Summary of Training from the Back of the Room

Summary of the key points I got from Training from the Back of the Room by Sharon L. Bowman:

Summary of Training from the Back of the Room

Connections (opening activities)

Warm-up (pre-training)

Goal: Expose and create interest in the topic to be learned

Potential activities:

• Interview an Expert
• People and Personal Surveys
• Pop Quiz
• Scavenger Hunt
• Web Hunt

Fast Pass

Goal: Engage learners the moment they “enter the room”

Potential activities:

• Dot Voting
• Post It
• Take a Guess
• Think It Then Ink It
• Turn and Talk

Start-Up (longer version of Fast Pass)

Goal: Engage learners the moment they “enter the room”

Potential activities:

• Card Carousel
• Standing Survey
• Table Talk
• Wall Writing
• Where Do You Stand?

Concepts (instruction activities)

Concept Maps

Goal: Give learners a visual outline of the information

Potential activities:

• Basic Map
• Burger Map
• Flow Chart Map
• Free Flow Map
• Timeline Map

Interactive Lecture Strategies

Goal: Active participation by the learners

Potential activities:

• Beat the Clock
• Bend, Breathe, and Write
• Pass That Card
• Rapid Response
• Stand, Stretch, and Speak

Jigsaw Activities (teaching to learn)

Goal: Give learners responsibility for their own learning

Potential activities:

• Concept Card Experts
• Concept Clinic
• Jigsaw Choices
• One-Person Experts
• Table Group Experts

Concept Centers

Goal: Enable learners to learn, review, or practice a specific topic

Potential activities:

• Computer Centers
• Discussion Centers
• Learning-Created Centers
• Table Centers
• Wall Centers

Concrete Practice (practice activities)

Teach-Back

Goal: Have learners teach each other what they learned. Helps with memory and validates understanding.

Potential activities:

• Circle Teach-Back
• Improv Teach-Back
• One-Legged Teach-Back
• Paired Teach-Back
• Table Teach-Back

Skills-Based

Goal: Practice the skills being learned

Potential activities:

• Each Teach
• In-Room Mentoring
• Rounds and Repetition
• Skills-Based Game Shows
• Table Demonstrations

Learner-Created Games

Goal: Give learners responsibility for their own practice AND fun.

Potential activities:

• Ball Toss
• Card Games
• Cooperative Jeopardy
• Grab and Gab
• Group Scavenger Hunts

Conclusions (closing activities)

Learner-Led Summaries

Goal: Learners summarize what they learned

Potential activities:

• Card Exchange
• Learning Logs
• Round Robin
• Stand and Deliver
• Table Talk

Evaluation Strategies

Goal: Provide a way for learners to assess what they learned and how they might apply it

Potential activities:

• Email Blast
• Four-Square Feedback
• Four-Square Levels of Learning
• May We Quote You?
• Where Do You Stand?

Celebrations

Goal: End training on a positive note

Potential activities:

• Certificate Car Wash
• Circle Celebration
• I Like My Neighbour
• Make and Take
• Walk and Talk