During a Method of Instruction course that I have conducted recently, a number of participants had asked me for the approaches and ways to keep their trainees awake and attentive in the classes they conducted.
I am aware that we do not usually conduct pure form facilitation in Singapore. The more popular facilitated training, which juxtaposes the art and science of facilitation into the training process, is more popular. Trainees tend to be more interactive in class as they experience an assortment of techniques that lead them to learn in different ways.
There are several approaches facilitative trainers use to maintain the level of attention amongst trainees. The one that I am most comfortable with is the EAD approach.
Usually, I will divide the whole training programme into modules and I go on to sub-divide each module into three sections. These are:
Expound – Here, the background, definitions, concepts and principles of an idea is presented and explained
Activity – An activity or exercise is introduced to help trainees obtain a deeper appreciation of the presented idea.
Debrief – At the end of the activity, trainees are encouraged to engage in an interaction to share with each other the experiences and insights they gained from the activity, and the lessons, which are relevant to the idea, they learnt. This also serves as a way to conclude the module and creates the opener for the next module.
When the EAD approach is applied in class, trainees are unlikely to ‘switch off’ too long because they are engaged in various forms of activity that force them to stay active at various points of the training course.
I like to share with you six types of activity or exercise that you could use to achieve this objective:
Personal Bingo
Prepare the bingo card in advance of the training course and duplicate the card for all the trainees. Instruct the trainees to mingle to identify the person who knows or owns the item described in each square.Once this person is identified, he is invited to sign off in the corresponding square. Keep moving among the trainees until all squares are filled.
Rule: First person who fills all the squares with signatures wins a prize.
Usually, I will reproduce key words to be covered or already covered in the module in the squares. I could find out the amount of knowledge out there prior to covering the module or to uncover the level of understanding of the module just covered.
Putting the Puzzle Together
Electronically cut and paste a picture on paper. Stretch it to fit a A4 size paper. Print and cut it up into smaller triangles. Place these cut outs into an envelope.
Many copies of the puzzle could be produced. Trainees, either individually or in groups, piece these puzzles together.
Rule: First person or group which completes the puzzle wins a prize.
Normally, I will extract an important page from my Powerpoint slide and cut it up to create the puzzle. You need not have to introduce the same page to all the trainees. I prefer to use several pages to give the activity its variations. I use this activity to promote recall and sharing or to prepare trainees for the next module.
I Answer You Mark
To carry out this activity, the facilitative trainer needs to develop an answer sheet that allows the trainees to record their answers to a question posed by the trainer. Trainees are to exchange and mark each other’s answer sheet.
In the above diagram, each trainee is asked to colour the section of the feet that represent a certain organ in the body. After completing the exercise, he is to exchange his answer sheet with someone else and mark it for accuracy.
Rule: The person who get all the answers right wins a prize.
Periodically, I will use this activity to introduce a module. This way, the awareness of not knowing promotes learning amongst the trainees for the concepts and principles to be covered in the module.
I Hide and You Seek
For this activity to work, preparations need to be carried out before the start of the programme on the day of the course.
Because we want to hide the items in the training venue, no trainees should be around in the training venue when we do the hiding. Things could be hidden under the table or chair. We want the trainees to find these items. So, we should not make them too difficult to find. At a certain point of time, the trainees are invited to locate these hidden items.
Rule: The last person to find the hidden item has to complete a forfeit.
I usually design an activity for a module to be taught just after the lunch break. This is a more productive way to keep the heart pumping than stretching. I will hide questions written on small slips of paper that request trainees who had retrieved them to complete some tasks that are relevant to the modules covered before lunch. This is good way to encourage recall. I use this to restart the thinking engine for modules that are broken up into two parts because of the lunch break in between.
Stand by Stations
Stand by Stations is an activity that makes trainees stand in groups by the flip chart that mark the location of the station.
Behind the ‘Station Cover Sheet’ (‘Station Four’ in the example on the right), the Facilitative Trainer places the question he wants the trainees to discuss and work on as a group. Space should be provided on this flip chart so that the trainees can record their ideas on this paper.
Rule: The groups are given a certain amount of time to complete the activity. The last group to complete is to present their ideas first.
This is a good alternative to letting the group complete the activity at their table. Trainees are forced to stand up when they interact with each other. I normally use this activity to promote debate in class over the pros and cons of using a particular concept or principle already covered in the module.
Anagram to Success
An anagram is a pair of words, phrases or sentences that are spelled with the same set of letters. For example, the following two words are spelled with the same letters: "tan" and "ant." Much more complicated anagrams are possible, and the most interesting are when the two are relevant to each other.
You need not have to crack your brain coming up with the anagrams. There are anagram finders in the Internet and I regularly use http://wordsmith.org/anagram/ to look for my anagrams. Do attempt to give clues for solving the more complicated anagrams. You could provide the first and second character for each word in the anagram.
Rule: The person who get all the answers right wins a prize.
I would use key terms, jargons, phrases, and paired words used in the module to create the anagrams. However, instead of asking trainees to create the anagram for ‘Self-Esteem’ for a motivation training course I conduct for them, I would prefer to give the trainees ‘Sets Me Feel’ and have them work out its anagram as ‘Self-Esteem’. This way, I get them to think about the words covered in the module. I usually do not present all the anagrams on a sheet of paper to the trainees. I usually introduce one anagram at a time on Powerpoint slides and they are used as opener to a module or to finish it off.
Electronically cut and paste a picture on paper. Stretch it to fit a A4 size paper. Print and cut it up into smaller triangles. Place these cut outs into an envelope.Many copies of the puzzle could be produced. Trainees, either individually or in groups, piece these puzzles together.
Rule: First person or group which completes the puzzle wins a prize.
Normally, I will extract an important page from my Powerpoint slide and cut it up to create the puzzle. You need not have to introduce the same page to all the trainees. I prefer to use several pages to give the activity its variations. I use this activity to promote recall and sharing or to prepare trainees for the next module.
I Answer You Mark
To carry out this activity, the facilitative trainer needs to develop an answer sheet that allows the trainees to record their answers to a question posed by the trainer. Trainees are to exchange and mark each other’s answer sheet.
In the above diagram, each trainee is asked to colour the section of the feet that represent a certain organ in the body. After completing the exercise, he is to exchange his answer sheet with someone else and mark it for accuracy.Rule: The person who get all the answers right wins a prize.
Periodically, I will use this activity to introduce a module. This way, the awareness of not knowing promotes learning amongst the trainees for the concepts and principles to be covered in the module.
I Hide and You Seek
For this activity to work, preparations need to be carried out before the start of the programme on the day of the course.Because we want to hide the items in the training venue, no trainees should be around in the training venue when we do the hiding. Things could be hidden under the table or chair. We want the trainees to find these items. So, we should not make them too difficult to find. At a certain point of time, the trainees are invited to locate these hidden items.
Rule: The last person to find the hidden item has to complete a forfeit.
I usually design an activity for a module to be taught just after the lunch break. This is a more productive way to keep the heart pumping than stretching. I will hide questions written on small slips of paper that request trainees who had retrieved them to complete some tasks that are relevant to the modules covered before lunch. This is good way to encourage recall. I use this to restart the thinking engine for modules that are broken up into two parts because of the lunch break in between.
Stand by Stations
Stand by Stations is an activity that makes trainees stand in groups by the flip chart that mark the location of the station.Behind the ‘Station Cover Sheet’ (‘Station Four’ in the example on the right), the Facilitative Trainer places the question he wants the trainees to discuss and work on as a group. Space should be provided on this flip chart so that the trainees can record their ideas on this paper.
Rule: The groups are given a certain amount of time to complete the activity. The last group to complete is to present their ideas first.
This is a good alternative to letting the group complete the activity at their table. Trainees are forced to stand up when they interact with each other. I normally use this activity to promote debate in class over the pros and cons of using a particular concept or principle already covered in the module.
Anagram to Success An anagram is a pair of words, phrases or sentences that are spelled with the same set of letters. For example, the following two words are spelled with the same letters: "tan" and "ant." Much more complicated anagrams are possible, and the most interesting are when the two are relevant to each other.
You need not have to crack your brain coming up with the anagrams. There are anagram finders in the Internet and I regularly use http://wordsmith.org/anagram/ to look for my anagrams. Do attempt to give clues for solving the more complicated anagrams. You could provide the first and second character for each word in the anagram.
Rule: The person who get all the answers right wins a prize.
I would use key terms, jargons, phrases, and paired words used in the module to create the anagrams. However, instead of asking trainees to create the anagram for ‘Self-Esteem’ for a motivation training course I conduct for them, I would prefer to give the trainees ‘Sets Me Feel’ and have them work out its anagram as ‘Self-Esteem’. This way, I get them to think about the words covered in the module. I usually do not present all the anagrams on a sheet of paper to the trainees. I usually introduce one anagram at a time on Powerpoint slides and they are used as opener to a module or to finish it off.
Sticky Thoughts
I learnt this energiser from Ms Agnes Chong, a colleague of mine, and she is gracious enough to agree to allow me to share this with everyone here.
To make this activity work for you, you need, in advance, to get some coloured stickers and A4 size plastic sheets for the participants. Have these distributed to them just before the activity. Next, instruct them to tape a plastic sheet behind their backs. Get their buddies to help them. Then, ask each participant to write
on a coloured sticker what he or she knows about him or herself and put it one side. Encourage them to write something that is really positive. Finally, direct the participants to use the rest of the coloured stickers to write something positive about the rest of the participants in the class. When they have completed, encourage them to stick the completed stickers on the back of each participant.
Rule: Participants could share what they have uncovered which are unknown to them.
This is a good way to feel affilitated and related with the rest of the class as well as to know more about oneself, especially aspects of oneself that are known to others but unknown to him or her. This activity is best conducted with participants who are familar with each other or who have already established a rapport with each other during the duration of the training programme.
Do give these a try at your workshops.
Of course, the ultimate solution to the attention problem could only be found at the source.
That is to encourage your trainees to have a good night rest before attending the training course the next day.
Of course, the ultimate solution to the attention problem could only be found at the source.
That is to encourage your trainees to have a good night rest before attending the training course the next day.
This article was written by Anthony Mok on 13 Nov 2008 and 8 May 2009.
Copyright 2008 & 2009. Anthony Mok. All Rights Reserved.
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