Building a good learning atmosphere/id

10. Membangun suasana belajar yang baik

Buat dan atur sebuah rencana

• Gunakan kerangka pelatihan sebagai panduan untuk mengelola waktu dan mengarahkan
• Sampaikan kepada peserta tentang rencana tersebut dan taati
• Ajak kelompok untuk menetapkan aturan selama berpartisipasi dalam pelatihan. Aturan tersebut dapat meliputi;
  • Larangan penggunaan ponsel
  • Bergantian saat berbicara
  • Pencatat waktu
  • Waktu mulai dan selesai
  • Setiap orang harus berpartisipasi dan tidak boleh mendominasi
  • Menghargai setiap ide
  • dll
• Antisipasi kesulitan, tantangan dan rintangan yang dapat mengganggu proses pembelajaran dan siapkan solusi atau strategi guna menghindarinya.

Persiapkan secara seksama

• Pahami keseluruhan materi dan tujuan pembelajaran dari masing-masing bagian.
• Gunakan pengetahuan dan pengalaman anda agar materi lebih pas dan sesuai. Mulai ‘miliki’ materi tersebut.
• Tuliskan pertanyaan yang ingin anda ajukan, alur diskusi dan apa yang akan anda lakukan untuk menjelaskan konsep-konsep yang penting dan rumit.
• Pikirkan tahapan untuk setiap bagian pelatihan. Bayangkan prosesnya, bayangkan peserta. Pikirkan tentang apa yang akan mereka butuhkan dari anda agar dapat mengikuti materi, merampungkan kegiatan dan memahami isi materi secara maksimal.
• Persiapkan setiap langkah dengan mempertimbangkan waktu, apa yang akan anda sampaikan, bagaimana anda akan memulai sesi, bantuan apa yang anda butuhkan, informasi tambahan apa yang akan dibutuhkan oleh peserta agar dapat menuntaskan sebuah isu.

ciptakan sebuah lingkungan belajar yang positif

Seorang fasilitator pelatihan membangun suasana belajar yang baik dengan;

• melakukan persiapan secara seksama.
• sabar mendengarkan peserta.
• memperhatikan setiap detil.
• mengajukan pertanyaan yang tepat. Sesuatu yang kritis dan dapat mendorong dialog nyata.
• mengatur kegiatan atau diskusi yang dapat membantu proses pembelajaran
• Menyadari bahwa peserta tidak harus selalu diberitahu
• Menyadari bahwa semua orang yang berada di ruangan tersebut memiliki pengetahuan dan pengalaman yang dapat memperkaya dan membantu kelompok
• mengajukan pertanyaan yang tepat guna
  • membantu peserta memulai proses berpikirnya sendiri
  • mencari tahu apa yang telah mereka ketahui
• Hindari memberikan kepada peserta sesuatu yang sebenarnya dapat digali dengan mengajukan pertanyaan yang tepat. Peserta akan mencari ide untuk mereka gunakan. Jangan menyuapi. Tunjukkan, jangan memberitahu.

Good training can have some or all of the following attributes:

• Participative
• Interactive
• Facilitative
• Flexible
• Drawing on existing knowledge and insights
• Active
• Variety
• Action/physical movement
• Engaging the senses
• Repetition and reinforcement
• Fun or at least enjoyable
• Practice and apply skills

Knowing about different learning styles and using teaching approaches that suit different learners is one way to maximize learning. In addition, instructors need to understand how adults learn best and how to create a positive learning environment.

There are three sets of factors that need to be accommodated to create a positive learning environment:

• Physical factors
• Emotional factors
• Intellectual factors

Physical factors

Adults need to be physically comfortable or they can’t focus on learning.

The following factors help create a physically comfortable learning environment:

• The room is not too hot or too cold.
• The room is set up so people can see and can hear the instructor.
• Lighting and amplification allow for people with reduced vision and hearing.
• Allowances are made for fatigue: there are frequent activities so participants don’t have to sit too long; you take regular breaks.
• The trainer is sensitive to the time of day, the mood of the class and levels of motivation in the group.

An instructor can respond to physical needs by:

• asking students if they are comfortable
• checking the body language of learners
• being responsive to the time of day, need for breaks.
• ensuring that they look at the room from the participants' point of view (ie stand and look from the back of the class)
• ensuring there are as few distractions or interruptions as possible.

Emotional factors

Adults also have to be comfortable emotionally.

Adults have definite emotional needs:

• To be treated like adults (They want to be peers with the instructor.)
• To direct their own learning whenever possible (Adults are self-motivated. They are at the training because they chose to be, not because someone told them to come.)
• To know they are doing it right (or at least that they are trying hard)
• To feel accepted as they are (Adults come in all forms and styles.)
• To see a reason for the training (Adults want to know how the training is going to make a difference for them.)

An instructor can respond to emotional needs by:

• Being a learning resource, a coach
• Explaining the benefits of the training (WIIFM: What’s In It For Me), then letting participants explore as much as possible (to discover the benefits for themselves)
• Respecting them (not talking down to them)
• Teaching to their level (not above or below)
• Not embarrassing them
• Providing meaningful reinforcement and opportunities for peer feedback (This is also a powerful reinforcement.)
• Making learning non-threatening (This goes along with teaching to their level.)
• Making the learning realistic and problem centred; using scenarios that are familiar and that they might encounter

Intellectual factors

In addition to needing to be physically and emotionally comfortable, adults have intellectual needs:

• They have lived full lives and they want to share their experiences.
• They want to connect new information to what they already know.
• They want to be active participants in the learning.
• They want to see the relevance of what they are learning.
• They want to learn things the way they like to learn (through hearing or seeing or doing).

A good facilitator can respond to intellectual needs by:

• Using the learners’ life experiences to introduce new concepts through questions and discussion
• Building bridges between old information and new information with analogies, examples, and job aids.
• Making the learning active. Include practical hands-on exercises, not just lecture and slides.
• Using a variety of methods during the training to reach all the learning styles (e.g., lecture, discussion, role play, demonstrations, activities, games).