Cognitive

Analyze, synthesize, use inductive and deductive reasoning, solve problems effectively and creatively

Context

This project was a brief review and performance analysis of a training event at Fallbrook High School. In this artifact, I presented what I would do differently from a human performance perspective, conducting a performance technology makeover, so to speak, on a training situation that had failed to make long-term changes in the learners.

In the fall of 2002 I was one of a cadre of teachers at Fallbrook High School (FHS) leading a schoolwide initiative to use computers in teaching and learning. Our technology team conducted a Saturday training event for teachers consisting of various workshops.

Even though the workshops were a hit, it was evident, especially as the weeks went by, that no real change occurred in teachers’ technology behavior. The artifact I have chosen to demonstrate my mastery of this standard presents what I would do differently.

Linkage

In my proposed makeover, I analyzed the performance situation by examining the underlying problems, motivation, drivers, and barriers as to why teachers were resistant to using technology. I then proposed a solution system that involved both training and non-training interventions as well as a follow-up system to increase the likelihood that teachers would incorporate what they have learned into their instructional practices.

Challenges & Opportunities

Very rarely do you get to do a “do over” in life. This was one of those rare opportunities… kind of. In this assignment I was able to revisit a human performance situation that had turned out to be a failure and then propose an alternative approach.

The first barrier to overcome was to admit that I had failed as a technology leader. Once I was able to do that, I could then take an honest look at the performance situation. Recognizing the shortcomings of the initial event helped me recognize the deep-rooted issues at play on the FHS campus.

Conducting this makeover demonstrated the importance of addressing performance issues with non-training solutions as well as traditional training. Interventions like job aids, checklists, mentoring, and coaching should have been obvious at the time. But just as many organizations do, FHS simply “threw training money” at the situation; after all, teachers teach, so conducting a training event seemed to be the obvious solution on the surface.

The key component of my makeover was my approach to enhancing learning transfer (Wick, et. al. 2006). I proposed:

• Group discussions
• Meaningful application of training content learned in the context of actual classroom instruction
• Accountability tied to teacher performance and evaluation
• Development of dedicated technology mentors and coaches

Results

Despite my analysis and much improved solution system, I’ll never know if my makeover would have succeeded. The reality of the situation is that this was just a “what if” since I no longer teach. A true test would be to go back in time and do it the right way. However, I can say that my makeover was well received during the time that I presented it to my EDTEC 685 instructor.

Personal & Professional Development

It’s tough to admit that something went wrong. I haven’t failed much at things I’ve attempted in life. But failure is most definitely a path that can lead to future success. Recognizing when something doesn’t work helps me to learn from those mistakes and not to repeat them.

Professionally, I don’t always get to include non-training solutions since Client deliverables are typically training products. However, from time-to-time I get to sneak one in, even if it’s not a primary deliverable. For example, in one of our projects our stakeholders provided us with technical manuals, existing training materials, and other documents via file transfer protocol (FTP). To assist in that effort, I recognized that some stakeholders may not know how to FTP. So I created a job aid that taught how to set up and use FTP software.

—
References:
Wick, Calhoun W., Pollock, Roy V. H., Jefferson, Andrew McK., & Flanagan, Richard D. (2006). The six disciplines of breakthrough learning: How to turn training and development into business results. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.