Tag Archives: design

10 ways to split big groups into small groups or pairs

By Paul | Published: March 4, 2010
As trainers we are constantly looking for fresh and interesting ways to subdivide our groups into smaller groups and over the years I guess we all have our favourites. So what are yours? As a starter for 10, here are my top 10 (in no particular order!) that I have begged, borrowed, designed and stolen: A continuum of [...]
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Dale’s Cone of Learning figures debunked

By Paul | Published: March 3, 2010
Edgar Dale was a US educationist and professor of educations at Ohio State University. In 1946 he developed his most famous model, the cone of learning.Since then it has been quoted frequently, far and wide as the definitive evidence for how we retain information when delivered in various styles and mediums and has informed how to design training courses in specific ways. This is unfortunate, because the figures we associate with the model are meaningless. In this post, Paul explains why and encourages to be careful when sharing 'facts' with others.
Posted in Theory | Also tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

There is no such thing as a difficult delegate

By Paul | Published: February 7, 2010
Last week, Paul was running a workshop with a new group with a new colleague who was familiar with the group. At the end of the session, the new colleague expressed surprise that a normally difficult learner seemed very happy and didn't disrupt the group. Paul reflects on this experience and pinpoints the reasons why he believes the normally difficult delegate responded well during the session.
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A design for design Part 2

By Paul | Published: February 4, 2010
In the final instalment, Paul explains how the subject of the training is like The Olympic Games. This conclusion then influences the content sequencing and ensures that the learning is layered by starting with the common basics and layers complexity as new understanding is gained.
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A design for design Part 1

By Paul | Published: February 3, 2010
Paul reflects on a highly enjoyable afternoon with a client designing a 2 day training session around a very specific process. By challenging the common design practice of training the sequential process in a logical fashion, he demonstrates how to increase effectiveness by beginning with the learning outcomes.
Posted in Practice | Also tagged , , , | 3 Comments