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10 techniques to accelerate your teaching and learning.
When learning the art and science of becoming a teacher we learn that there are many methods for delivering content. These tend to focus on traditional ideas of teaching such as lecture, group learning or demonstrations. However there are many other principles and techniques that underlie good teaching. These have been developed by a range of people including those with a scientific, philosophy or even a physics background but all have a deep understanding of the principles behind how people acquire knowledge, skills and understanding.
The Pareto Principle - also known as the 80/20 rule. The point is to recognise that life is not distributed evenly and that 80% of the outcome will come from 20% of the causes.
When teaching focus your effort on the 20% of teaching that will lead to 80% of the result. Another way of looking at this is to consider when delivering a 20 minute session you need to make sure that the learners know the big picture and what the outcome will be in the first 4 minutes of the session.
The main input of the session should be about 20% of the time of the session and the rest of the time is consolidation of learning.
2. Feynman Technique - developed by Richard Feynman, a theoretical physicist, as a way of demystifying complex topics. It is a four step process for understanding any topic.
He stated that learning should be an active process of “trial and error, discovery and free enquiry”.
Step 1 - Choose a concept to learn
Step 2 - Teach it to yourself or someone else
Step 3 - Return to the source material if you get stuck
Step 4 - Simplify your explanations and create analogies
A key point of this technique is the understanding of what you don’t know. Confront what you don’t know, engage with the learning material and resources and clarify your understanding.
As a trainer this is a useful concept to understand whether or not you are ready to deliver your subject to your learners.
3. Optimise learning through interleaving
Create a lesson plan that mixes different topics or skills within your subject area to help the learners develop a more robust understanding and facilitate connections between them.
In first aid training this works well when creating learning and assessment scenarios and mixing in a number of different aspects. For example I might set up a bleed scenario where the casualty also loses consciousness so that the learner has to cope with a changing situation.
4. Implement spaced repetition for long-term retention
Design a spaced repetition teaching process to enable learner to effectively review the topic or skill over time, ensuring better retention and recall.
Again a great example comes from first aid training where we introduce the ABCDE system in a step-by-step manner. This allows plenty of repetition which my learners always say helps their learning and retention.
5. Develop mental models for complex concepts
Create mental models or analogies to better understand and remember key concepts in your subject area (topic or skill).
The Water Cycle is a great example of this - think back to when you learnt this in school and all the pictures you had to draw to show how water comes from and returns to earth.
6. Experiment with different learning modalities
Make use of various learning resources (eg videos, books, podcasts, interactive exercises for the your topic or skill that cater for different learning styles. If you can deliver learning in a variety of ways you will meet individual learning needs more easily. Plus it keeps the interest up in longer sessions.
7. Harness the power of active recall
Provide a series of challenging questions or problems related to your subject area to test understanding and improve long term retention. This links back to the Feynman technique and the idea that to truly understand a subject you should be able to explain it to others or to implement the learning in a practical manner.
8. Use story telling to enhance memory and comprehension
Transform key concepts or lessons from your subject area into engaging stories or narratives to help learners better remember and understand the material.
Stories are great but keep them short and relevant. Stories are not for the trainer to boast about their own achievements but unfortunately this is often the way. Make sure your story has a point and is related to the learning material.
9. Implement a deliberate practice routine
Design a deliberate practice routine for a topic or skill focusing on an area of weakness and providing regular feedback for improvement.
Practice makes perfect. 10,000 hours is a catchy term to suggest the amount of time you need to put in to achieve mastery of a skill. Scientific research however proposes that quality of practice is more important than the quantity of practice.
Regular feedback enables the learners to understand how they are getting on and which areas they need to focus on in order to improve.
10. Harness the power of visualisation
Guide learners through a visualisation exercise to help them internalise a topic or skill and imagine themselves successfully applying it in real-life situations.
Many top athletes use visualisation to imagine themselves reaching the finish line in first place. Research has also shown that people who visualise themselves learning to play a musical instrument can show better improvements to those who just physically practice playing.
A study published in the "Journal of Research in Music Education" (2005) examined the effects of mental practice on piano performance. Participants who used visualization techniques to practice a musical piece showed comparable improvements to those who physically practiced.
Which of these techniques do you use in your teaching? Has this blog inspired you to use any additional techniques to help your learners retain the knowledge and skills they have learned? Let me know in the comments below.
First aid kits for Forest School and Outdoor Learning
When delivering first aid courses I am often asked ‘what should I have in my first aid kit'?’
There is no single answer but here is a list of possible items. These are the things that I include in the kits that I sell. In this blog post, as well as giving you a list, I will also suggest uses for each item.
So let’s go through this list and identify what each item is and how to use it.
Waterproof bag
Before you get the items together think about what you are going to store them in. We supply first aid kits in robust, waterproof roll top bags made a company called Lomo. This means that your kit should survive in the potentially damp outdoor environment.
Selection of plasters
In the outdoor environment it is important to cover any small cuts and grazes to avoid them getting germs in from the muddy, outdoor environment. The downside of plasters is that they don’t always stay on in a damp environment, this is where a bit of tape or cohesive bandage applied over the top can help.
Some people are allergic to the glue that makes the plaster stick so you may need to check first.
Resuscitation Face Shield
Provides a barrier against cross contamination between you and a casualty when giving breaths during CPR. If you are a while away from help or administering CPR to a child then the ability to include breaths becomes more relevant to maintaining oxygen levels in your casualty.
Wound cleaning wipes
You can buy different types of these. The ones we recommend and supply are saline wipes, these will not cause any stinging and are soothing for the casualty, an important consideration when they are children. Check that the wipes you use are alcohol free and come in a sterile packet.
Gauze swabs
Use in conjunction with clean water or saline wash to clean blood and mud away from a cut or a graze. Can also be used to pack a wound if necessary to help stop a major bleed.
Saline Wash
This is an invaluable item in any outdoor first aid kit. Can be used to clean wounds and also to wash foreign objects out of eyes. I recommend at least 5 x 20ml vials of saline wash.
Medium size dressing bandages
The dressing pad is what you would use to apply pressure to a wound in order to stop a bleed. Once the bleed is stopped then you can apply the bandage fully to keep the wound covered and the clot that has formed in place. If the bandage becomes soaked with blood try another over the top. If that still doesn’t work take it all off and start again - you might also need to pack the wound.
Silver Foil Blanket
This item is to prevent heat loss in a casualty who is warm. Can be used when a casualty is upset, in pain or has lost a lot of blood. It is good to also use a coat or wool type blanket over the top for extra warmth.
Tick Removal Tools
Working in the outdoor environment means that insects can be a problem. A Tick removal card can help with extracting a tick from the skin and can also be used to push out a bee sting if that has been left behind. Other devices can also be used to remove tick such as Tick Twisters and Tick Tweezers.
Eyepad bandages
For use if an eye is damaged, sore or inflamed and covering the eye reduces pain. It may also help to stop a child rubbing their eye and aggravating the situation. Cover only the injured eye as being completely blindfolded can be distressing for some people.
Rounded ended scissors
For cutting tape, dressing pads and other small items
Cohesive bandage
Another item that is great for use in the outdoor environment. Can be used on its own as a support bandage or to hold a splint in place. Can also be used over a dressing pad to cover a wound in an flexible area such as the hand. They are water resistant and more rugged than a standard bandage.
Triangular bandages
Use to make a support sling or an elevated sling. Can also be used to pad an area for support or to pack around an embedded object to prevent pressure.
Adhesive dressing pads
Also known as graze plasters. Useful for the larger cut or graze which is too big for a plaster but doesn’t warrant a bandage. They also stay on better than plasters in the outdoors!
Gloves
Best to use nitrile gloves to avoid any issues with latex allergies. Also make sure that they are powder free - often gloves used by cleaners have powder in them and that could contaminate a wound.
Micropore tape
This can be used to hold plasters and dressing pads in place. Can also be used as a temporary cover for a small cut whilst outside.
Safety pins
Can be used to secure bandages in place.
Zinc Oxide Tape
Ideal for covering and protecting sore skin or blisters.
Plastic Tweezers
Essential for removing thorns and small splinters from the skin.
Tuff cut scissors/shears
Strong scissors that can cut through clothing, webbing straps and other items that may need to be removed.
Those are all the items included in the first aid kits that I sell through my online shop. Click the Buy Now button below to go to the shop.
Additional items that you may also consider include some kind of cooling to soothe a bump, bruise or sprained joint. For this I would recommend a re-useable gel pack that you can keep in a cool place. Alternatively you can buy the packs that you squeeze to activate the cooling chemicals but these are single use and cannot be recycled.
In my next first aid blog posts I will be looking at items you might have to help manage a casualty in the outdoor environment whilst waiting for help and also what you might have (and not have) in a burns kit.
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3 things that helped my business to grow in 2022
At the beginning of 2020 I was running a tiny business and doing a load of freelance work. I had a turnover of about 20k.
Then COVID happened and I had to pivot my business overnight. For 3 months I had no face to face courses, I had requests coming in for online learning but I had no online platform and my freelance work also stopped abruptly.
Now at the end of 2022 I have more than doubled my turnover, I have a growing business, an increasing number of online learners and hundreds of learners have attended first aid courses.
So what are the 3 key things that I think helped my business to grow in 2022?
Having a growth mindset and in particular working on my money mindset
Seeking help and support - I have had 2 business coaches over the last 2 years, enrolled in and completed a number of business focussed courses and also joined business masterminds. I have really found value in community and recognise the importance of surrounding myself with people who inspire me and who I can learn from.
Developing an understanding of my brand. Knowing my brand pillars and the values that underpin these has been crucial for developing my marketing strategy.
Mindset
Before 2020 I did not even know what mindset was. As a teacher I was encouraging the children to have a growth mindset but I have to admit I never even thought to learn what that actually meant!
So what changed? I began to listen to podcasts and people were talking about mindset and money blocks. I listened to the audio book version of ‘Get Rich, Lucky Bitch’ and started to understand about money blocks. I bought a business course and module 1 was ‘Money mindset’, the first exercise was to write my money mindset story. This is when I really began to understand what was holding me back in terms of business growth.
I now understand about growth mindset, I recognise when my actions and decisions are based on a lack mindset and I can change my thinking.
One thing that was holding me back was my own ceiling that I was putting on my earning. I believed that people of my family earned a certain amount and that was it. Also I realised that all I was doing was trading time for money and that was holding me back.
Support and community
As part of my mindset work I began journaling, looking back through the journal I found the question “Who is supporting you?”
This was a question I was asked about 10 years ago at a time when I was going through a difficult season of my life. I was so busy supporting other people and did not even consider that I needed support myself. In fact if I had been offered support I would probably have brushed it off and declined.
Now I am in a completely different place and understand how important support and community is. I also understand that support is not just giving but also receiving.
I have a business coach and mentor, I have been part of two business masterminds. I have invested money in developing both myself and my business. I have a community of fellow trainers that I can talk to and receive support from.
This means that as well as developing my own business, I can also offer support to others for both business and personal development
Brand
Working on my brand has been a big part of my business development over the last two years. The first thing I did was to get a logo designed and colours chosen. Orange has now become a big part of my life!
Engaging a brand photographer to take some professional photographs has really helped me to create a consistent look across my website and social media.
I have also worked to identify my brand pillars and these help me decide my content for social media and other promotions.
My brand pillars are courses, outdoor adventures, vanlife and remote working, lifelong learning and mindset.
I have also considered my values which underpin everything that I do, these include: quality, lifelong learning and flexible lifestyle.
Working from the van on the Suffolk coast
What next?
You might notice that the 3 things I talked about above have not included any standard business items such as marketing and financial strategies. They have also been happening but I consider that they support the growth that is created by the other work. Work on my mindset, a supportive community and developing my brand have been the key things that have doubled my income in 2 years. Now that the foundations are in place I plan to double my income again in 1 year.
Do you need some support and community in your work life? Come and join my membership group, you can join at any time, and get access to a supportive community of trainers and assessors. Gain access to online training courses, book reviews, guest speakers and networking sessions. This is one of the best ways to interact and get support from other people on an ongoing basis. We have a private Facebook group too so there is always a space to ask questions and get positive answers. I am really looking forward to building this membership group in 2023 so come and join in.
The power of community and networking
I run my own training company, I am the owner, the director, the book-keeper, the administrator, the trainer and assessor. I also created my own website, run my social media and answer all the emails!
Well I used to…
Now I have a team to support me and wow does it make a difference!
As well as help in running my business I have also sought out a community of other trainers and assessors that I can seek support from, discuss problems and get ideas for both personal and professional development. This has made a huge difference to my own confidence and ability and provides reassurance that I have someone to talk to, people that can support me, places to go when I am struggling with an issue or challenging learner.
So why is being part of a community so important?
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs applied to education and learning
As we can see from the work of Abraham Maslow in 1943, humans have particular needs which need to be met in order to survive and thrive.
If we apply this to the teaching and learning environment we can see that once the physiological needs are met we then need to consider psychological needs.
So let’s consider what those mean for you as a trainer or assessor.
Recognition - do I have a community? Do I feel that I belong?
If you work within an organisation you may have colleagues, maybe also teaching the same subject. You may team teach or be able to shadow these colleagues and confirm that you are teaching to the correct level. Opportunities to develop your own confidence and understanding of your ability as a trainer can help you build this aspect of recognition.
Can you honestly say: ‘I am confident in my role as a trainer’, ‘I get great feedback from my learners on my courses’, and ‘Other trainers seek to team teach or observe me because I am respected in my professional role’.
If you work as a freelance trainer and assessor it can be harder to get this feeling of community. You may be essentially working on your own, turning up to deliver a course and then sending off the paperwork afterwards.
This is where online communities and membership groups can really come into their own.
Self Esteem - Am I developing and learning as a trainer and assessor?
Reflect on your own development. What have you done recently for CPD? This could be personal or professional development.
Many of us focus on subject knowledge when planning and completing CPD but, as I discussed in my previous blog, this is only one of three possible aspects.
Developing self esteem can be supported by self development - working on confidence, any blocks that you have, maybe around money or what you can achieve in life. Self esteem is also improved by working on your skills as a trainer - understanding how people learn, presentation skills, assessment processes and providing effective feedback to learners are all part of this.
Being part of a community of trainers and assessors can help to support these needs. Being an active part of a community leads to Self Actualisation and the support of others.
So here are some practical ideas that might help:
Join an online group maybe on Facebook or other platform. Find one that offers support, advice, training and the opportunity to network with others.
Here is the link to my Trainer and assessor support group on Facebook
Join a membership group. You will pay a monthly or annual fee but in return should get a load of value and an active supportive community.
Let me know in the comments below if you found this blog useful and have you found a community of support?
What should I do for Continual Professional Development (CPD)?
In this blog I will set out what Continual Professional Development (CPD) is, if your work role is in Training/Assessing or Quality Assurance. I will also cover how to decide what CPD would be best for you over the next year.
In a nutshell CPD is any activity which develops or enhances your professional role. It is how you maintain a high level of professionalism. It is also an important part of the quality assurance process of any training organisation and you should be able to provide a record of CPD to your employer, for quality assurance purposes and even to your learners if requested.
CPD is a way of keeping up to date with changes within your industry. For example I teach first aid so it is important that my knowledge and understanding of the guidance provided by the UK Resus Council is kept up to date. I know that this is reviewed every 5 years so that helps me to be aware of when changes to training may occur.
Undertaking short courses for CPD can also raise your own awareness and understanding of issues that may be affecting your learners and which may change the way you approach your teaching sessions. These could include safeguarding, promoting equality and valuing diversity, understanding neurodiversity and an awareness of LGBQT+
CPD can also motivate and inspire you in your own journey as a trainer, assessor or quality assurer. Maybe you love to read books and articles by those in your industry and in business in general who demonstrate some of the same values that you have. The way to improve and to rise to the next level is to follow and be mentored by those who are already at that higher level and can teach you how to get there too.
What CPD should I be doing?
There are the 3 key areas that you could consider: Values, Knowledge and Skills. Critically reflect on each area and then make a plan for development. At the end of this blog post you will find a link to a downloadable pdf to help you reflect of these 3 key areas.
Values - who you are.
What are your own beliefs and practices? What underlies your reason for being a trainer and working in education and training?
I have 3 key values: quality, lifelong learning and flexible lifestyle. These have led me to develop a training centre and methods of delivery that have quality at the heart of everything I do. I firmly believe in lifelong learning and sharing learning with others through blog posts, training courses and membership groups. Over the last 8 years I have worked hard to develop a flexible lifestyle so that I can enjoy travelling and physical exercise alongside my work commitments.
Also consider how well you value yourself and do you have a commitment to your own personal and professional development? Who inspires you and motivates you? Do you have a community of support, mentors and cheerleaders who also value you?
Knowledge - what you know
How do you keep your subject knowledge up to date?
For me this is reading updates from my Awarding organisation, attending First Aid courses to renew or refresh my own qualifications and reading relevant information online or in publications. Sometimes what I learn is triggered by a question from a learner on a course or by coming across some information that challenges my current thinking.
How do you know, share and apply, good evidenced based inclusive teaching practice?
Completing my Adult teaching qualification and then my PGCE back in 2009 was just the start of my journey to become a great trainer. With an initial degree in Psychology focussing on how people learn and develop I am fascinated by the process of learning. I love a good article on teaching and learning, classroom layout or instructional design. If I am going to implement a teaching practice in the classroom though I need to know the research evidence behind it and how best to apply the actual teaching. Once I have learned this I am then driven to share it with others!
Skills - what you do?
Reflect on your skills in the training environment and how you support learner behaviour, be inclusive, enable learners to achieve. Also consider how you keep your skills current in an ever changing environment such as the increased use of digital technologies in teaching and learning. Are you skilled in using feedback and other tools to enhance the learning and assessment process?
The COVID pandemic threw lots of us into the online teaching world overnight and for me was a real time of rapid learning but also had huge benefits in terms of how my business could both survive and then thrive. I am now moving towards a 50:50 split of face-to-face and online courses and this has really enabled the flexible lifestyle I was seeking to achieve. I am continuing to enhance my skill in designing online courses and making the learner experience the best it can be.
Many employers or awarding organisations will expect at least 7 hours of CPD to be completed each year, maybe more if you are working in an industry which requires you to be constantly refreshing your skills in specific areas.
I would say that it is easy to achieve 7 hours of CPD per month if you consider all the ways in which this can be achieved. In my next blog I will look at the many ways you can cover your CPD needs.
Self Care- Be kind to yourself
So far this month we have looked at self care in the sense of practical ways in which you can take a break and also the signs that you maybe doing doing much and are at risk of burnout.
In this blog post I am going to explore ways in which you can be kind to yourself and take responsibility for managing your own mental health and be kind to yourself.
Watch how you talk to yourself, think about the words that you use, are they positive or negative? Would you talk to other people and constantly put them down and use negative words or phrases when talking about them? If you did how would that make them feel?
If you speak to yourself in this way then you will feel negative and will also attract negative thoughts and actions around you.
Positive people always seem to get all the breaks and appear lucky. Is it just luck or is it because they are positive so they attract the lucky breaks.
Next time you are thinking about yourself or talking to yourself watch out for those negative words and phrases. Change the negative into a positive, instead of thinking ‘I can’t do this, I am really rubbish’ try ‘This is a challenge, what actions could I try to overcome the issue’.
Manage your emotions. There is a great book called the Chimp Paradox written by Dr Steve Peters. In the book he discusses how in our brain we have a Chimp who can either work for us or against us. Through the book he explains how to manage your Chimp and harness it’s power. The Chimp part of your brain is your emotional machine and sometimes we get into a state where we are overcome by our emotions. I recommend that for a full understanding you read the book. By managing and controlling your emotions then you can think clearly and rationally.
Be your own cheerleader. Celebrate your wins however small or insignificant. Share them with friends, family, colleagues or on a social media post. What qualities do you love about yourself, what makes you great. Write them down in your journal and then think about how you can make use of these qualities in your work or personal life.
Look after yourself and others, be a community. You might start as a community of one but seek out others to give you support. These may be others in the same workspace, or others who enjoy the same leisure activity as you. Even as an introvert I find that time spent with others can be a great positive resource. Do make sure, however, that you also limit time spent with people who do not enrich your life or fill your positivity bucket. This is difficult if these people are family but be mindful of this time and protect yourself.
To help trainers and assessors to find a community I have set up a group on Facebook to provide that support and ongoing development in a positive environment. If you are not already in the group click the link below and come and join us.
Trainer and assessor support and advice Facebook group
For those who are looking for a bit more I have a paid for membership starting in September 2022 which will provide weekly coaching sessions, CPD courses, useful links and much more.
Click here to add your expression of interest to join the membership group.
Signs of burnout in trainers and assessors (and what to do about it)
Understanding some of the causes of burnout and ideas of what to do about it.
In this blog post I am going to be exploring ‘burnout’, what it means, what can cause it, how to recognise the signs and symptoms and what we can do to prevent it happening.
Disclaimer I am not a medical doctor or a mental health practitioner - if you think you are suffering from burnout then it would be a good idea to seek professional help through your GP.
Photo by Simran Sood on Unsplash
Burnout is recognised as a chronic condition which builds up over time and can be caused by a number of factors.
Common causes include:
Taking on too much work - either accepting too much work as a freelancer or having it put upon you if you work in a college or training institution. As well as the actual teaching there may also be planning, preparation, marking and completion of learner reports to worry about.
Work/life balance - or rather lack of! This could be that your work load means that you are spending evenings and weekends on your phone or laptop, replying to emails, marking work or planning sessions when you should be relaxing and spending time with friends or family.
Long hours - some teaching days can be very long and if you add on travelling time this can add up, leaving little time to relax after a long day.
Poor eating habits - if you are working all the hours it is very difficult to sit down and eat a healthy meal. I know many of you will eat on the go and be lucky to get 10 minutes for lunch time and you need to prepare for the afternoon teaching session. If you are busy it is also easy to live on snacks and ready meals rather than having proper food.
Other life stresses - as well as your work life there may be other stressful events happening in your life such as moving house, caring for others, break ups and divorce and just general life events. All of these can make work even more difficult to cope with.
Health issues - managing working life is hard enough when you are fit and healthy but if you are also coping with a long term or debilitating health condition then this is adding to the stress that your body is under.
Signs and symptoms to look out for
Initially developing an awareness of our own needs can help us to know when to take a break but unfortunately this can often be re-active rather than pro-active.
Be aware of feeling more tired than usual or a developing sense of overwhelm.
If the problem is not sorted at this stage then it can lead on to worsening problems such as:
Fatigue and sleep issues - this may manifest as insomnia thus leading to a cycle of fatigue made worse by lack of sleep.
Trouble concentrating - unable to focus on day to day tasks and finding that things take longer to accomplish than normal.
Appetite and weight issues - this can go either way leading to weight gain or weight loss. This is only made worse by the poor eating habits mentioned previously.
Depression and anxiety - feelings of sadness, overwhelm and physical panic attacks can also be signs of burnout.
Detachment from reality - this is best described as a feeling of numbness and can also lead to compulsive behaviour and an unwillingness to accept the current situation. Sometimes described as toxic positivity.
Self doubt - maybe you are beginning to think that this is not the job for you, you don’t feel confident in your role or it feels like others are making you feel inadequate.
Photo by Dakota Corbin on Unsplash
Some solutions:
Set clear boundaries- this could be with work, with your managers, with colleagues and most importantly with yourself. Decide what is right for you and if that means no working after 6pm then that is what you need to do. Make sure it happens, let friends and family in on your boundaries so they can help you keep them. Switch off notifications on your phone after a set time, turn off your laptop and plan other activities to do instead. If you need to work late or at a weekend for a particular reason such as completing a set project then be really clear with yourself about why this is happening. Don’t make excuses!
Take time off - actual time off, get away from the work environment and go do something different. Plan a day out with friends, family or even on your own. Have a spa day, go to a nice coffee shop (one of my favourites) or book to take part in an activity or to learn a new skill.
Write a journal - this can be a really useful way of exploring what is bothering you. If I have had a difficult day then I will write down all the detail about the problem and then write down the possible solutions and who can help with those solutions. It can also work to write a gratitude list - think of 5 things that have gone really well during the day, maybe you had a great bunch of learners on your course, the venue was lovely to teach in, coffee was free and delicious, someone brought cake, the sun shone! There are always things to be grateful for.
Photo by Gabrielle Henderson on Unsplash
Work on your Mindset - this is a big thing for many people and it is really important to develop a growth mindset. This is going to be a topic for a future blog and training session but for now try to think about self development and improvement. What one thing could you improve now to make your life a little bit easier?
Network with others - so important if you predominantly work on your own on a day to day basis. I have set up a Trainer and Assessor support and advice group on Facebook so that people have somewhere to go and be part of a community. It is important to seek out others with a positive growth mindset, by association you will then attract more positivity into your own life.
I hope some of these ideas resonate with you and enable you to be pro-active in terms of self care and avoid heading towards burnout.
If you are a trainer, assessor or quality assurer and would like more support I am starting a paid membership in September 2022 where you can be part of a community of like minded professionals who want to be the best they can in their work and personal life. In the membership you will get access to weekly group coaching sessions, online training and resources through a dedicated members login and also a private facebook group where networking and community can really happen.
The initial offer will be only £30 per month and the first 5 sign ups will get a free 30 minute 1:1 coaching session with me to explore any current issues with your own role in training and assessment.
If you are interested then email me at peritiatrainingltd@gmail.com or message me through facebook or instagram @peritiatraining
Self care for trainers and assessors
August is generally a quieter month for those who work in Education and Training which gives us a chance for a bit of rest and relaxation.
Here are a few ideas to help you get the most out of this time.
Have a holiday! I know that might sound a bit obvious but it can be a challenge, especially when you are self employed or running your own company, to be totally present when on holiday. It is all too easy to continue to monitor and reply to emails and messages instead of relaxing on the beach with a good book. Try turning off notifications on your phone and if things are really that important have an agreed hour each day for dealing with anything urgent. Have an agreement with those you are on holiday with and then they can help you to stick to it!
Book a spa day or an activity session - whatever you would enjoy or maybe push yourself to do something new or completely different to your normal day. This year I have been getting out on my new mountain bike and with each session I attempt a slightly more challenging route or section of the bike park. Check out my ‘concentrating’ face in the picture below as I clear the gap jump! It is good to get out of your comfort zone every now and again - that is where the real development happens.
3. Try mediation, yoga or forest bathing - for a truly relaxing session and to help you connect with nature an outdoor meditative experience can be totally amazing. The benefits of being in nature are now well known and extend to the improvement of both physical and mental health. Look online for practitioners running sessions near to you.
4. Read a book - this could be the latest ‘can’t put down’ thriller or romance novel, or maybe you are more into self development books, biographies or factual non-fiction. I love a good book and always make sure that I have a selection downloaded onto my Kindle tablet and also on Audible so that if I can’t read I can always listen. Audio books are great when travelling and I look forward to a long drive as it means I can really get stuck into a good listen.
5. This time could also be used to work on your business rather than in your business. Holiday time can also be used in a valuable way as a time to reflect on your goals and your plans for the next month, 6 months, year or even 10 years. Take some time to write down your thoughts and ideas and also explore what might hold you back, whether this is something physical or maybe mindset or limiting beliefs.
Any of the activities mentioned could be done alone or with others. Depending on whether your are an introvert or an extrovert you may need time alone or time with people to recharge your batteries. I am an introvert but find I need a bit of both - time alone and time with friends and family. Aim to return from your holiday refreshed and ready to hit the ground running. You should feel both relaxed and recovered but also ready to start implementing new plans and goals for the future.
Let me know in the comments below how you look after your own physical and mental health and get some down time from work and business.
5 ways to use feedback when training and assessing
Feedback can be a useful tool to motivate learners to work towards and achieve a skill, it can also help them to meet particular assessment criteria if completing a qualification. If used skillfully by the trainer or assessor it can enable the learners to understand what they are doing well and also what needs working on in order to improve. Feedback is a process whereby the learner has time to implement their learning and to make progress based on the feedback.
1. Feedback from resources - Use training and assessing resources that give immediate and direct feedback to the learners. An experiential learning environment will give learners hands on experience and allow them to learn through making mistakes and then developing their skills and confidence. In first aid training the CPR mannequins are an example of how a training resource can give feedback to the learners. I have the traditional Little Anne mannequin from Laerdal which has a clicker device in the chest so that you know when you have pushed down deep enough, you can also visually see the chest rise when breaths are given. The new QCPR mannequins from Laerdal link to an app on the trainers phone or tablet and allows up to 6 learners to be monitored for the quality of their CPR. This provides immediate feedback to learners and is a great example of how technology can be used to enhance the training and assessment process.
2. Learner feedback to each other - This is where the trainer or assessor provides a framework to enable the learner to give positive and supportive feedback to each other. This could be a scoring framework using the numbers 0-5 or 0-3 for a simpler version or a Red-Amber-Green system. To use the framework the learners would observe each other performing a practical task and then give an appropriate score/colour followed by some feedback as to why they felt that score/colour was correct. For example the learner may be completing a primary survey of an unresponsive casualty, the framework may go as follows:
Red or 0 - the learner forgot or missed out one or more parts of the primary survey (DRsABC), this may include forgetting to shout for help and then adding it in later. To be absolutely correct the learner should complete the whole sequence in the correct order.
Amber 1 or 2 - the learner is not fully confident and pauses every now and again to remind themselves of what the sequence of actions should be. The learner is focussed on getting the actions correct and forgets to talk to the casualty. The learner rolls the casualty on their side but does not check pockets first.
Green or 3 - the learner is confident and acts in a way that is safe, systematic and sympathetic. They perform the complete primary survey without any errors or hesitation.
Care must be taken to ensure that the learners are delivering and receiving the feedback in a way that is positive and supporting the learning process.
3. Self-assessment of own performance - provide a demonstration, tick sheet or resources, as mentioned previously, so the learner can self assess how they are getting on and will know what to improve on in order to pass the assessment.The learner will need to know what it is they are trying to achieve and then can practice until they get it correct. I have done this previously when learning a skill on my mountain bike. The instructor had talked us through the skills needed to ride up a set of rough steps on a cross country route. We then practiced those skills ourselves. I knew I had it correct when I negotiated all three steps without putting my foot down or stopping.
4. Direct informal feedback - this is where the trainer or assessor gives feedback direct to the learner after marking their work or observing their performance. This may be done on a 1:1 basis or maybe as a whole group. For example a group of learners who are training in paddlesports and may be perfecting a particular way of turning or manoevring their craft. The instructor may offer feedback or guidance to the learners on how to make changes to their hold or stroke of the paddle in order to better complete the turn. They may direct their comment to one or more individuals who are making a specific error or who need a slight adjustment to improve. Or the feedback may be to the whole group if a common error is spotted.
5. Formal written or verbal feedback - this is usually in response to the formal submission of work, an essay, a portfolio of evidence or a formal observation of practice. The learner completes the assessment and then the assessor will mark the work and give feedback. Depending on the qualification this may be a comment on whether the work passes or not or maybe the feedback may follow a referral and the learner can then resubmit. For example when you take your driving test the examiner will tell you at the end if you have passed and if not what the fail points were. You then have to resit the whole test again but at least you know what to work on. For other qualifications you will receive a referral and the feedback will enable the learner to come back and re-take those specific parts of the test. As the assessor it is important to be clear why the learner did not pass and the steps they need to take in order to achieve a pass in the future.
Maybe you have used one or more of these types of feedback in your training and assessing practice. Which have you found to be most useful and which engage the learners the most? Let me know in the comments.
Regulated First Aid qualifications
For the last 7 years I have been running Peritia Training, a centre accredited by ITC First to deliver regulated first aid qualifications. I didn't really make a conscious choice to deliver regulated qualifications, at the time I didn't really know what that actually meant. But I did make a conscious choice to set up a high quality training centre and that is how I ended up choosing to deliver regulated qualifications.
The regulatory bodies of the UK
In this blog post I will explain what regulated qualifications mean for me and the importance that I attach to them.
Let me explain, starting at the top:
Qualifications are regulated by one of the following - Ofqual, SQA, Qualifications Wales or CCEA (Northern Ireland).
Awarding Organisations then develop qualifications which gain recognition by one, or more, of the regulators.
Training centres (like my own Peritia Training) are then accredited by one, or more, Awarding Organisations to deliver those regulated qualifications.
In order for a qualification to be recognised by the regulators it has to be fit for purpose. This means that the syllabus, assessment methods, total qualification time and guided learning hours have all been approved as sufficient for that particular qualification.
The regulators also set out the quality assurance procedures that must be in place both Externally (through the Awarding Organisation) and Internally (through the accredited training centre). These procedures ensure standardisation of assessment practices and then ongoing quality of both trainers and assessors.
The HSE require that employers do due diligence checks on any first aid training provider that they are using to provide a course for their employees. However if they chose a training provider who is delivering regulated qualifications then these checks do not need to be carried out.
A first aid centre that is delivering non-regulated qualifications would need to prove to employers that their courses were being delivered to the same standard as those accredited by an Awarding Organisation to deliver regulated qualifications. So this could mean a lot more work for the centre manager. Non-regulated simply means that the centre delivers and certificates their own courses and is responsible for their own quality assurance. If an employer asks then the centre has an obligation to prove their quality to the employer.
Delivering regulated qualifications can be more costly as the centre is having to pay the Awarding Organisation for the registration and certification of learners, plus the costs of External Quality Assurance. Depending on the Awarding Organisation this could be a cost per learner, per course or it could involve an annual payment plus a cost per learner, per course. Most Awarding Organisations will also sell course manuals which you can buy as required or in bulk.
Delivering outdoor first aid qualifications
I like being an accredited centre, I can go onto the portal and download course syllabi, course assessment guidelines, course paperwork and other documentation. I can order course manuals relevant to the needs of my learners. I know that all of this will meet the guidelines set out by the UK Resus council and any other advisory bodies relating to the delivery of first aid.
I like having someone on the end of the phone who I can speak to if I have an issue with one of my courses. As a sole trainer this is important support for me. I also know that if there is a problem with one of my learners then I have complaints, appeals and other procedures to fall back on within the Awarding Organisation. It is this support which I feel is invaluable.
A learner choosing to do a regulated course can do so with the knowledge that the course content and assessment methods have been externally approved. The trainer/assessor delivering the course will be of the required level and have the experience necessary to both teach the necessary skills, and also assess that the learner can perform those skills to the level dictated by the course. If there are any issues with the course then the learner can follow the appropriate procedures to complain or appeal - all the way to the regulators if necessary. If the course provider goes out of business and a replacement certificate is required then the learner could obtain this direct from the awarding organisation.
Now I fully understand that a centre can deliver high quality courses on their own, produce their own certificates and conduct their own quality assurance. But for me I would rather have the external quality, the support and the reassurance for those attending my courses and if this involves a higher payment then I consider that money well spent.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.