Training & Assessment Professional Development

As educators we want our student to get the most from the our sessions and when we understand the Adult Learning Principles we can be more conscious about planning our session to include this and encourage others to share. It doesn't matter whether you are delivering face to face or via ZOOM you can ensure their is a high level of interaction and story telling into your session.

In this Podcast I give some personal examples and how this has been beneficial and also explain Malcolm Knowles theory on the 6 Principles. See below for his example from the internet.

Malcolm Knowles defined the term andragogy in the 1970s as ‘the art and science of helping adults learn.’

Knowles identified the six principles of adult learning:

1. Adults are internally motivated and self-directed

Adult learners make choices relevant to their learning objectives. They also direct their learning goals with the guidance of their mentors. Students need to be given the freedom to assume responsibility for their own choices.

2. Adults bring life experiences and knowledge to learning experiences

Educators encourage learners to connect past experiences with current knowledge and activities. Educators must know how to relate the sum of the learners experience to the current learning experiences.

3. Adults are goal oriented

Adult learners aim to acquire relevant and adequate knowledge and for this reason intended learning outcomes should be clearly identified. Once the learning goals have been identified, educators must align the learning activities such that these objectives are fulfilled within a certain period of time.

4. Adults are relevancy oriented

Adult learners benefit by relating the assigned tasks to their own learning goals. If it is clear that the activities they are engaged into, directly contribute to achieving their personal learning objectives, then they will be inspired and motivated to engage in projects and successfully complete them.

5. Adults are practical

It is very important for educators to identify appropriate ways and convert theoretical learning to practical activities. Work placement is a way for students to apply the theoretical concepts learned inside the classroom into real-life situations. Learning is assisted when appropriate ways of implementing theoretical knowledge in real life situations is made clear.

6. Adult learners like to be respected

Adult learners thrive in collaborative relationships with their educators. Learners become more productive when they’re considered by their instructors as colleagues. When their contributions are acknowledged, then they are willing to put out their best work.

Multi-tasking - I used to be so proud to say I am an excellent multi-tasker but the truth is that's not really an achievement. I would pride myself on being able to do multiple things and i would constantly allow myself to be interrupted thinking I can just go back to what I was doing after I help this person and that person.

Its actually a problem I needed to overcome to be able to be more productive and do things better. I found that I worked at such a high capacity really not getting where I needed to go and pay attention to what was The One Thing that was most important.

As a recovering multi-tasker I am now having to consciously think about what I am doing and remove distractions so i can get whats important completed and let go. I have always been under the impression that it takes 21 days to create a new habit but guess what in the book The One Thing they actually have scientific evidence that is takes 66 days.

Change is inevitable in every organisation and with the current climate we are transitioning through change and moving back to the workplace, working from home and we have to do day to day life differently.

Not every one copes with change the same and as leaders we can help our team cope with change better if we understand how they feel about change. Looking at peoples values and how comfortable with change we can start to ask really key questions to see how people feel about change, understand what the change is and how the change will occur.

Looking at the 6 human needs concept from Anthony Robbins we can identify what out team needs in respect to this information about the change. Certainty, Uncertainty Variety, Significance, Love/Connection, Growth & Contribution.  When we understand that someone who values certainty needs to know the what, how, & when for example before they can get on board with the change.

I hope you get some great ideas that you can implement into your team to support others through change.

"We were born to be real not perfect"


A life without authentic conversations is like a life without bearing your soul.

As an educator I am always thinking about language and how we can lift people with our language, or how we can contribute to other peoples lives in a genuine way. One of the ways in which we can do this is through authentic conversations. An authentic conversation is one that comes from the heart and not so much the head. These conversations have a place in all realms of our life, business, personal, networking, even with a stranger. Authentic conversations are easy to have we just need to allow ourselves to not think from a fear based perspective (what will they think? how will they react). 

What is an authentic conversation?

An authentic conversation is never a negative conversation it is a true conversation even with a tough subject. If you have to provide feedback to a staff member, if you have to tell a loved one you are feeling hurt, or even when you have to say no to someone. I personally have a life where I say what I need to say for the greater good. I tell my partner i’m disappointed that he didn’t talk to me about something that we should be talking about in our relationship. More importantly when you have an authentic conversation and say what you really need to say then you can let it go, you don’t need to hold onto negativity or allow thoughts to distract you from enjoying life. 

Authentic conversations in the workplace.

This can be more challenging because you have so many personalities to negotiate with. However an authentic conversation is using your personal power even when the team dynamics are challenging.

Authentic conversations need to be developed in a team where people do not need to feel threatened because they are being truthful (I don’t think this is a good idea because…….., can we look at this idea and see if it has any possibilities?) 

How to have an authentic conversation.

Authentic conversations are easier to have than you may think. Its about knowing what you want to say without ego or anger. Its about knowing how you feel about the situation or the emotion you may be experiencing. Its not about being right and its not about making someone else feel bad.

It is about being real and discussing things that need to be discussed. Communication is one of the most powerful and useful tools we have. We also have the choice to communicate even if people don’t want to listen we have the freedom to speak (we are not always heard). 

Scenario:

Bill I really need to talk to you about something, is now a good time? Today when you raised your voice at Mary I felt it was inappropriate and I would like to know if you think their is a better way to approach a situation like this in the future. Can you tell me what was going on for you? How do you think Mary may have felt? 

When you are having an authentic conversation with someone it is important to take the time to ask good questions but also wait for the person to think about what you have asked. An authentic conversation is generated by speaking the truth, asking good questions and really listening.

Take a few minutes and ask yourself, when was the last time I had an authentic conversation?

Authentic conversations start with yourself, being real with your internal dialog and then having genuine conversations with others. Asking questions of yourself. Could I have responded better, did i tell the truth in that situation or was I avoiding a reaction?

If you haven't found your passion yet then I can wait to share some insights with you and maybe help you find yours.

I have had many discussions over the years where people ask me how did I know what my purpose was, where did this come from, and how will I know what mine is?
Its actually difficult to explain as I am not sure how it occurred, I just knew what I was supposed to do and this has continued at different stages of my life. Maybe I am just lucky, or maybe I listed to what my internal direction is telling me, I have a strong intuition and i love to go after things that light me up. 

One thing I do know is your purpose changes at time your life takes on a new direction. We go through many stages in life and depending on what that is for you at the time your purpose many change.

Understanding the key aspects of the Dimensions of Competence can greatly enhance your ability to get to the assessment stage more confidently and have a greater understanding of the skills gaps that your participants have at the current stage they are at.

Dimensions of Competence include:

~ Task Skills
Thinking about how the candidate must perform the individual skills that are required to complete the work activities to the required standards which includes the workplace/industry and unit of competency.

~Task management skills
The candidates ability to manage a number of tasks to complete a whole work activity, for example being able to meet deadlines and to the required standard.

~Contingency management skills
The candidates ability to develop and use problem solving skills when general or more complex problems arise in the workplace

~Job/role and environment skills
The candidates ability to perform effectively when undertaking tasks and dealing with various stakeholders whilst understanding and following workplace policies and procedures

~Transfer of Skills 
demonstrating the candidates ability to transfer skills and knowledge learned into different contexts.The importance of the transfer of skills is vital to the development of your candidate to obtain ultimate competence.  

Assessments that don’t explore these are NOT valid Assessments.

How you support your students online is vital to their progress and ultimately their success. In this podcast I talk about One on One support and group support, the overall benefits and how this can provide your students with the connection they need especially when they are isolated and need to bounce ideas, ask questions and have their thoughts validated.

The importance of identifying your ethical boundaries and know what support services are available that your students may need to reach out to. Centrelink for financial Support, Counseling service for emotional support and other support services that may be needed in these times. 

Identifying what your students need for the best support and identify the barriers to them making progress, this is done through specific questions that I outlined in the episode.

I hope you enjoy.

These are truly uncertain times but you have an opportunity to be able to support your clients through this turmoil. Use this time to learn and grow in new ways that will enhance everyone's experience.

When you utilise technology your clients can be more supported than ever before. In this podcast I talk about what platforms you can use and how you can bring your clients together and keep them supported and progressing. Zoom, Skype, Dropbox, Facebook Groups and the list goes on.

If you have classes cancelled then now is the time to think about your plan B, now is a great time to learn new ways and keep your students/clients motivated, supported and even excited.  
If you don't know how to use some of these platforms then get excited because if I can use them so can you.

Understanding what Emotional Intelligence is and how we can develop and apply these skills to have greater awareness for ourselves personally is really exciting. Knowing how to develop a much deeper connection with our Clients, Family and in a social context facilitates you to start to communicate in a more succinct way.

In this episode I take you through how you can develop your own emotional intelligence and really see the benefits of a practical application in your day to day life. Then watch the magic happen as this changes every aspect of your life including your career.

Growth is an important part of life and to be able to connect with those at a fundamentally deeper level the skills are without a doubt skills for life.

As a trainer it is vital to participate in continued professional development, its a challenge to work and train and always be on top of legislation or industry changes. 
In this episode I am speaking with Susan Bennett from Total WHS Solutions about how she stays current in her industry and how she selects the appropriate professional development courses for her needs.