knowing learner

Knowing Learners

To effectively choose learning methods and help learners learn, you must first know something about whom you are teaching. Your learners will come from very different backgrounds and have various learning needs.

Knowledge about learners will enable you to refine lectures, class discussions, comments, illustrations, and activities so that they are more effective learning experiences. References to learners' interests, backgrounds, knowledge, and even anxieties can make the class seem more personal and the material more accessible.
Not all learners will have the same background in your field. By assessing learners' comprehension levels of the subject, you can modify your own teaching to fit their needs. By customizing your course to learners' needs, you can teach more efficiently and effectively.

 Your first step will be to find out more about your learners. On the first day of class, hand out a questionnaire. You should find out what previous classes learners have had in your field and related subjects. You can list basic terminology you expect learners to understand, and ask learners to mark the words they do not understand or feel uncomfortable with. Ask your learners if their attendance or participation in class and on assignments will be affected by their religion,  or any other unique situation. 

The Benefits of Knowing Learners

1. Create a psychologically safe environment for every learner.
2. Determine each learner's readiness for learning.
3. Identify multiple access points to the curriculum to increase engagement and success.
4. Develop and demonstrate greater emotional intelligence in the classroom. 

Man with a Bag - Trigger video

Hello everyone, 

This particular video was very interesting and it made me realize how I make opinions just by the physical appearance/looks.

Reflection Question 1: The woman was staring at the man as she was suspecting that he has done some mischievous/criminal activity because he of his looks - long beard and a big bag; the way he was looking and walking. Even the police were running towards him.

Reflection Question 2: According to me both men were walking with the bag but the physical appearance and also the second man was walking behind the first man changed my thought. It all depends on each individual's perception.

Reflection Question 3: I thought the police officials would catch hold of the second man and lock him up.

After seeing the complete video, I realized that how easily we make opinions/judgement about another person without even giving a second thought. It is very important to spend time with learners, build rapport and understand them without being judgmental.

Reflaction of trigger video,

I think, Woman think about not good man that person. Police will arrest that person in next.

I saw different two person in this video. I think, first person is professional man. Second person is thief. I was wrong thinking about this video. But First person was thief and second person was not thief.

Reflection Of the Trigger Video

  The Woman in the video staring the man because of is suspicious  look. The look of the man in the is different the lady has make negative image of the man by his personality, dressing etc. Lady image that the man is criminal there is something in his bag because he is walking fast.While thinking about this the lady saw a police follow that man.


             As per about my view about the next  , I think that man with the bag has something wrong such as drugs, stolen money, and I guess that the cop might arrest the Asian man but the Criminal would be the other man shown in the video.

                     

Reflection of The Trigger Video. Sumit Tripathi

In this video the lady with her daughter looks suspicious about the man. Mainly because of his looks. The man in the video seems to be an Indian and he looks calm and pleasant. He is wearing his traditional attire she thought that he is bringing some unwanted things. The Man walked slowly. He looked at her and she got afraid.

As per about my view about the next  , I think that man with the bag has something wrong such as drugs, stolen money, and I guess that the cop might arrest the Asian man but the Criminal would be the other man shown in the video.

Sumit Tripathi

Trainer

ACF-SEDI

Reflaction of trigger video,

Why the women starring at the man?

The lady with her child looked at the man in suspicious way. She doubted that the man is thief and bringing some money or drugs or any suspicious items in his bags.

The man in the video looks as an Asian with has black beard and he is walking very calm and slowly. He is wearing his traditional cloths. He doesn't look anybody.  He is carrying one black bag.

As per about my view about the next  , I think that man with the bag has something wrong such as drugs, stolen money, and I guess that the cop might arrest the Asian man but the Criminal would be the other man shown in the video.

REFLECTION OF THE TRIGGER VIDEO - DAVID.S

1.She looked at the man in negative way. The man came by the  sub way & She taught something bad about     the man and  she starred at the man, after seeing his face & looking his big bag. she thought  that he is            bringing some unwanted things. The Man walked slowly. He looked at her and she got afraid.

2.1  The first man was looking good.I saw his body language which was not good. He was walking fast by           looking around.

2.2   The second man was looking calm.There were more expectation in his eyes and face.

3.    I thought that the polices came to catch the first Man. Because he was walking fast with fear.The way he        entered is something different.

Reflection of The Trigger Video

In the trigger video, the lady with her daughter looks suspicious about the man. Mainly because of his looks. The man in the video seems to be an Indian and he looks calm and pleasant. He is wearing his traditional attire. He doesn't bother about the looks of the lady. And to talk about my opinion about the next move, I think it is something in relation with the man we had first seen in the video because he was quite quick in his steps. I guess that the cop might catch hold the Indian but the defaulter would be the other man shown in the video.

Look At Life Differently

Hello!

We all have heard time and again about motivation and power of it, the stories below might interest you.

1. Everyone has a Story in Life

A 24 year old boy seeing out from the train’s window shouted…

“Dad, look the trees are going behind!”

Dad smiled and a young couple sitting nearby, looked at the 24 year old’s childish behavior with pity,

suddenly he again exclaimed…

“Dad, look the clouds are running with us!”

The couple couldn't resist and said to the old man…

“Why don’t you take your son to a good doctor?”

The old man smiled and said…

“I did and we are just coming from the hospital, my son was blind from birth, he just got his eyes today.

Every single person on the planet has a story. Don’t judge people before you truly know them. The truth might surprise you.

2. Shake off your problems

A man's favorite donkey falls into a deep precipice; 

He can't pull it out no matter how hard he tries; 

He therefore decides to bury it alive. 

Soil is poured onto the donkey from above. 

The donkey feels the load, shakes it off, and steps on it; 

More soil is poured. 

It shakes it off and steps up; 

The more the load was poured, the higher it rose; 

By noon, the donkey was grazing in green pastures. 

After much shaking off (of problems) 

And stepping up (learning from them), 

One will graze in GREEN PASTURES.

3. The Elephant Rope

As a man was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not.

He saw a trainer nearby and asked why these animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. “Well,” trainer said, “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.”

The man was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn't, they were stuck right where they were.

Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before?

Failure is part of learning; we should never give up the struggle in life.

4. Potatoes, eggs, and coffee beans

Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn’t know how she was going to make it. She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed.

Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot, and ground coffee beans in the third pot.

He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter. The daughter, moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing.

After twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.

He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup. Turning to her he asked. “Daughter, what do you see?”

“Potatoes, eggs, and coffee,” she hastily replied.

“Look closer,” he said, “and touch the potatoes.” She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face.

“Father, what does this mean?” she asked.

He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each faced the same adversity– the boiling water.

However, each one reacted differently.

The potato went in strong, hard, and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak.

The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard.

However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.

“Which are you,” he asked his daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean? “

Moral:

In life, things happen around us, things happen to us, but the only thing that truly matters is what happens within us.

A POUND OF BUTTER

There was a farmer who sold a pound of butter to the baker. One day the baker decided to weigh the butter to see if he was getting a pound and he found that he was not. This angered him and he took the farmer to court. The judge asked the farmer if he was using any measure. The farmer replied, amour Honor, I am primitive. I don't have a proper measure, but I do have a scale." The judge asked, "Then how do you weigh the butter?" The farmer replied "Your Honor, long before the baker started buying butter from me, I have been buying a pound loaf of bread from him. Every day when the baker brings the bread, I put it on the scale and give him the same weight in butter. If anyone is to be blamed, it is the baker."

What is the moral of the story? We get back in life what we give to others. Whenever you take an action, ask yourself this question: Am I giving fair value for the wages or money I hope to make? Honesty and dishonesty become a habit. Some people practice dishonesty and can lie with a straight face. Others lie so much that they don't even know what the truth is anymore. But who are they deceiving? Themselves

value

Value-A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?"

Hands started going up.

He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this." He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill up.

He then asked, "Who still wants it?"Still the hands were up in the air.

"Well," he replied, "What if I do this?" And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.

He picked it up, now all crumpled and dirty. "Now who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air.

"My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20. Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way.

We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. You are special - Don't ever forget it!

FACULTY FOCUS

Hello Friends!!

I am sharing a link that will not guide but yes will answer few of your queries regarding learner oriented training.

Faculty Focus

FACILITATOR SKILLS AND TIPS

FACILITATOR SKILLS AND TIPS

Here are a few more points to remember that will help to maximize your role as a facilitator:

DON'T MEMORIZE A SCRIPT

Even with a well-prepared agenda and key points you must make, you need to be flexible and natural. If people sense that you are reading memorized lines, they will feel like they are being talked down to, and won't respond freely.

WATCH THE GROUP'S BODY LANGUAGE

Are people shifting in their seats? Are they bored? Tired? Looking confused? If folks seem restless or in a haze, you may need to take a break, or speed up or slow down the pace of the meeting. And if you see confused looks on too many faces, you may need to stop and check in with the group, to make sure that everyone knows where you are in the agenda and that the group is with you.

ALWAYS CHECK BACK WITH THE GROUP

Be careful about deciding where the meeting should go. Check back after each major part of the process to see if there are questions and that everyone understands and agrees with decisions that were made.

SUMMARIZE AND PAUSE

When you finish a point or a part of the meeting process, sum up what was done and decided, and pause for questions and comments before moving on. Learn to "feel out" how long to pause -- too short, and people don't really have time to ask questions; too long, and folks will start to get uncomfortable from the silence.

BE AWARE OF YOUR OWN BEHAVIOR

Take a break to calm down if you feel nervous or are losing control. Watch that you're not repeating yourself, saying "ah" between each word, or speaking too fast. Watch your voice and physical manner. (Are you standing too close to folks so they feel intimidated, making eye contact so people feel engaged?) How you act makes an impact on how participants feel.

OCCUPY YOUR HANDS

Hold onto a marker, chalk, or the back of a chair. Don't play with the change in your pocket!

WATCH YOUR SPEECH

Be careful you are not offending or alienating anyone in the group. Use swear words at your own risk!

USE BODY LANGUAGE OF OUR OWN

Using body language to control the dynamics in the room can be a great tool. Moving up close to a shy, quiet participant and asking them to speak may make them feel more willing, because they can look at you instead of the big group and feel less intimidated. Also, walking around engages people in the process. Don't just stand in front of the room for the entire meeting.

DON'T TALK TO THE NEWSPRINT, BLACKBOARD OR WALLS--THEY CAN'T TALK BACK!

Always wait until you have stopped writing and are facing the group to talk.

Regards,

Sumit Tripathi

Trainer

ACF-SEDI

Job Opportunities - Some Tips - David.S

                                                       Job Opportunities [ For Trainees ]

 Dear Trainees,

            Job will never come to you, you need to search it. There are different modes for searching job opportunities according to your qualification.  You can search jobs in the newspaper, business magazines, and employment bulletins. You can also search jobs through the Internet and E-mail facilities.  Before searching for jobs you should prioritize the jobs.  Do not aim for only one job but at least aim for five jobs according to your qualification.  Do not always aim for full time jobs but also aim for part time job where you can learn more, get to know the people more and can get an experience of jobs.  Remember one thing “all jobs are noble.”

            Understanding the advertisements in the newspaper is a hard task, because the prospectus changes from company to company. Here are some tips: -

• Get to know the salary or the wages first and compare it with your monthly expenses.
• Get to know the increments, stipend, allowances, benefits and incentives.
• Get to know the responsibilities of the job, the qualifications needed and the rules and regulations of the company.
• Compare your qualification with the need qualification
• Have a special look at the advertisements that ask for experience.
• Always think about the future when you want to take a job.

Do not always aim for white collar job, always use the entry point and get promoted to good job.  In order to get promoted update your qualifications aiming always higher.  If you want to retain your job in the company, try to:

1. Put your heart and soul will full intellectual capacities into your work.
2. Try to get the hobs that give more incentives which will encourage you.
3. Always look out for the opportunities to grow do not stick to one portfolio through out your life.
4. The automatic promotion system is outdated, now search for promotion.
5. Keep in mind the allowances given to you by the company. 
6. Always keep a good rapport with the higher authorities as well as co-workers.
7. Don’t aim for salary but for job-satisfaction.

Note : If you like this page then you can take a print out and give it to your students.It will help them.[ If there is any mistakes correct it ]

Regards,

S.David,

CC/DB Tech,

Madurai,

Tamil Nadu.

A FACILITATORS CREED - DAVID.S

A   FACILITATOR’S   CREED

I believe that teaching is more than a job - more than a profession It is a VOCATION.

I believe that my vocation as a Facilitator is of supreme importance in the training of the human soul for an eternal destiny.

I believe that on God’s part there is nothing, accidental in the case of each student who enters my classroom.

I believe that without daily prayer for patience, strength and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I cannot hope to fulfill my high calling.

I believe that a Facilitator must love youth and believe in the essential integrity and sincerity of youth.

I believe that Faciliing is more than instruction - it is also guidance and friendship.

I believe that the person taught is of vastly more importance than the subject taught.

I believe  that  I should be guilty of a grave injustice were I to discriminate against a student because of race , colour or creed.

I believe that I own the same professional interest towards students of all intellectual levels.

I believe that if I reproach a students for lack of intelligence, I shall be reproaching the Creator who so endowed him.

I believe that favoritism in the classroom can never be tolerated or condoned.

I believe that justice to myself as a teacher and to my student demands that I make adequate preparation for every class.

I believe that tangible proofs of gratitude from students should never be expected. A teacher’s rewards are all in the future.

I believe that youth is extremely sensitive and can be deeply wounded by public posting of gratitude  or other indiscriminate comparisons.

I believe that firmness and patience are the most effective weapons against the misconduuct or insolence of youth.

I believe that no injury on the part of a student is beyond the forgiveness of the Facilitator.

I believe that loyalty to my school , to my students , and to my fellow teacher forbids the publishing of their shortcomings except to competent authority.

I believe that appreciation and encouragement of my students and fellow Facilitators will do wonders for their morale as well as my own.

I believe that I should never cease to increases in the knowledge of my subject , and to improve  in my teaching techniques.

I believe that my students shall pass through my classes but once. If there is  anything therefor, that I can do to help them live useful lives , let me not delay  it nor neglect it . . . for they shall not pass my way again.....

I BELIEVE EVERYONE WILL READ THIS........

Regards,

S.David,

CC/DB Tech,

Madurai,

Tamil Nadu.

Understanding how your learners learn, is your success !

 VARK Theory

Probably the easiest to understand and implement in your training programme. This theory is based on the FOUR main learning preferences your learners will have.

VISUAL - learners who would like to see it on the whiteboard, flip charts, walls, graphics, pictures, colour. They are probably your creative students, love using different colours in their workbooks, want to make their pages look pretty etc

AUDITORY - learners who would like to sit back and listen. They don't make a lot of notes

READ/WRITE - learners who need to read the information for themselves and they take a lot of notes

KINESTHETIC - learners who can not sit still for long, like to fiddle with things.They like to be actively involved in their learning.

It is important that you understand your own learning preference as you will be delivering in that preference as well. Click here to find a VARK questionnaire and more info on VARK. If your preferred learning style is visual, you will deliver in a very visual way as that suits you, but does it suit your learners? When planning your session, check that your delivery techniques have covered all of the above preferences otherwise some students are missing out on learning opportunities.

Please note that the VARK model is also known as VAK however many educators prefer to have the R added to the model.

In the Revision section the need for repetition has been explained. On average you will need to repeat information that you want learners to retain at least 6 times. So if you cover all of the above learning preferences you automatically cover the same material 4 times already.

Now have a look at your preferred learning preference and the way you deliver as a facilitator

As a VISUAL Learner  I  prefer	As a AUDITORY Learner, I prefer
to use colourful posters and illustrations to use an OHP or PowerPoint to use the Internet to use video/DVD/Television to use graphics, diagrams, pictures to use a range of different colour pens students to produce posters/brochures Don't like using workbooks or organise any practical experiencing by the students as it is all nicely displayed around the room.	to use my voice to explain things to use a lot of group discussion to use role play activities to tell stories and jokes to use music in the training room to have learners do presentations verbal revision Why organise a lot of paper work as it is just as easy to discuss every thing with the students.
As a READ/WRITE Learner, I prefer	As a KINESTHETIC Learner, I prefer
to read from workbooks to provide handouts to give written activities to do to write important words on whiteboard to have closed book tests written tests/exams/quizzes All the information is in the book, so no need to arrange extra activities or create diagrams etc.	students to experience for themselves to use stories and metaphors to make students do all the work the spend little time behind the desk to use up beat music in the room to demonstrate open book tests Why spend type reading and writing while students learn so much more by experiencing.

Hopefully, you have identified yourself.  Now of course it is possible that you are strong in more than ONE learning preference. This is called Multi Modal and your students can be multi modal as well.

But now imagine that you have a very strong Kinesthetic preference and your class preference is 80% Read/Write. How do you think you feel if none of the students like to get involved in your practical delivery? You probably call the students boring while the students dislike coming to your class because they have to do all these activities, while all they want to do is read the book and write an essay!I

f you have done the VARK test today, I encourage you to do it again in 6 months time. Most trainers preferences seem to shift as they learn to appreciate the other learning preferences, especially if you were very strong in just one, you will find as you start getting better at incorporating all 4 that you become more Multi Modal. What ever you are, be assured there is no good or bad preference. It is an awareness that will help you with your delivery and ultimately your classroom management.

Training room application

For the VISUAL Learners , I need to	For the AUDITORY Learners , I need to
use lots of colour provide interactive handouts draw diagrams, pictures, flow charts ask students to create posters and charts use visual aids like DVD, OHP use photographs etc for illustration use mind maps	explain everything verbally provide class discussion time organise group discussions provide group work activities do group presentations Think-Pair-Share brainstorm with groups read from the workbook
For the READ/WRITE Learners, I need to	For the KINESTHETIC Learners, I need to
allow students to read from the book use the whiteboard a lot use written case studies ask students to write journals/essays do written quizzes do written revision make written logical lists	provide role play activities use three dimensional models have fiddly toys on tables have "get of your seat" activities use up-beat music during activities have learners prepare presentations

From the above table you will find that one activity could cater for different learners at the same time. The small group activity could be: read page 10-20, create a poster summarising the contents and present to the class.

• Visual - create the poster- they probably do all the creative stuff, and want to use lots of colour
• Auditory - need to listen as ideas are put forward as to what to put on the poster. Will listen to the presentation
• Read/Write - will actually read the pages and feedback to the rest of the group. Will want to do the writing on the poster
• Kinesthetic - will put the presentation together and want to make it fun

Sumit Tripathi

Trainer

ACF-SEDI

Jaitaran ( Raj )