Training Skills: Using creativity in the classroom

by Susan McMaster
NETCSC Contributing Writer

Why should environmental trainers be creative in the classroom? When we were in school, we sat through lots of boring classes.
If that was good enough for us then, shouldn’t it be good enough for today’s students? After all, we are there to teach from our infinite wisdom; we are not there to become the most
popular instructor on campus.

In reality, however, we probably remember very little of what we learned in most classes in the “old days.” Much of what we learned in school has been forgotten or no longer applies. Times change; technologies change; attitudes change. What we do remember comes from practical application of the knowledge we learned. Therefore, it is incumbent upon us
as trainers to set up learning situations that capture or recreate the lessons we have learned from practical experience—and that requires creativity.

What we know about adult learners

After about age 18, some skills become more difficult. For example, adults have a harder time memorizing lists just to memorize them—like the elements on a periodic table. Frankly, I think adults have finally wised up to the fact that it is easier to look up information than to memorize it. Adults could memorize isolated facts but usually choose not to do so.

Instead, adults learn best when new learning is related to old learning. A single fact is like a single thread—easily broken, easily forgotten. However, if we weave that single thread into the rich tapestry that is our mind, it will last virtually forever. Therefore, when we teach, we have to weave new knowledge into knowledge that students have already mastered. Our favorite word should be the comparative word “like.” How is this new concept we are teaching similar to something the student has experienced or seen? Every trip to the hardware store, the grocery store, or even a
toy store should be an expedition to find some simple illustration of a complex concept we are teaching.

For example, you might bring in a mixer with a single beater and cake mix ingredients. As a student mixes the batter, notice how the mix is flung up against the sides and the center sinks down. Perhaps this is similar to the way a centrifuge pump operates. Another example would be to cut the top off a two-liter soda bottle. Cut a hole in the side of the bottle for a straw and seal it with caulk. Fill the bottle with water below the straw. Use a mixer with a
single beater and watch water come out of the straw to illustrate centrifugal pump action.

What we know about learning styles

Adult learners retain the most information when they learn by seeing and doing. They retain the least amount when they learn by reading and by hearing. Yet, most college classes traditionally have followed primarily a lecture format with assigned reading. Additional formats—such as guided discussions, role plays, case studies, and demonstrations—not only add interest to the course but also appeal to various learning styles.

How students can help themselves

We know that not everyone learns the same way. Students need to be given permission to discover their own learning styles. We need to suggest various possibilities to students so they can experiment with strategies that complement their learning style. Here are some options:

• Some students need to rise early in the morning and study before coming to class. Others need to take a nap in the afternoon and study late at night. Different people have their own time clocks and should be encouraged to try different study habits.
• Some students need absolute quiet in order to think. Other students seem to learn better with music, particularly baroque, which tends to mimic a heartbeat. Try an experiment by offering tests in a silent environment and one with soft music. See what works. Have students memorize lists by putting the words to
  a popular song.
• Some students need to try different color highlighter pens for textbooks—one for terms, one for concepts discussed in class, etc. Others need to outline the information in their own words or draw pictures or diagrams to see how concepts relate to each other.
• It is helpful for students to read assigned textbook assignments aloud. This helps them stay awake and uses the sense of hearing as well as sight to retain the information.

How instructors can be creative

Teaching never has to become boring. For every topic we teach, we should have multiple strategies for getting the point across. Here are some guidelines:

Avoid depending on a single medium.
Some trainers feel very comfortable with PowerPoint® presentations, so they persist in turning their whole lesson plan into slide after slide. The same is true for those who like transparencies and traditional slides. The trick is to use these wonderful media sparingly. Think of media as punctuation—not the entire essay. Twelve minutes is enough for any type of medium. If we want to show a long video, for example, we should stop the tape after a few minutes and ask a few questions about what the students have learned so far, or we can break up the video with a demonstration or written exercise.

If we tend to rely heavily on slides, we can force ourselves to break this habit by inserting review questions right on a slide. This technique forces us to break the monotony of slides and involve the group.

Allow students to fidget. Most instructors waste time cajoling students to “Sit still, and pay attention.” We should remember that some students—especially adults—need to fidget in order to pay attention. Consider having boxes on the table that contain quiet objects like rope, clay, smooth rocks, squeeze balls, etc. The only rule is that if objects disrupt the class, they disappear. This technique actually helps active students concentrate on lectures. Although some instructors are reluctant to try quiet objects, it is amazing how much they help some students to pay attention and how much easier it is on the instructor than hearing ball point pens click throughout the class.

Let students figure it out for themselves. When we are teaching adults, we are never writing on a blank wall. Many times we will be surprised to find out how much students know. Before we start spewing information, we should try to determine what students already know. In fact, we should try never to tell students things they can figure out for themselves.

For example, when I start teaching about groundwater, I often start by drawing a simple picture on the easel chart. I might include some hills with fields and a feed lot, Farmer Jones’s house, a septic tank, a leaking underground gasoline storage tank for the tractor, a well, a dump, etc. Then, I ask teams of students to draw the same picture and add in the water cycle and the groundwater. Students are often able to identify key points about groundwater contamination. The time that is spent on this group exercise is made up because I can often skip the lecture and slides that bring out the same points, and students remember the information longer if they “discover” the concepts for themselves.

How instructors can encourage
critical thinking

I have done hundreds of interviews with groups of potential employers in various career fields. There is a common theme: employers want someone who can solve problems. They want someone who knows how to find information, not memorize it. They want employees who can apply what they have learned to troubleshoot problems on the job.

How can instructors use creative training methods in the classroom to encourage critical thinking? Here are a few ideas:

• Give students a scavenger list of words. Each team has to complete an assignment, such as to find out how the words relate to each other, find three facts about each word, list the words in order according to which is most effective in cleaning water and explain why, or determine the importance of each word to wastewater technology. Students should have to go to the library, use texts, use the Internet, ask an expert, etc.
• Give teams a box filled with straws, matchboxes, plastic, coffee filters, sand, etc., and have them make their own wastewater plant.
• Create a role-play scenario. Give four or five students an actual troubleshooting situation—such as a stormwater event or a mechanical failure. Each student has either seen a symptom or taken some action, and each one knows some part of what has happened. Ask another three-person team to serve as the troubleshooting team. They can ask questions and see props. The troubleshooting team has to determine the root cause and recommend solutions.
• Collect and keep broken equipment and build in “bugs” with new equipment. Have students determine what is wrong with the equipment.
• Have students make up their own tests and submit it with an answer key. Grade them on how thoroughly they covered the key points in the unit.
• Give an open book test that requires students to look up and interpret information rather than just memorize it.

Pitfalls of creativity

Sometimes creativity can be carried too far. For example, some instructors create a PowerPoint® slide with so many colors and fonts that it looks like a ransom note. Also, a few sound effects go a long way. The trick is to make sure that the medium does not overpower the message.

Slides should be simple—avoid italics and script. Never find yourself saying, “I know you can’t read this, but . . .”. Likewise, keep clip art to a minimum, use a simple font in 24-point type or larger, use phrases rather than paragraphs, and limit words to about 36 per slide. Add pictures, diagrams, and videos to help students visualize concepts.

Many instructors include icebreakers and games. The criterion we should use is simple: Does this game help the students understand the subject? If it is a pointless game, avoid it. However, if it is a “koosh” ball thrown from student to student as part of a question/answer exercise, it is both innovative and practical. A bingo game, a Jeopardy game, a Wheel of Fortune game, etc., can make a testing situation innovative and involve the entire class. However, all types of media and games lose their innovation if they are used over and over again.

Strive for innovation

Every activity done in a classroom should help students learn the subject matter. However, classes can be structured and organized without being boring. Lecture, guided discussions, role plays, demonstrations, and media—all have their places in the classroom, but any training method or medium can be overused. Classes do not have to be a laugh a minute, but trainers should strive to have each class include an innovative technique that surprises and delights the learners. That way, when students describe what they learned to other students, they should say, “Wow! You just had to be there to see the point.”