In 2002, KIDS NOW began planning for the PDF. Workgroups developed individual components of the state wide system with a goal of improving Kentucky’s quality of Early Care and Education through high quality professional development.
The Vision for Kentucky
KIDS Now = Kentucky Invests in Developing Success NOW
Vision
Statement: All young
children in Kentucky are healthy and safe, possess the foundation that will
enable school and personal success, and live in strong families that are
supported and strengthened within their communities.
The PDF is based on research that shows:
Reference: American Federation of teachers, 2002; Kagan & Neuman, 1996; Learning to Care, 1998; North Carolina Partnership, 1998; Whitebrook, Howes, & Phillips, 1990.
Before long, you will be attending a day of face to face
training as part of FET. This face to face day is set up as a working example
of an effective training environment. The organizational ideas that you will
see presented there may strike you as unique and effective possibilities that
perhaps you will want to try when you set up training events.
In this section, you will learn about the importance
of attaining and maintaining a professional approach to your role as a trainer.
We will also discuss the role that ethics plays in your personal development
and public persona.
As we move through the study of some cognitive and adult learning theory-based approaches to learning that the current research espouses, connect parts of this content back to the information you received in the previous two sections regarding learning and the brain and individual life experiences, culture, and identity. This will help you to see exactly WHY these approaches to learning are effective.
This look at how to create optimal conditions for adult learning uses significant content and framework that is presented in the online publication and supplemental resources of Learning Styles As A Myth, which was created by the Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning at Yale University.
For our purposes as future Early Care and Education trainers, we will look at this information in three main areas: Inclusive Teaching Strategies, Group Work/Collaborative Learning, and Active Learning.
In every group of adult learners, there exists a wide range
of diversity. Many different individuals
will be present, each one of them uniquely shaped by the forces that are at work
in a wide range of identity-forming cultural and life experiences.
This diversity and the factors that create it all contribute to the development of individual learning profiles that each individual training participant will bring into your training. Understanding more about human diversity will help you plan trainings that are more able to connect with and reach these diverse adult learners. This will in turn increase your chances of educating, inspiring and helping to chart a path for training participants to change their work behaviors to improve outcomes for children and families in early care and education settings.
Welcome to the informational section on the Trainer Credentialing process. This section will provide details about the credential itself and some helpful tips for the application process. Please pull out your FET 1: Trainer’s Credential Overview ?Handout for note-taking. You will want to jot down notes to ensure that you have a complete application the first time you submit.
Throughout the lesson there will be instructions to click on images and/or text for additional information to show. Some text will also expand and then be available. Please be sure to interact as you progress through all the sections and lessons.
[ms_panel title=”Handout” title_color=”#1a72bf” border_color=”#1a72bf ” title_background_color=”#f5f5f5″ border_radius=”0″ class=”” id=””]?Please refer to your Handout FET: FET and Trainer Credential Overview pages (2-14).?[/ms_panel]
To download the handouts for the course, please click on the course title below. We ask that you print out the handouts for and take notes throughout the presentation. Throughout the courses when you see ?, you will refer to the designated page in your handouts.
Note: At the face-to-face training you will be given a binder, complete with an index and printed tabs. We will have hole punchers available and encourage you to bring any of your pre-printed handouts to insert them into your FET binder at that time. For those of you that prefer to work in electronic documents you are welcome to download each of the handouts above.
Thank you for making the decision to pursue your Trainer’s Credential. The purpose of FET is to give you the foundation to become an effective trainer who produces quality training. Producing high quality trainings is vital to early childhood professionals so they can use what they learn to provide high quality care for young children. It starts with YOU!
Let’s begin by taking a look at what is required to become a credentialed trainer in the Trainer’s Credential Overview.
This series of 12 mini courses is facilitated by eight regional Child Care Aware Training Coaches and Christine Hausman, the Professional Development Content Coordinator from Child Care Aware.
The eight regional Training Coaches and their contact information are displayed on the map below. The Training Coaches are available as a resource to you throughout FET, the credentialing process, and once you become a credentialed trainer.
Throughout this training, you will encounter the following types of activities:
?Handout: This icon indicates that there is content to refer to in your FET handout.
?Think Spot: An ungraded opportunity to reflect on the topic discussed and likely is tied to the course handout. It is recommended that you download or print the handout to have on hand while you complete the courses.
? Check Your Knowledge: A graded quiz to check your understanding of the topic(s) covered. These can be True/False, Multiple Choice, or Fill in the Blank. Check Your Knowledge quizzes are complete when 80% of the questions are answered correctly (unless otherwise indicated). You may take the Check Your Knowledge quizzes multiple times until 80% is achieved.
⭐Application Assignments: A variety of graded assignments that have you apply what you have learned to demonstrate the use of specific knowledge, skills, and tools that enhance training.
▶️ Embedded Videos: Throughout the courses there are videos from various YouTube channels. These videos must be viewed in their entirety before moving on to the next topic. If you encounter a problem with a video please use the “Contact Us” button at the bottom of the page and include the name of the video or topic you are having trouble with.
? Training Coach Touchpoint: Throughout FET you will have an opportunity to reach out to your regional Training Coach to connect. This will be via assignment in the course, phone, email and/or Skype.
? Learning Boosts: You will receive brief reinforcements of content at specific time intervals following the training . These boosts are intended to aid in recalling information (recognition boost), answering an open response question (generative boost) or prompting you to think, form your own opinion and ideally compare your ideas to that of your peers (integrative boosts).
?
Resources: Supplemental resources, including but not limited to, articles,
links, and references.
For those of you that are new to online learning, or to Learndash in particular, it may take a little practice learning how to navigate through the course. Please feel free to contact us by phone or email.
Another way we
support you in your efforts as a trainer to establish and maintain strong Transfer
Partnerships is through this resource list.
Books: (contact your Training Coach to access these
titles and many, many more through our lending library)
50
Creative Training Closures – Lynn Solem and Bob Pike; “Action
Planning” items
Games
Trainers Play– John W.
Newstrom and Edward E. Scannell; pgs. 293 – 303
Making
Training Stick – Barbara Carnes
and Dora Johnson; pgs. 57 – 90
The
Best of Creative Training Techniques– Dave Zielinski;
pgs. 81 – 93
Trainer’s
Bonanza– Eric Jensen; pgs. 105 – 108
Websites:
maketraningstick.com – website with the mission of helping trainers “make training stick”
offers a free e-newsletter called STICKY NOTES with actionable effective training tips
contains a free downloadable “white paper” – Training Transfer Technologies – featuring research and reviews of technology tools that can help the transfer of learning process.
This is, by no means, a finite list of resources. However,
it is a solid start of resources that offer a wide variety of transfer of
learning strategies to implement with trainees.
Remember, transfer of training is a partnership
between the Trainer, Trainee and the Director/Administrator.
Many of the strategies provided by the authors
of these resources recognize this partnership and include all three parties in
the processes they describe.
Here are some ways
for members of the Transfer Partnership to systematically and intentionally
work on the transfer of learning before the training occurs, during the
training and after the training is over.
Write down any of these strategies that you would like to remember for future use in the appropriate boxes on page 4 of the Transfer of Learning ?handout.
BEFORE
Trainer
Complete a detailed needs assessment with the
Director to ensure alignment of the training content with the organization’s
goals and staff Professional Development (PD) needs.
Develop SMART training and workplace outcomes to
inform training plan and design.
Create a customized Implementation Plan form (using
input from the Director) for participants to complete.
Trainee
Explore possible training options with Director
based on both your individual professional goals and your program’s overall
goals.
Complete all pre-training activities (needs
assessment, content-based assignments, etc.).
Director
Involve staff in program-wide goal setting and
long-term planning.
Inform staff of the importance of the implementation
of new skills and knowledge learned in training and explain that you will
support each person in their implementation efforts.
Provide time for staff to complete pre-training
activities if applicable. This could be a reading assignment, a brief survey or
even taking photos for pre training data collection.
DURING
Trainer
Clearly spell out what trainees will gain from
the investment of time and energy in their implementation efforts.
Include practice of new skills in realistic
work-related tasks.
Provide opportunities to note new ideas and make
specific plans for implementation of new knowledge and skills.
Trainee
Arrive at the training on time, if not early,
and in a “ready to learn” mindset.
Participate actively in all training activities
and learning experiences.
Make authentic connections with fellow trainees.
Director
Provide classroom coverage for staff to attend
during work hours.
Attend the training; model active participation
and professional behavior.
Monitor training attendance.
AFTER
Trainer
Use technology to provide follow-up support
during implementation.
Share evaluation results with director.
Offer ideas for future trainings based on
implementation results.
Trainee
Follow through on implementation plan.
Seek help with implementation from Director/Trainer.
Maintain contact with other trainees.
Director
Review and monitor implementation plans.
Notice and acknowledge staff efforts to change
behavior.
Provide job aid support to staff for
implementation.
In this lesson, we
will discuss how to develop a Follow-up Plan using an Action
Plan/Implementation Plan form developed for participants. This form or your own
customized version of it, when completed by participants, will support their
efforts in taking their new knowledge and skills back to the workplace,
implementing change and monitoring/evaluating their own progress.
Understanding what the potential barriers are to achieving successful transfer of learning can help you as you select appropriate strategies to use when planning, implementing, and following up with training participants after training sessions.
Check your Knowledge
Consider each statement. Which is the best answer to fill-in-the-blank for each statement describing the possible barriers to the ‘transfer of learning’:
1. Lack of support from ______________. a) mother b) friend c) director
The correct answer is director.
2. ________________ materials and other resources. a) Limited b) Great c) Borrowed
The correct answer is Limited.
3. Pressure from peers to _________ change. a) accept b) resist c) embrace
The correct answer is resist.
4. No one to go to for ___________________. a) updates b) prizes c) clarifications
The correct answer is clarifications.
5. ______________ resistance to change a) Trainee’s b) Child’s c) Partner’s
The correct answer is Trainee’s.
6. ________________ limitations. a) Health b) Time c) Food
The correct answer is Time.
7. A non-supportive organizational __________. a) bulletin b) culture c) by-law
The correct answer is culture.
8. Lack of post-training support from the _____________. a) funders b) trainer c) handouts
The correct answer is trainer.
Appropriate advance planning along with use of the needs
assessment, tapping into the Transfer Partnership, and using a variety of
effective transfer of learning strategies will reduce the impact of these barriers.
This way, you can get everyone on the same page and greatly increase the
likelihood of the successful transfer of learning.
Participants will define effective training and transfer of learning.
Participants will identify the people that are key to successful transfer of learning and why transfer of learning is a team effort.
Participants will select appropriate follow-up strategies that increase the probability that learning and skills will transfer from the training setting to the participant’s workplace.
Participants will describe what an implementation/action plan is and why it’s an important part of the training process.
Participants will complete an Implementation Plan/Action Plan.
Roadmap
Explore the connection between the training
experience and the actual transfer of learning back on the job.
Discuss barriers that may prevent trainees from
transferring knowledge and skills back in the workplace.
Identify the people involved in a transfer
partnership and their responsibilities.
Explore and summarize a specific strategy that
supports follow-up and transfer of learning back on the job.
Define implementation plan/action plan and the
rationale for including it in the training process.
Identify what should be included on an
implementation plan/action plan.
Explore different transfer of learning
strategies and develop a transfer activity for a future training.
[ms_panel title=”Handout” title_color=”#1a72bf” border_color=”#1a72bf ” title_background_color=”#f5f5f5″ border_radius=”0″ class=”” id=””]Please refer to the FET Handout: Transfer of Learning pages (1-9). This handout has been pre-printed and is in your FET Binder.[/ms_panel]
The responsibility and assurance of the transfer of learning
does not fall on any one person’s shoulders!
It is a shared responsibility referred to as a Transfer Partnership and this
partnership includes:
the trainer
the trainee
the director/administrator
It is a great
thing to learn that not everything falls on your shoulders. But, as the
trainer, you still hold the responsibility of making sure everyone understands
their role in this partnership and supporting them in their role. The support
you offer will pave the way for you to forge a true working partnership between
participants, directors/administrators and yourself.
Watch this fun video of a trainer, trainee and director
discussing their roles in the transfer of learning process.
Click on the boxes below each statement of responsibility to learn the role of each person in The Transfer Partnership, and write the statements next to the correct people in the Transfer Partnership diagram on page 3 in your Transfer of Training ?handout.
Check Your Knowledge
Consider each question, then click to reveal the correct answer.
Who recognizes the need for new information? A) Trainer B) Trainee C) Director
The correct answer is the trainee. Although the director and trainer might recognize the need, until the trainee recognizes this need, transfer is less likely to take hold.
Who manages the transfer of learning? A) Trainer B) Trainee C) Director
The correct answer is the trainer. This may be a little statement, but it has big responsibilities attached to it for the trainer. ‘Manages’ is the key word and involves many things.
Who supports learning on the job? A) Trainer B) Trainee C) Director
The correct answer is the director. The director is in a position to identify training opportunities, share them with staff and provide the learning opportunities that best benefit each staff person.
Who provides on-the-job support/encouragement to trainees? A) Trainer B) Trainee C) Director
The correct answer is both the trainer and director. The director & trainer are in positions to provide support and encouragement as identified/needed by the trainee. This is guided by the trainer, as the more informed the director is, the better support the director can provide.
Who develops and/or delivers the learning experiences? A) Trainer B) Trainee C) Director
The correct answer is the trainer. The trainer is responsible for developing and delivering active learning workshop experiences that are content focused, sequenced and concrete.
Who commits to putting new skills into practice? A) Trainer B) Trainee C) Director
The correct answer is the trainee. The trainee is responsible for committing to a plan for implementation and a time-line with check-points to evaluate their own progress.
Whose responsibility is it to stay in communication with each other? A) Trainer B) Trainee C) Director
The correct answer is that it is the responsibility of all. It almost goes without saying, but we must emphasize that without on-going, post-training communication between trainer ↔ director, director ↔ trainee, and trainee ↔ trainer, there is strong evidence that the transfer of learning has little success. Ongoing communication is key and the responsibility of maintaining this communication falls on all three partners; managed by the trainer, implemented by the trainee and supported by the director.
