Homily on St. Joseph - Fr. Roger Landry of Fall River, Mass.

How do the best teachers prepare to teach?

How do the best teachers prepare to teach?

Taken from "What the Best College Teachers Do" by Ken Bain

1. What big questions will my course help students answer, or what skills, abilities, or qualities will it help them develop, and how will I encourage my students' interest in these questions and abilities?

2. What reasoning abilities must students have or develop to answer the questions that the course raises?

3. What mental models are students likely to bring with them that I will want them to challenge? How can I help them construct that intellectual challenge?

4. What information will my students need to understand in order to answer the important questions of the course and challenge their assumptions? How will they best obtain that information?

5. How will I help students who have difficulty understanding the questions and using evidence and reason to answer them?

6. How will I confront my students with conflicting problems (maybe even conflicting claims about the truth) and encourage them to grapple (perhaps collaboratively) with the issues?

7. How will I find out what they know already and what they expect from the course, and how ill I reconcile any differences between my expectations and theirs?

8. How will I help students learn to learn, to examine and assess their own learning and thinking, and to read more effectively, analytically, and actively?

9. How will I find out how students are learning before assessing them, and how will I provide feedback before--and separate from--any assessment of them?

10. How will I communicate with students in a way that will keep them thinking?

11. How will I spell out the intellectual and professional standards I will be using in assessing students' work, and why do I use those standards? How will I help students learn to assess their own work using those standards?

12. How will the students and I best understand the nature, progress, and quality of their learning?

13. How will I create a natural critical learning environment in which I embed the skills and information I wish to teach in assignments (questions and tasks) that students will find fascinating--authentic tasks that will arouse curiosity, challenge students to rethink their assumptions and examine their mental models of reality? How will I create a safe environment in which students can try, fail, receive feedback, and try again?

http://www.amazon.ca/What-Best-College-Teachers-Do/dp/0674013255

What do great teachers know about how we learn?

What do great teachers know about how we learn?

Take from "What the Best College Teachers Do" by Ken Bain

1. Knowledge is constructed, not received

2. Mental models change slowly

a. learners must face a situation in which their mental model will not work

b. learners must care that their mental model does not work strongly enough to stop and grapple with the issue at hand

c. learners must be able to handle the emotional trauma that sometimes accompanies challenges to longstanding beliefs

3. Questions are crucial: Teachers define the questions the course will help them answer

4. Caring is crucial: A caring teacher motivates

http://www.amazon.ca/What-Best-College-Teachers-Do/dp/0674013255

Decisive Quotes from Pope Francis - March 21, 2013 to March 28, 2013

Pope Francis - Decisive Quotes - March 21, 2013 to March 28, 2013
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March 28, 2013 (Mass of the Lord's Supper)

It is the Lord’s example: he is the most important, and he washes feet, because with us what is highest must be at the service of others. This is a symbol, it is a sign, right? Washing feet means: “I am at your service”. And with us too, don’t we have to wash each other’s feet day after day? But what does this mean? That all of us must help one another. Sometimes I am angry with someone or other … but… let it go, let it go, and if he or she asks you a favour, do it.

Help one another: this is what Jesus teaches us and this what I am doing, and doing with all my heart, because it is my duty.

As a priest and a bishop, I must be at your service. But it is a duty which comes from my heart: I love it. I love this and I love to do it because that is what the Lord has taught me to do. But you too, help one another: help one another always. One another. In this way, by helping one another, we will do some good.
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/homilies/2013/documents/papa-francesco_20130328_coena-domini_en.html
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March 28, 2013 (Chrism Mass)

 What I want to emphasize is that we need constantly to stir up God’s grace and perceive in every request, even those requests that are inconvenient and at times purely material or downright banal – but only apparently so – the desire of our people to be anointed with fragrant oil, since they know that we have it.

We need to “go out”, then, in order to experience our own anointing, its power and its redemptive efficacy: to the “outskirts” where there is suffering, bloodshed, blindness that longs for sight, and prisoners in thrall to many evil masters. It is not in soul-searching or constant introspection that we encounter the Lord: self-help courses can be useful in life, but to live our priestly life going from one course to another, from one method to another, leads us to become pelagians and to minimize the power of grace, which comes alive and flourishes to the extent that we, in faith, go out and give ourselves and the Gospel to others, giving what little ointment we have to those who have nothing, nothing at all.

Dear lay faithful, be close to your priests with affection and with your prayers, that they may always be shepherds according to God’s heart.

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/homilies/2013/documents/papa-francesco_20130328_messa-crismale_en.html

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March 27, 2013

We should not simply remain in our own secure world, that of the ninety-nine sheep who never strayed from the fold, but we should go out, with Christ, in search of the one lost sheep, however far it may have wandered.

Holy Week is not so much a time of sorrow, but rather a time to enter into Christ’s way of thinking and acting. It is a time of grace given us by the Lord so that we can move beyond a dull or mechanical way of living our faith, and instead open the doors of our hearts, our lives, our parishes, our movements or associations, going out in search of others so as to bring them the light and the joy of our faith in Christ.

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/audiences/2013/documents/papa-francesco_20130327_udienza-generale_en.html
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March 24, 2013 (Palm Sunday)

And here the first word that I wish to say to you: joy! Do not be men and women of sadness: a Christian can never be sad! Never give way to discouragement!

Ours is not a joy born of having many possessions, but from having encountered a Person: Jesus, in our midst; it is born from knowing that with him we are never alone, even at difficult moments, even when our life’s journey comes up against problems and obstacles that seem insurmountable, and there are so many of them! And in this moment the enemy, the devil, comes, often disguised as an angel, and slyly speaks his word to us. Do not listen to him! Let us follow Jesus!

We accompany, we follow Jesus, but above all we know that he accompanies us and carries us on his shoulders. This is our joy, this is the hope that we must bring to this world. Please do not let yourselves be robbed of hope! Do not let hope be stolen! The hope that Jesus gives us.

Let us look around: how many wounds are inflicted upon humanity by evil! Wars, violence, economic conflicts that hit the weakest, greed for money that you can’t take with you and have to leave. When we were small, our grandmother used to say: a shroud has no pocket. Love of power, corruption, divisions, crimes against human life and against creation! And – as each one of us knows and is aware - our personal sins: our failures in love and respect towards God, towards our neighbour and towards the whole of creation. Jesus on the Cross feels the whole weight of the evil, and with the force of God’s love he conquers it, he defeats it with his resurrection. This is the good that Jesus does for us on the throne of the Cross. Christ’s Cross embraced with love never leads to sadness, but to joy, to the joy of having been saved and of doing a little of what he did on the day of his death.

You (young people) have an important part in the celebration of faith!

Prepare well – prepare spiritually above all – in your communities, so that our gathering in Rio may be a sign of faith for the whole world. Young people must say to the world: to follow Christ is good; to go with Christ is good; the message of Christ is good; emerging from ourselves, to the ends of the earth and of existence, to take Jesus there, is good! Three points, then: joy, Cross, young people.
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/homilies/2013/documents/papa-francesco_20130324_palme_en.html
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March 22, 2013

That, indeed, is what matters to the Holy See: the good of every person upon this earth!

Francis of Assisi tells us we should work to build peace. But there is no true peace without truth! There cannot be true peace if everyone is his own criterion, if everyone can always claim exclusively his own rights, without at the same time caring for the good of others, of everyone, on the basis of the nature that unites every human being on this earth.

My wish is that the dialogue between us should help to build bridges connecting all people, in such a way that everyone can see in the other not an enemy, not a rival, but a brother or sister to be welcomed and embraced!

It is not possible to build bridges between people while forgetting God. But the converse is also true: it is not possible to establish true links with God, while ignoring other people. Hence it is important to intensify dialogue among the various religions, and I am thinking particularly of dialogue with Islam.

And it is also important to intensify outreach to non-believers, so that the differences which divide and hurt us may never prevail, but rather the desire to build true links of friendship between all peoples, despite their diversity.

Fighting poverty, both material and spiritual, building peace and constructing bridges: these, as it were, are the reference points for a journey that I want to invite each of the countries here represented to take up.

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/speeches/2013/march/documents/papa-francesco_20130322_corpo-diplomatico_en.html

BOOK SUMMARY: The Charge: Activating the 10 Human Drives that Make You Feel Alive - Brendon Burchard

The Charge - Brendon Burchard

Activating the 10 Human Drives that Make You Feel Alive

BASELINE                                  FORWARD

HUMAN                                      HUMAN

DRIVES                                      DRIVES

1. Control......................-->   6. Charge

2. Competence..............-->    7. Challenge

3. Congruence...............-->    8. Creative Expression

4. Caring.......................-->    9. Contribution

5. Connection...............-->   10. Consciousness

The Baseline Drives

Not things we necessarily need to survive, but they are things we want to have.

1. CONTROL - To regulate and influence our overall life experience

          a. ACTIVATOR 1 = Control your outlook and character

                     i. Control what kind of information you let into your brain - Let good information in.

                    ii. Be an optimist

                   iii. Control the quality of person you will be on an everyday basis - intention is not

                         enough: actions must show character

          b. ACTIVATOR 2 = Control for "new"

                    i. 90 day mental getaway

                   ii. New dining events (new restaurant, eat with friends)

                   iii. What's happening in your area this weekend?

                   iv. Travel adventures

                    v. Expand your peer circle

                    vi. Develop new skills

          c. ACTIVATOR 3 = Control workflow

                     i. Be fully involved in two to five major projects from beginning to end

                    ii. STOP BEING DISTRACTED! Order your day toward accomplishing real work

                        tasks. Emails last.

Charge points:

1. If I were to live at a higher level of character and maintain a more positive outlook, I would have to begin _________________________________.

2. Two things I could schedule in my calendar right now to control for "new" and introduce novelty and challenge into my life are ____________________________________.

3. A project that I could get involved in or create immediately that would allow me to be more fully invested in my work and shepherd a project from beginning to end would be ________________.

2. COMPETENCE - The ability to understand, successfully perform in, and master our world

          a. ACTIVATOR 1 = Assess and direct your desire to learn

               i. See yourself using the new skill in the future and see it contributing to who you are

              ii. Learn for intrinsic value - Learn something you find personally meaningful

             iii. Learn something useful to you

             iv. Don't avoid learning because of some "imagined" opportunity cost that doesn't exist

             v. Don't avoid learning something because you are afraid of the time it will take for it to

                 payoff

            vi. Be in control of the outcome of learning something new. Do not let fear of failure stop

                you from beginning. Your hard work pays off!

           vii. Create meaningful relationships along the way; Make sure you are supported in your

                 efforts

          viii. Do not be afraid to over-extend yourself! Over-extension leads to growth!

            ix. Consciously evaluate the resources you would need to begin learning something new

             x. Make sure you are given the trust you need to begin learning

HOW have I been approaching new learning situations?

          b. ACTIVATOR 2 = Set a real challenge, plan for success, and get a coach!

               i. To grow in life, you need to focus on growth!

              ii. Are there any important areas of your life that you have not improved in a while?

             iii. Choose real, observable, time-bound challenges that will advance your life. YOU set

                  the challenge. PUSH yourself. Do it for no other reason than to grow.

                            ---. Be a planner

                            ---. Have someone to coach and encourage you through it

          c. ACTIVATOR 3 = Integrate successes into your identity

                 i. Take time to give yourself credit for what you have learned, even on a daily basis

Charge points:

1. One area I would have to develop more skill and competence in, if I am going to make my dream future come true is _____________________________________.

2. A 60 day speed-learning challenge I am going to give myself is _______________________.

3. One of the ways I am going start celebrating my wins and integrating my successes into my identity is to _________________________________.

3. CONGRUENCE - To live in consistent alignment with who we think we are, how we want others to perceive us, and who we want to become

          a. ACTIVATOR 1 = Set new standards for yourself. 

                 i. Be congruent for yourself and with others and consistently live those standards

                ii. Consciously describe who you want to be for yourself

                iii. Consciously describe who you want to be for others

                iv. Consistently live your vision

          b. ACTIVATOR 2 = Set your mood meter: Have emotional congruence with a positive 

                                         mood.

What mood do you want to have? Why?

                 i. Do physical movement (exercise) often

                ii. Play positive music or sounds

               iii. Pay attention to positive and shut out the negative stimuli

               iv. Surround yourself with positive people

                v. Be enthusiastic about the future

               vi. Start the day with positive expectation

               vii. Drink water all day long

               viii. Look for reasons to say thank you and complement others

                 ix. Have lunch with friends

                 x. Write in a journal each night

          c. ACTIVATOR 3 = Keep your word and follow through

                 i. Understand the depth of the impact of your words

                 ii. Follow through with your responsibilities and duties

                    (follow through with what you know you should be doing)

Charge Points:

1. To live my 6-word standards each day, the behaviours I would have to stop/start in my life, to be more congruent with them, are _________________________________.

2. Three things I could do every day to manage my mood, so I could have a greater day-to-day congruence in how I feel are __________________________.

3. Five commitments I am going to make and keep in the next 60 days are _______________.

4. CARING - To care for others

          a. ACTIVATOR 1 = Care for thyself

                  i. Drink a lot more water (6 L a day)

                 ii. Sleep more

                 iii. Smaller portions, more produce (one third of a plate)

                 iv. Exercise at least three times per week

                 v. Meditate (twice a day)

                 vi. Give yourself a little credit

                 vii. Engage your emotions more often

This is an aspect of congruence as well

          b. ACTIVATOR 2 = Be more vulnerable and allow others to care for you more

                   i. Let your guard down

                  ii. Be bold and open yourself to care from others

                 iii. What challenges or problems are you having in the areas of life? What are your

                     ambitions? Will you go it alone in these problems & dreams -- or will you ask for

                     help?

          c. ACTIVATOR 3 = Be more present, interested, and attentive to others

                   i. People need our presence, not our presents

                  ii. When someone talks about a personal experience, ask this question: "Wow! How

                      did you feel when that happened?"

Charge Points:

1. Five ways I am going to start taking better care of myself include _______________________.

2. If I were willing to be more vulnerable in life, I would probably start asking for more help in the area of ___________________________________.

3. Three ways I will start demonstrating more care for the people in my life are to _____________.

5. CONNECTION - To feel connected to others

          a. ACTIVATOR 1 = Define and design your ideal relationships

                i. Family

               ii. Friendship

               iii. Intimate relationship

               iv. Coworker relationship

          b. ACTIVATOR 2 = Practice positive projection

                i. Project positive traits onto others -- they will live up to them

               ii. See others in an overwhelmingly positive light (make excuses for others)

              iii. Stop seeing others as obstacles, but see them as teammates or "worthy opponents"

              iv. Give 5 times more praise than complaints or negativity

          c. ACTIVATOR 3 = Find and cultivate "growth friends"

               i. Choose how much time you give your friends

               ii. Choose how much you will develop the quality of such relationships

               iii. Make the choice to surround yourself with remarkable friends that will help lift you to

                   the level you know you should be at

               iv. Get real about the friends you will develop deeper relationships with

                             ---. Write down all the friends you've ever had

                             ---. Write a short description of 1. What about them you liked as friends;

                                   2. Why you are still or no longer friends with them.

                             ---. Categorize as 1. Old friends; 2. Maintenance friends; 3. Growth friends

                             ---. Share your true thoughts, feelings and ambitions in life

                             ---. You want growth friends? Model the friendship.

Charge Points:

1. Five things I could do immediately to create happier and deeper relationships in my life would be ____________________________________.

2. If I did a better job in positively projecting toward my spouse or significant other, I would start to give that person credit for these things ______________________________________.

3. The growth friends I have in my life, or will now try to cultivate include ___________________.

<><><><><><><><><><><><>

The Forward Drives

The ability to master the baseline drives dramatically affects our ability to activate our forward drives

These drives shake you up, are less comfortable to fully activate, but are more satisfying; they demand planning and demand more of yourself, acting more boldly than ever before

6. CHANGE - Intelligently and strategically manage (CONTROL) your desire for change

          a. ACTIVATOR 1 = Make change about the gains, not the losses

                i. People fear what change will bring because of

                          ---. expectation of loss

                          ---. expectation of the pain of the process of change

                          ---. expectation of bad outcome

               ii. Focus on gains

               iii. Focus on new challenges

               iv. Change the negative "what-if" statements to positive "what-if" statements

          b. ACTIVATOR 2 = Get clarity, think big, and be bold

                i. Defined, detailed vision for what you want to accomplish and have been

                   accomplishing

               ii. Think big and it will demand all the best in you. "SMART" goals are not good enough.

               iii. Chase a goal that is unthinkable for others; get up again and again

          c. ACTIVATOR 3 = Make real choices

                i. Make real choices in advance of setting out for change

               ii. Make clear and focused statements on what you want (this) and what you don't want

                  (that):

                               ---. I want this, not that

                               ---. Do more of this, no more of that

                               ---. When this happens, do that (hook new habits onto old ones)

                               ---. Always choose this, not that

                               ---. Do this now, then that

Charge Points:

1. A major change I have been holding back in my life, because of a major loss, process or outcome pain is _____________________________________.

2. A clear and bold new change I could make in my life would be to ____________________.

3. The "this-that" rules I could apply to this clear and bold new change would be ____________.

7. CHALLENGE - Challenge yourself!

          a. ACTIVATOR 1 = Choose more fulfilling challenges

5 aspects of fulfilling focuses

                 i. Demand singularity of focus

                ii. Stretch our efforts and capabilities

               iii. Ability to "score" your performance and progress

               iv. Allow for sense of completion

               v. Allow a sharing of experience and achievement

          b. ACTIVATOR 2 = Focus on the journey and don't fear rejection

Two enemies of challenge:

                  i. unmet expectations

                 ii. paralyzing fear of rejection

          c. ACTIVATOR 3 = Set monthly, 30-day challenges

                  i. Check in each Sunday and at the end of the month

                  ii. personal development challenges

                  iii. social challenges

                 iv. giving challenges

                 v. contribute to the world

                        ---. DO NOT avoid a challenge because you can't envision the solution!

                        ---. DO NOT address these problems alone!

Charge Points:

1. The next big and bold challenge I am going to take on in my life is to __________________.

2. If I stopped fearing rejection, a challenge I would have taken on earlier in my life would have been to _______________.

3. The 30-day challenges I could set for myself, over the next 12 months include ____________.

8. CREATIVE EXPRESSION - Creatively expressing something of your unique self

The new worker is the "creative" worker, the innovator

          a. ACTIVATOR 1 = Amplify creative expression in all areas of your life

                 i. Can you see your creative expression in all areas of your life? Relationships, the

                    home, at work?

          b. ACTIVATOR 2 = Study people and design

                 i. People watch

                 ii. Get into the arts

                 iii. Notice how things are designed

          c. ACTIVATOR 3 = Create more; share more

                  i. Actually create something

                 ii. Really creating something requires a long slog of hard work with knowledge

               

Charge Points

1. To show more of me and express myself more creatively, at home and at work, I will _______.

2. To be more inspired by people and design in my life, I could start ______________________.

3. The next thing I am going to physically create and share with the world would be ___________.

9. CONTRIBUTION - To give something that matters

Contribution is the source of meaning in our lives

Not all methods of contribution are created equal!

Giving of versus Giving to

          a. ACTIVATOR 1 = Give of yourself (and give yourself credit while you're at it!)

                   i. Give the best of yourself to everything you do and you will feel like                                       you are contributing

                   ii. Give all your energy, skill, effort, etc... and you will be giving of                                  yourself

                   iii. It is enough to give your best self in everything! Don't try to be                                   famous, just give yourself and let things happen.

                   iv. How have you contributed to the life of your family?

                   v. Recognize your impact!

          b. ACTIVATOR 2 = Give to deeply meaningful contribution experiences

                   i. You can give your time, energy, effort, resources, skills, connections,                                     attention, and love to others

                   ii. The world already recognizes this type of giving 

                   iii. Choose the right giving activity matters as much as choosing the right                        cause

                   iv. Choose novel, challenging, socially connected and personally                                               meaningful activity

FIVE CONTRIBUTION FULFILLMENT FACTORS

         1. Must have ability to leverage your strengths in some kind of creative activity & must be able to see your creative works come to fruition

         2. The most meaningful experiences almost always involves mentoring others

         3. Satisfying contribution experiences let us see the direct social impact of our efforts

         4. Don't choose the cause that you feel is most important

         5. "Fate funding": Giving to people whom "fate" has placed in front of us--giving to their causes

          c. ACTIVATOR 3 = Mentor, mentor, mentor!

                   i. You can make an impact, and get paid for it, through your knowledge!

                   ii. Man's main concern is not gain pleasure, or avoid pain, but rather, to                                    see a meaning in his life." Viktor Frankl

Charge Points:

1. I feel I contribute to the world around me by _________________________________.

2. A new, and deeply meaningful giving experience I'd like to create is _________________.

3. Someone who could use my mentoring is ______________________________________.

10. CONSCIOUSNESS – Did I live? Did I love? Did I matter?

-Consciousness = the human-bound capacity to be self-aware (human, psychological, in the body)

-Consciousness = non-human, cosmic/divine unifying energy or force (religious, spiritual, outside the body, transcendent)

We can achieve both.

          a. ACTIVATOR 1 = Focus your consciousness

                   i. Be conscious of your thoughts. Where shall I focus my thoughts now?

                   ii. Be conscious of your emotional and physical energy. How shall I feel                                    right now?

                   iii. Be conscious of your behaviour. Always full integrity with self and                                      deep respect for others!

                   iv. Be conscious of others. Know thyself, but know others too. Seek                                 insight into others’ lives.

                   v. Be conscious of your progress. What is your end? Am I moving                                    forward in life?

          b. ACTIVATOR 2 = Transcend consciousness

We seek a connection with a higher purpose, God, ask the existential questions, and to connect with something more than ourselves.

                   i. Be conscious of the present moment. We can sense a oneness right                               now! Am I fully present right now? How present am I on scale of 1 to 10? Be fully present with what is.

                   ii. Be at peace with your past and with what life is now.

                   iii. Be conscious of coincidence and intuition.

                   iv. Be conscious of love. What if love is the force holding the universe                                      together? Live this love. Give love, don’t wait for it, and don’t expect anything in return.

          c. ACTIVATOR 3 = Live in wonder.

                   i. Allow yourself to be amazed!

                   ii. We can steer our free will to create a sense of awe.

                   iii. Meet wondrous thoughts that come to you and wonder about them deeply

Charge Points:

1. If I were more aware and directive of my consciousness in life, my life would change in these ways: ___________________________________________________

2. To connect with a higher consciousness on a more regular basis, I could _____________________________________________________________________

3. The things that inspire my wonder about the world and my place in it include _____________________________________________________________________

CONCLUSION

          You cannot completely win. You cannot fully master any of the drives. The journey is what makes you “charged”. You can have the commitment it takes to activate these drives everyday more and more. Difficult does not mean “bad”. Challenges make us alive! The struggle is worth it.

www.thechargebook.com/resources

Give yourself permission to live fully expressed and live with more life. Challenge others to charge themselves as well.

The 11th Human Drive: THE DRIVE FOR CELEBRATION

We experience this when we go beyond ourselves and succeed at it, “out there” in the world. Be bold and ready yourself. You can live every day in celebration.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Charge-Activating-Human-Drives/dp/1451667531/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367649878&sr=8-1&keywords=the+charge

Expert Solutions to the 12 Most Common Training Delivery Problems of Novice Trainers - The Adult Learner - Knowles, Holton, Swanson

Expert Solutions to the 12 Most Common Training Delivery Problems of Novice Trainers - 

in "The Adult Learner" - Malcolm S. Knowles, Elwood F. Holton III, Richard A. Swanson

PROBLEM 1: FEAR

A. Be well prepared. Expert trainers have a detailed lesson plan, understand the material, and practice their presentation

B. Use icebreakers. Experts use icebreakers and begin with an activity that relaxes participants and gets them to talk and become involved.

C. Acknowledge the fear. Experts understand that fear is normal, confront what makes them afraid, and use positive self-talk or relaxation exercises prior to the presentation.

PROBLEM 2: CREDIBILITY

A. Don't apologize. Experts are honest about the subject matter and explain that they are neither experts nor conduits.

B. Have an attitude of an expert. Experts are well-prepared and well-organized. They listen, observe, and apply what they know to what the participants know.

C. Share personal background. Experts talk about their area of expertise and the variety of experiences they have had.

PROBLEM 3: PERSONAL EXPERIENCES

A. Report personal experiences. Experts tell their personal experiences, sometimes asking themselves probing questions to uncover them.

B. Report experiences of others. Experts collect personal stories and incidents from other people and/or have participants share their experiences.

C. Use analogies, movies, or famous people. Experts use familiar incidents or situations in order to relate to the subject.

PROBLEM 4: DIFFICULT LEARNERS

A. Confront problem learner. Experts use humour. They may also talk to the individual during a break to determine the problem or to ask the person to leave.

B. Circumvent dominating behaviour. Experts use non-verbal behaviour, such as breaking eye-contact or standing with their backs to the person and inviting others to participate.

C. Small groups for timid behaviour. Experts find that quiet people feel more comfortable talking in small groups or dyads. They structure exercises where a wide range of participation is encouraged.

PROBLEM 5: PARTICIPATION

A. Ask open-ended questions. Experts incorporate questions into the lesson plans and provide positive feedback when people do participate.

B. Plan small group activities. Experts use dyads, case studies, and role plays to allow people to feel comfortable, to reduce fears, and to increase participation.

C. Invite participation. Experts structure activities that allow people to share at an early time in the presentation.

PROBLEM 6: TIMING 

A. Plan well. Experts plan for too much material, and some parts of the material are expendable. They prioritize activities so that parts may be deleted, if necessary.

B. Practice, practice, practice. Experts practice the material many times so they know where they should be at 15-minute intervals. They make sure there's a clock in the training room.

PROBLEM 7: ADJUST INSTRUCTION

A. Know group needs. Experts determine the needs of the group at an early time in the training and structure activities and processes based on those needs.

B. Request feedback. Experts watch for signs of boredom and ask participants either during breaks or periodically during the session how they feel about the training.

C. Redesign during breaks. Experts find it helpful to have contingency plans and, if necessary, to redesign the program during a break. Redesigning during delivery is not advocated.

PROBLEM 8: QUESTIONS

Answering questions

A. Anticipate questions. Experts prepare by putting themselves in the participant's place and by writing out key questions learner's might have.

B. Paraphrase learner's questions. Experts repeat and paraphrase participants' questions to ensure that everyone has heard the questions and understands them.

C. "I don't know" is okay. Experts redirect questions they can't answer back to the group's expertise. They try to locate answers during breaks.

Asking questions

A. Ask concise questions. Questions are a great tool for experts. They ask concise, simple questions and provide enough time for participants to answer. 

PROBLEM 9: FEEDBACK

A. Solicit informal feedback. Experts ask participants, either during class or at the break, if the training is meeting their needs or expectations. They also watch for non-verbal cues.

B. Do summative evaluations. Experts have participants fill out forms at the conclusion of training to determine if the objectives and needs of the group were met.

PROBLEM 10: MEDIA, MATERIALS, FACILITIES

Media

A. Know equipment. Experts know how to fully operate every piece of equipment they use.

B. Have back-ups. Experts carry a survival kit of extra bulbs, extension cords, markers, tape, etc. They also bring the information they are presenting in another medium.

C. Enlist assistance. Experts are honest with the group if there is a breakdown and ask if anyone can be of assistance.

Materials

A. Be prepared. Experts have all material ready and placed at each participant's workplace or stacked for distribution.

Facilities

A. Visit facility beforehand. Experts visit a new facility ahead of time, if possible, to see the layout of the room and to get an idea of where things are located and how to set up.

B. Arrive early. Experts arrive at least one hour in advance to ensure enough time for setting up and handling problems.

PROBLEM 11: OPENINGS AND CLOSINGS

Openings

A. Develop an "openings file". Experts rely on the many sources for ice-breaker ideas. Through observation and experimentation, they develop ideas and keep a file of them.

B. Memorize. Experts develop a great opening and memorize it.

C. Relax trainees. Experts greet people as they enter, take time for introductions, and create a relaxed atmosphere.

Closings

A. Summarize concisely. Experts simply and concisely summarize the contents of the course, using objectives or the initial model.

B. Thank participants. Experts thank participants for their time and their contributions to the course.

PROBLEM 12: DEPENDENCE ON NOTES

A. Notes are necessary. Experts recognize that no one completely outgrows the need for notes.

B. Use cards. Experts scale down their presentations to an outline or key words, which they write on note cards to use as prompts.

C. Use visuals. Experts make notes on frames of transparencies and on their copies of handouts.

D. Practice. Experts learn the script well so that they can deliver it from the keyword note cards.

http://www.amazon.com/Adult-Learner-Seventh-definitive-development/dp/1856178110