A quick method for starting out a review (or reviving one that is stalling). Go around the room and ask people to tell the group all the verbs they have been doing today.

e.g.

Climbing, Canoeing, Swimming, Falling, Sliding, Catching, Carrying, Paddling, Shaking….

Alternatively, have them collect them on a flipchart, or white board.

I also find this useful in encouraging people to move from “task” to “process”, by guiding their thoughts towards the non-obvious verbs.

e.g.

Sharing, Arguing, Discussing, Leading, Learning, Helping, Supporting, Plotting, Scheming, etc

It’s a quick, lively, thought provoking exercise that can take on a life of it’s own!

All other things being equal Sam should be presenting at this event. It would be great to see you all there.

Trainers’ Exchange

South West

Friday 25th March 2011

Woodlands Castle

Taunton

10am-4pm

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Review is a key tool for almost all forms of learning. Whether you call it an “after action report” or a “personal reflection”, we must review our actions if we are to learn from them.

Choosing the right form of review is a skilled task, more art than science. Here are 10 questions to ask yourself before you dive into your next review

1. Do we want to review what just happened?

Sometimes it’s important to review as a group, sometimes it’s best to let the action speak for itself. The individual’s reflection over time may be enough.

2. Are we ready to review yet?

Even if we want to review the action, are the participants in a state where it will be useful? Could they do with more time to process what just happened or are they bursting to share their thoughts?

3. Is this the right time to review?

Even if we feel ready to review what just happened, is it worth leaving until we have eaten or are less tired, or do we need to capture the learning now?

4. Are we in the right location to review?

Sometimes it helps to be at the scene of the action, sometimes some distance is useful. Is this setting inspirational, will it help anchor the learning. Are there distractions and are they useful?

5. Are the right people here to ensure a successful review?

Do we need the whole group here? Should we split into smaller groups? Do some people need to reflect on their own? With or without leaders/trainers?

6. What role will I have in the review?

Should I contribute? Facilitate? Sit quietly? Be absent? Observe?

7. What format and structure will the review take?

Options include: Group discussion, written reports, structured notes, questionnaires, presentations, personal conversations, pictures, slideshows.

8. What tools do I have available to me during the review?

Do I have access to exercises, models, pictures and theories that might help explain my points, or help others to make theirs?

9. Are we going to capture the review for further review?

Is the review of interest to anyone other than the participants? Will they want a chance to revisit the review again later? Will they be building on this review?

10. If we are, how?

Sometimes taking notes is useful, what about video? Is there a formal system in place for reflection that needs to be completed?

From Fiona at the Institute for Outdoor Learning

The government today announced the suspension of the introduction of the Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS) pending the outcome of a comprehensive review which is likely to result in re-modelling and significant scaling back of the scope of the scheme. The scope of the re-modelling process is currently being finalised and will be announced in due course.

Although registration with the VBS (due to begin from July 2010) will not now go ahead, the ISA will continue to make barring decisions on individuals and to maintain the two barring lists.

For more information on the ISA, visit: www.isa-gov.org.uk.

To view the Home Office press release visit: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/media-centre/press-releases/Vetting-barring-scheme

The new safeguarding regulations introduced in October 2009 continue to apply.  This is the current advice on the Independent Safeguarding Authority website:

• A person who is barred from working with children or vulnerable adults will be breaking the law if they work or volunteer, or try to work or volunteer with those groups.
• An organisation which knowingly employs someone who is barred to work with those groups will also be breaking the law.
• If your organisation works with children or vulnerable adults and you dismiss a member of staff or a volunteer because they have harmed a child or vulnerable adult, or you would have done so if they had not left, you must tell the Independent Safeguarding Authority.
  

In the meantime organisations are therefore recommended to continue to implement their existing safe recruitment processes, which should include CRB checks for relevant individuals and posts.

Teaching map work is never easy and compass bearings seem to be one of the hardest topics for learners to grasp. Given an OS map to work from, there is often too much detail and to many lines that confuse them when they are first taking grid bearings.

I have used a task called Mapland a few times with significant success. By removing much of the confusing information and including only what the learner needs to take their bearing, they can concentrate on getting the technique right before transferring that skill to proper topographical maps.

The PDF for the task is linked below. There are four questions on the sheet which learners can attempt. No mention is made of magnetic deviation (GMA) as this will vary depending on where the learners are, feel free to include it if you think it will be useful.

Also, no answers are given. If you are teaching this it shouldn’t take you more than 5 minutes to work them out!

Mapland Navigation Task [PDF]

It’s licensed under the Creative Commons system so feel free to share it around. Happy Navigation!

“Always seems to me, that ‘Sorry’ seems to be the hardest word….”

-Elton John and Bernie Taupin

We all know it’s hard to say sorry. Even when we know we are wrong, or have wronged someone else, even when we know we should apologise, it can be the hardest thing in the world to do.

Maybe it’s the loss of face involved, the admission that we are fallible. Maybe it’s the fact that we are making ourselves vulnerable to someone else, to scorn or ridicule. Even though we know that most apologies are accepted gracefully, we still have to find some inner strength to find the right words to say.

These Sorry Cards are designed to reduce the barriers to saying sorry. With groups of young people, I introduce them at the start of a course and let them know that they are available should they want them. If they need to apologise to someone they can come and get a card from me, no questions asked and give it to that person. If we have a base to work from I put them somewhere where they can help themselves.

By reducing the need to find the right words for the apology, and by turning it into a simple action, it reduces the feeling of exposing oneself to scorn, rejection or ridicule.

They have a number of different designs to let the giver chose a pattern they like, or think the receiver would like. You could of course create your own, or even get the group to create their own at the start of the course, in case they are needed.

Like all reviewing techniques it doesn’t work with every group, but if you have a fiery group where conflict is common, try it.

PDF: Sorry_Cards

Nicki from Saltbox has been running a research project on “the ways in which creative arts, the natural environment, and holistic or healing techniques are used in training, and whether they help people to learn.” After her initial questionnaire, she writes;

We’ve been thrilled with the response – over 50 people have completed the questionnaire and we’ve also had lots of additional contributions via email and telephone. We are also reviewing existing research and good practice, and have amassed loads of really interesting and useful information as a result.

Our next stage is to follow up the initial survey with more in-depth discussions and investigations over the coming weeks, and to this end we are holding a Discussion group on Wednesday 16th December from 10.30am – 1.00pm at the Pierian Centre in Bristol. This is a great opportunity to participate further in this project and to do some valuable networking.

If you design/deliver or purchase training which uses creative or unusual techniques to have an impact, or have experience of this as a learner, and would like to come along and share your views, please email us to book a place.

Those who participate in the discussion group will get a free place at the launch event in the new year, where we’ll disseminate the results of this research in the form of a really useful, practical book or guide. We’ll also run workshops at this event to showcase some of the ideas and techniques explored during the research project, so it’ll be an event not to be missed.

We’ll be there, perhaps we will see you?

When we have to create something new, we need to be creative, we need to innovate. Our thought processes can work in one or two ways, either they can be divergent, generating new ideas out of the ones we already have or convergent, refining the ideas we have into a conclusion.

Divergent Thinking

This is the production of new ideas, building on existing ideas or going in new directions. It should quickly develop a list, many of which will be useless but amongst them should be some gems.
Also known as: brain-storming, imagining, bouncing ideas around.

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Bill Krouwel of Trinity College, Carmarthen has started a social network  for those of us working in Development Training who have an interest in Emergent Learning. In his words;

“For those who are uncomfortable with the fashionable idea that learning events don’t count unless they have tight, pre-set objectives.”

If you have an interest  in such things, please do come and join us or ask me for an invite.

At Totem we believe that outdoor training is a tool, not
an end in its own right.

A carpenter might sometimes reach for a chisel while making a chair, but it’s not the only tool he uses. In the same way, for trainers and training managers, only sometimes the outdoors is the right tool for the job.

We work with training organisations to deliver their learning aims, or parts of them, using the outdoors as the vehicle. We are proud to be a small cog in a larger training machine.

Unlike traditional adventure education, with us it’s not always climbing vertiginous mountains and paddling raging rivers. We frequently make use of the near-doors, that natural area just beyond the classroom where lessons can still be learnt but it’s still pretty comfortable, and a cup of tea isn’t far away. Adventure is, after all, a state of mind.

Our trainers use a mix of taught theory and ‘learning by doing’ (experiential) challenges. This allows the academic learning to be reinforced by practical examples of working with others under exciting conditions.