When time for a training is very limited, there are many quick learning activities that are very participant-centered.
We’ll look at the visual and physical categories in this Tip. We discussed activities in the written and verbal categories in Part One.
Visual Activities:
Video Simulation– Trainers can show pictures that simulate on-site situations on Power Point slides and ask the learners to analyze what they see and report out.
Demonstration– With live demonstrations, either the trainer or participant volunteers can show the steps in a process. Demonstrations can also be on video, giving the learners an opportunity to see what to do or not do in given situations.
Physical Activities:
Pop Ups– The trainer poses a question and learners who have an answer stand up to respond. Pop ups get learners out of their seats and let them articulate what they have learned.
Relay Race– The trainer divides the group into teams of a manageable size (8-10 people). The teams race against each other to list content items or fill in the blanks on flip charts. Relay races take very little time to set up and facilitate, and they invigorate the learners.
Signaling– Learners indicate by a show of hands or thumbs up or down whether they agree or disagree with a statement. Learners indicate by the fingers of one hand their degree of satisfaction with the training content. Signaling adds a physical aspect to the learning experience.
Koosh Toss– The Koosh ball (or some other soft object) indicates which learner has the floor to speak on a topic or report out key learning. It helps to have the learners stand and then, after they have received the Koosh ball, spoken and tossed it to someone else, they sit down. The Koosh Toss gets participants out of their chairs.
These are just a few of the many quick and easy ways to incorporate participatory activities into lectures or presentations. The important point to keep in mind is that both trainers and learners benefit from participatory activities. Trainers benefit because they get real-time feedback about what the participants learned. Learners benefit because they are more engaged and, therefore, more likely to learn and retain what they learned.
Question: What other quick visual or physical learning activities do you use to check learner comprehension?
May your learning be sweet.
Deborah
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