Keeping it interesting with multimedia

- If I could give you one piece of advice it would be to think like a kindergarten teacher. Kindergarten teachers are constantly providing new and different experiences to the students and yes, it's to keep them busy but it's to also expand the learning of the students and to continually provide them with new stimulating concepts and experiences. And adults are no different. We like show and tell and having new experiences as much as kindergarten students. Don't shy away from using a multimedia approach to creating effective instruction. For example, in a face to face classroom, use physical items to show examples and non examples of what you're discussing. You might be explaining quality as an abstract concept but to actually show the learners what a bad quality item looks and feels like versus a high quality item helps turn an abstract idea like quality into a tangible element that can be more easily understood. If you were teaching quality you might consider bringing in half a dozen defective parts. Give the learners a chance to physically touch and examine those parts. That hands on experience will bring home a different types of defects to the learners. Then it will be much more concrete to them when you discuss how to avoid defects in the future. If you were teaching online courses, then use 2D or 3D pictures to show examples and non examples. Use timelines to show progression or changes over time. Use drag and drop experiences to show relationships. Use clickable images to show additional information or to have the learner identify specific parts of an item. The important thing is to properly match the functionality of the e-learning tool with the instructional need. If I could give you one more piece of advice, it would be to build practice opportunities into the instruction. Once you've shown the learner what to do, allow them to practice that behavior or task. In a classroom, it's much easier to ensure that learners practice because you can watch them practice and give them feedback. But you can also design online learning with breaks or practice time and actively encourage the learner to practice. And although you can't see what they're doing, give them a checklist or a scoring sheet so they can rate themselves on how they performed. Then, if they feel they need more practice, they can continue to practice the skill or knowledge that you provided in a training. Sometimes, just mentioning the need to practice to improve skills can be a helpful reminder for the learner. Remember, think like a kindergarten teacher. Provide plenty of show and tell opportunities as well as built in time to practice. Adding these elements to your instruction will help you build effective and meaningful training.