Practice – reflections on induction
This week has been very busy with New staff inductions, course enrolments and induction for the new students into our mobile technology program.
The one aspect of this week that has been repeatedly reinforced is the need for practice, practice and more practice. Whether it is students being introduced to their new laptop, or staff being taught a new system, the value of practice can not be underestimated. Often as the instructor, it is easy to overlook this aspect as the skill being taught is an ingrained skill (unconcious competence).
It also became clear that the more modes (Visual, auditory, kinaesthetic etc) we use to transmit our process the better. It is not enough to just tell someone, or show them, or to give them a piece of paper with instructions. For best uptake we must do all of this and practice.
Another aspect that became increasingly clear was information overload. How much information can be taken in in one session? What is a reasonable amount to expect a new staff member or student to learn in a session?
Do these sound familiar….
- What must we teach? and why?
- When can we practice and reinforce this?
- How do we deliver it to maximise retention?
- How much is enough and how much is too much?
