Philosophy
3. Environment Matters
As mentioned above, the ambience of a training environment or the setting for a learning experience really matters. By this, I include all of the following elements:
| Environmental Element | Questions to Consider |
|---|---|
| Accessibility | Far enough away to create a real break with day-to-day? Arrangements in place for transport? Accessible to those with disabilities or special needs? Is there enough access to communications - Internet, phone, fax? |
| Decor | Uncluttered? Fresh? Bright? Clean? Free from other's imposed ideas / values? |
| Flexibility | Spaces capable of being used in different ways? Able to be 'large' or 'intimate' for different types of work? Furniture that is light and easily moved / stored? Flooring appropriate for different uses? |
| Food | Healthy and enjoyable? Prepared with care and attention to detail / special dietary needs? Appropriate portions (not too much, not too little)? Taking account of different cultural tastes and traditions? |
| Location | Is the setting appropriate for the focus of the workshop / training? Does it have a story to tell that would add value? What will work best: A rural 'retreat'? A modern hotel near to public transport? A purpose-built training centre? A community-based project? |
| Nature | How can you remind trainees throughout the training of their place in the natural world, of the bigger picture? Do the training rooms have windows / light / views? Are there flowers / plants etc.? |
| Rooms | Is there a range of rooms available for specific purposes? Large hall? Rooms for discussion? Studio? Study areas? Library? |
| Sounds | Is the setting free from external noise? Is there access to natural noises that help create atmosphere (running water)? Access to appropriate music / sound system? |
| Welcoming | Above all, are the staff welcoming and helpful? Does it feel like a 'home from home' - especially to those who have come on a long journey and who miss their familiar surroundings. |
Different trainers have different priorities - mine are to go, wherever possible, for a rural setting (a type of 'retreat' atmosphere), with highly flexible facilities, access to music (a great help in energising or calming a group!) and really good, wholesome, home-cooked food.
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4. Learning:
Note: The material for this section has been developed for the Partnership Brokers course
There are, of course, many ways to learn and the options one selects will depend on the learning purpose.
| Learning purpose | Description | Learning options |
|---|---|---|
| Knowledge acquisition | Learning facts / figures / history | * Lectures; * Written materials; * Internet |
| Skills development | Enhancing / building new professional competencies | * 1-1 or small group training; * Practice-based / supervised work; * Skills swaps |
| Increased empathy / insight | Understanding situations 'from within' | * Action research; * Internships; * Study visits |
| Behaviour modification | Transforming operational style | * Being 'coached' or 'mentored'; * Job swaps; * Role playing |
| Visioning | Developing imaginative capacity / originality in planning for the future | * Creative workshops (eg story-telling, painting, drama); * Inspirational events; * Futures / search workshops |
| Building working relationships | Strengthening creative collaboration (eg between teams / networks / partners) | * Facilitated workshops; * Secondments; * E-moderated learning |
As a trainer, it is useful to be able to tailor sessions to suit different groups and purposes. It is also great to incorporate many different types of learning into the same training course. Wherever possible, I take groups into situations, projects, environments where they will come face-to-face with issues that are better understood through direct experience rather than by third party description.
The psychologist John Heron has written well about how we know what we know and I have found his work inspirational over many decades. He explores three basic types of knowledge:
- Experiential (drawing from direct experience)
- Propositional (working from ideas and concepts)
- Practice-based (knowing from doing)
To which I think we can add as a fourth and a fifth:
- Cultural (values-based knowledge linked to your 'community')
- Intuitive (see 13 Senses)
Action learning is based on 'experiential' and 'practice-based' knowledge and assumes that one can know and understand things from systematically exploring experiences and from 'learning by doing' just as well (possibly, for certain subjects, better) than from reading or from constructing or deconstructing theories. Action learning is a way of understanding a situation or experience by becoming involved as an active participant. It is based on direct engagement and that is why it is such an appropriate training / learning approach for professionals seeking to deepen their understanding and build practical and relationship-building skills.
A key element in effective action learning is finding ways to capture and review experience. With our trainee partnership brokers we introduce the idea of a logbook to record their learning experiences. Based on nautical terminology the word 'log' refers to a log line that is used to measure the speed at which a ship is going. A 'logbook' is, therefore:
"A book in which details of a voyage are recorded. A traveler's diary. A regularly maintained record of progress."
Source: OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY
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