How to Engage All Learners: Creating Inclusive Training Spaces
What lessons, courses or training have stuck in your memory and helped to develop your skills? It’s unlikely to be those following the traditional classroom model of passive listening. More likely, you’ve learnt more from a YouTube video, a practical activity or an open discussion. Unfortunately, I still see trainers who stand at the front, talking for long periods, while clicking through their slide deck. This is not the way to engage all learners. As trainers, we have a responsibility to create inclusive training spaces. Know Your Subject, Know Your Audience It’s a given that as a trainer, you need to know your subject inside out. A deep knowledge enables you to adapt the content and confidently respond to questions. Additionally, it is ideal if you are fascinated by what you share and keen to learn more. That’s because your enthusiasm is infectious and you’ll be open to ideas or perspectives offered by the learners. It is equally vital to know your audience and this is where a lot of training falls flat. You need to be as curious about the participants as you are about the subject matter. I find a pre-training discussion or survey to be effective for gathering the following insight: At this point, I want to add that many learners have had a negative experience in school. Around a third* of young people leave education without achieving Grade 4 (low C) in both English and Maths. This shows their learning needs have not been met. Others have experienced bullying. As a result, some of your training participants will have adverse preconceptions about learning. They don’t feel confident about their ability to learn and are switched off before they arrive or log in. So, how will you break down that barrier? Inclusive Training Environments Use the information about your audience to consider the training environment. That could include a room or building. What equipment is required to make it accessible or is there an alternative space that can be used? We often think of accessible spaces as being wheelchair friendly, with step-less entry, wide doorways and disabled toilets. However, in a diverse audience, there will be diverse needs. These might include requirements for hearing loops, sockets to plug in assisted technology and adaptions to the lighting. If you are offering virtual training, explore channels with accessibility features and enable interaction. I have been impressed by the growing list of accessibility features on Zoom, which include: Becoming familiar with these tools, knowing your audience and informing participants about relevant features before the training will make your course more accessible. Inclusive Learning Practices There is no need to wait for participants to share specific learning needs. That’s because there are many steps to make your content more inclusive. Use Plain English in Training Course Avoid jargon, complex descriptions and expressions, such as ‘kill two birds with one stone’ in your training. The audience may include people with English as a second language, people with neurodivergence and people with low literacy levels. Therefore, clear and simple language is the way to increase understanding. Use Inclusive Language with Delegates Keep up to date with what is socially and culturally acceptable and make no assumptions. So, if you are unsure about what’s appropriate, ask. Use a Range of Training Material Formats A variety of learning resources will help to cement key information. To appeal to different learning styles, include audio-visual elements, group discussions, activities, a workbook or a handout. Make All Formats Accessible Add subtitles and/or printed transcripts for video, use icons and infographics to share data, print handouts in larger font sizes or provide documents as a PDF, which can be read using screen readers. Ask Open Questions Specifically, ask questions relating to delegates’ experiences of the points you are making. This helps tailor the course and make it more relevant to delegates. It also provides a forum for discussion, idea sharing and feedback. I believe that peer learning is a valuable element in any training session, as the trainer will never have all the answers. Don’t Force Participation in Training Activities Training activities are a great way to break up the course and help delegates experience or explore the point you are making. However, not everyone will be comfortable about getting involved. You can encourage interaction but don’t force the point if someone is reluctant. Post-Training Follow-Up You’ve shared the final slide and answered any questions; the course is over, but the learning isn’t. This is your time to discover ways to improve your training skills and understand what else you can do to create an inclusive training space. For this, you need honest delegate feedback. Immediately after the training, most people are keen to get home or out for a break. As a result, the comments on a feedback form are often limited; it really is a tick-box exercise! Therefore, I recommend sending a link for feedback post-training the next day. You could include links to resources that you referenced during the course or a copy of the slides. Additionally, you could follow up with the organiser a few weeks later to ask how they are getting on with applying the learning. Have they become aware of anything that would be useful to know that wasn’t covered in the training? Inclusive Training in Summary To make your training inclusive to a diverse audience, I recommend: Let’s give delegates a positive learning experience that sparks their curiosity, supports their development and makes them feel included. If you’re intrigued to learn fresh approaches for sharing your message, take a look at my group training for trainers. These sessions cover the full spectrum from creating a training programme to using virtual training tools and finessing your content and/or delivery * https://ffteducationdatalab.org.uk/2024/09/a-closer-look-at-pupils-who-did-not-achieve-the-basics-at-gcse/#
