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CBT/WBT And E-learning Websites Make Learning Easy And Fun
The size of the e-learning market in Western Europe was said to be $358m in 2003 (or some £200m). This is predicted to grow to $994m in 2007. The learning content market is said to the largest single part of this, said a 2003 report 'European...
How to Turn a Job Search into a Career Find
Ever watch a hamster running mindlessly on a wheel and think “Yeah that about sums up my job search?” There is a better way to uncover a great career with more intensity of purpose. You need a focal point. You must have a game plan and a...
Job Search Getting 2 Interviews Per Day
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Success at Work : Techniques : Get Ahead by Faking It
---------------------------------------------------------- Permission is granted for the below article to forward, reprint, distribute, use for ezine, newsletter, website, offer as free bonus or part of a product for sale as long as no changes are...
The Benefits Of Developing Concentration and Concentration Exercises
The Benefits Of Developing Concentration
Sometimes you can find strong powers of concentration in
yourself. When you are decisive and sincerely want to excel in
your studies, pass an important exam, or playing one of your
favorite video...
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SUPERVISORY TRAINING AND LEARNING
The author has spend years training supervisors, generally in
manufacturing. With whatever curriculum he used, he would add a
chapter on adult learning theory. With this as a framework, he
believed that trainees are far more receptive to the training as
they have some understanding of why and how the program is
constructed to benefit there growth. Very rarely do training
facilitators take the time to explain the basics of adult
learning to class participants. Indeed, if he has limited
facilitator experience the facilitator may not even know the
basics of adult learning himself! The Supervisor: A Key Position
From the outset you need to know that there is no other job more
important than that of supervisor. It is the supervisor who
helps staff work at their optimal levels. It is also the
supervisor that helps make management's work smoother and more
trouble-free than it would otherwise be. But developing the
necessary skills to be successful in this pivotal position is a
real challenge and does not just happen because the new
supervisor used to be a first rate tradesman! The new supervisor
probably has the potential to be an excellent supervisor
otherwise his boss would not have appointed him. But it is too
much to expect you to "pick up the supervisory skills on the
job." This is why the boss normally provides supervisory
training. When and if this occurs, the new supervisor owes it to
himself, his boss and the training facilitator to do the best he
can to participate fully in the session discussions and other
learning activities. As a prerequisite to training, the new
supervisory needs to understand how to get the most from any
supervisory training he may receive.
1. Learning Activity: The Benefits of Training to You and Others
Or: What's in it for Me (WIIFM)!
Firstly, we need to consider the importance of participating in
supervisory training. "Because the boss wants me to" is an
incomplete answer. To get the most from it and, in turn, be
prepared to put a lot into it, the new supervisor needs to see
the importance of it and the benefits to him, his staff, his
boss and the company as a whole. Here is a partial list of the
importance of undertaking training. It will help you become: A
better communicator Know how to develop a more positive work
environment More cost-effective More satisfied on the job
Develop more productive workers More confident in your abilities
More self-aware and self-confident A person with better morale
Increased in skills and make so fewer errors A better leader
able to gain respect and discipline others respectfully A better
problem solver More stree free A more collaborative team leader
A strong team spirit developer Less likely to face personal
liability lawsuits Better respected by staff A better time
manager and more highly organized
2. Basics of Learning
It is important to know how you learn for at least two reasons:
When you proceed through a training experience, you will have a
better idea of what is taking place in the learning process and
you are therefore more likely to respond positively to the
experience. Good supervisors are also coaches and trainers of
their staff. Therefore, it is essential for you to understand
basic training theory and practice so you can increase your
training skills.
A. Learning as Change
The objective of learning is to bring about changes in your
behavior so you can do things differently. Learning can be
transformational--it can change your life forever. As you
acquire new knowledge and skills, you begin to see new
potentials and opportunities that you perhaps had not thought
possible beforehand. Learning can be a difficult experience as
you strive to break through old prejudices and habits, but it
also can bring many rewards. The focus in a training program is
on your learning. The flip side is that the person standing up
front is a facilitator of your learning, more than he is a
teacher or a trainer. The focus, therefore, is on you, the
learner, not the facilitator (trainer). B. Active and Positive
Participation People learn in different ways, but one thing is
clear: one of the best ways that all people learn is through
active and positive participation, i.e. doing, discussing,
listening actively, talking, being keen and enthusiastic about
what you learn. It is important that you become actively
involved in what happens during the training. Being active and
positive will ensure you learn close to 100% of what there is to
learn. Being passive, not participating, listening with one ear,
day dreaming is a waste of your time, the facilitator's time and
the company's money. You need to make the effort for learning to
happen.
C. Self-Directed Learning
A component of learning is the concept of self-directed
learning, that is, a student has "learned on his/her own."
Research has shown that 75% of the learning that adults do is
self-directional as opposed to institutional or employer
provided learning. Write down the many things that you have
learned on your own:
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________ In an training
course, because of the limited amount of class-contact time
available, you must use your initiative to determine what
additional, related knowledge or
skills you want to acquire, as
we are not going to be able to cover "everything there is to
know about effective supervision" in class. Resources abound and
we need not deal with these hear. Suffice it to say your local
college, library are two main sources, and of course you need go
no further than The Internet.
D. An Inquiring Mind
People who have an open, inquiring mind, ready and eager to
continuously learn new things are far more likely to live
satisfying and successful lives than those who close their minds
to the opportunities, challenges and new ideas they may
encounter. Here is a story: John Black, a forty five year old
supervisor working in Victoria wondered why he never got
promoted or increased responsibilities and he asked to see his
boss. The boss invited him to meet at the local pub for a beer
where he bought a jug. They began chatting and then the boss
started pouring the beer into John's glass. He poured it full,
and then kept pouring. John watched the frothy overflow with
amazement until he could restrain himself no longer. "Can't you
see, the glass is full? No more will go in," he exclaimed. "Like
this glass," the boss said, "you are full of your own
judgements, opinions and prejudices. I cannot help you get ahead
until you empty the first glass." A person with an inquiring
mind thinks mentally and emotionally "out of the box." Try this
exercise: Connect all nine dots by drawing four straight,
continuous lines without lifting your pencil or retracing a
line. · · · · · · · · · E. Spaced Repetition
Learning, and the behavioral change that goes with it, takes
time. You have to review what you have learned time and again if
you are to learn to do it well. Learning something may take
weeks--sometimes months--especially if it is complex. You must
repeat the process again and again with some time lapse in
between. This is called "spaced repetition," and if you do
review and practice, you are far more likely to significantly
increase the level of your learning achievement and to "push"
your new knowledge into your long-term memory. That is why good
training is usually conducted over a number of weeks , not
crammed into 2-3 intensive days.
F. Reflection and Thinking: the Importance of Doing "Nothing"
We are a nation of eager beavers. We are active all the time and
feel guilty when we are not. However, an under-recognized yet
invaluable way of "getting our act together," of growing and
allowing ourselves to be creative, is to spend time reflecting
on what we do, how we do it now, and how we can improve. There
are times when it is appropriate just to sit and think!
G. Learning Domains
Learning domains are the areas in which learning takes place.
When we learn, we learn three types of things: 1. Knowledge
(cognitive) learning: e.g. recalling information, using rules,
comparing and contrasting, problem solving. 2. Skills
(psychomotor) learning: e.g. performing gross motor-skills,
steering and guiding, position movement. 3. Attitude (affective)
learning: e.g. learning to be empathetic, understanding,
supportive.
H. Learning Techniques
There is no one way to learn. People have their preferences.
Some prefer to read books, others prefer multi-media or
audio-visual materials. Some like to learn in groups, while
others prefer to learn at their own pace on their own. Also,
learning techniques will vary, depending upon whether you are
learning new knowledge or new skills or new attitudes. If you
want to learn about welding, for example, you might best acquire
new knowledge about it by reading a book or listening to a tape
or a lecture. Welding skills, however, are better learned by
demonstration and hands-on practice than by only reading a book.
Learning to be a more effective supervisor requires both
knowledge about what you need to do, and you need to practice
what you have learned to turn that knowledge into skills. In
most training program, a number of techniques are used. They are
all essential to your successful learning. They include: ·
Discussion and group work; · Readings and learning activities
from a workbook and handouts; · Work-place skill-development
activities; · Short talks by the Facilitator.
I. Program Details
Content Areas The following two major content areas will be
emphasized: 1. Managing yourself, your work and your life in
general. It is essential that you get your act together before
you can help others to get their act together. 2. Helping your
staff to manage themselves, their work and their lives
J. Program Objectives
At the end of this program you will: 1. Have a clear sense of
what your supervisory roles and responsibilities are and feel
confident in your ability to implement them. 2. Have acquired
significant new knowledge and skills in how to conduct yourself
as a supervisor. 3. Be able to work effectively with other
participating supervisors in a team atmosphere. Remember before
you can get full benefit from training you need to know how you
learn. This short introduction may help you and others.
About the author:
Michael Brooke, Ph.D is a retired university senior
administrator, adult educator, corporate trainer and recruiter
and published author. He spends hours a day learning from the
Internet and running his businesses, the main one being
Prosperity Automated System which you can see at
http://www.ehomebiz.org
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