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WORKPLACE TRAINING

CONTENTS

Training Session

BRIEF - MONITOR - DEBRIEF. PAGE NUMBER

Introduction 120

The brief 120 – 121

Structure of brief 121

Monitoring 122

Controlling 122

Observing 122

Controlling 122 - 124

Recording 124

The debrief 125 - 127

Structure of BMD method 127 - 128

Example of BMD lesson plan 129 - 130

Revision 131

Notes 132

Learning Outcome 11

Deliver a practical training session.

Assessment Criteria

14.1 State the purpose of practical method instruction.

14.2 Describe the structure and characteristics of the practical methods of instruction.

14.3 Structure a practical training session.

14.4 Deliver a practical training session.

REFERENCES

a. Australian Army Manual of Land Warfare (Part 3, Training), 1984.

b.

Training System Manual (Volume 4, The Conduct of Training), Royal Australian Navy,

1989.

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BRIED MONITOR DEBRIED (BMD) Introduction 1. Service training courses are designed to prepare a student for a specific job. To the end courses should include relevant theory aspects pf the job coupled with practical exercises which apply that theory. The practical exercise is an opportunity for the student to apply existing knowledge and skills either to consolidate or to develop new skills. 2. Practical exercises are conducted in a variety of ways using a range of equipment. Because these exercises are designed to provide a learning experience for students, the quality of the pre exercise briefing and post exercise debriefing must be a high standard to maximize that learning. Where scant regard is given to the briefing and debriefing the benefits of the practical exercise may be lost. 3. The techniques discussed in this section of the notes apply primarily to the conduct of practical exercises in training, but much of it is equally applicable to operational briefings and debriefing. There are some obvious differences, particularly in the level of student participation and in the style and nature of interventions, but the general structure holds good for operational and training exercises. 4. Essentially a BMD consists of the following three phases:

Students are Briefed on a task to be performed.

Instructors Monitor the student performance.

Students are Debriefed on their performance. 5. The BMD is used to:

Simulate real life situations.

Safely do otherwise dangerous tasks.

Promote application of learning.

Test knowledge. THE BRIEF

6. Although a briefing is an intense period of instruction, it should not be used to teach new theory. 7. Rather, it is used to focus attention on the subsequent exercise as well as on those known areas of theory to be utilized in the practical exercise and/or to provide the student with the necessary information to enable them to do the exercise. Hence, briefings usually contain testing questions which are used by the instructor to check relevant theory as well as to check retention and/or understanding of information given in the briefing. As briefings are of short duration (generally not more than 20 minutes) they need to be logically structured and make use of suitable visual training aids to enhance retention.

8. The purpose, therefore, of Briefs is to:

To focus attention on the subsequent exercise.

Check student recall and application of existing knowledge (not used to teach

new theory).

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State exercise objectives.

Show importance of exercise.

Check student readiness and preparation.

Outline rules, procedures and conditions of the exercise. Types of briefings

9. Usually, Briefs fall into the following three categories:

Mission brief.

Massed training brief.

Individual training brief. Uses of briefings 10. Briefs are used to confirm that the student:

Is ready to proceed with exercise.

Has a positive attitude.

Understands the aim of exercise, and

Knows procedures to successfully complete exercise.

STRUCTURE OF BRIEF 11. The following chart shows the structure of a typical Brief.

INTRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT CONSLUSION

In which the instructor: In which the instructor: In which the instructor:

states the aim of the exercise outlines assessment conditions reviews main points of the briefing

Ensures that the student is positively motivated towards the exercise

Checks knowledge of assessment conditions

Restates the aim of the exercise

Reviews the relevant back ground

Encourages student questions

Flexibility

12. The instructor should be flexible with his application of the ideal structure. If for example, during the Introduction it is found that the student’s prerequisite knowledge is lacking, time may have to be spent on revision. On the other hand, if the student is being briefed for an exercise which has been performed several times already, the instructor may ask the student to detail the rules and procedures and, by this method, simultaneously check student knowledge and maintain student interest/participation.

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MONITORING

13. There are three main reasons why the instructor should, wherever possible, monitor the student throughout the exercise:

Improvement of skills. Unless the exercise is being used exclusively as a test (pass/fail) the main purpose, if not the sole purpose, is for the student to further develop and improve skills.

Performance Assessment. The student must be given an indication of the

Standard of the performance. Grading may also be a management

requirement.

Control. The instructor must ensure that the exercise is confined to the limits

and conditions laid down in the briefing. Furthermore, it must be ensured that the student is safe and is getting training value from the exercise.

14 To satisfy these requirements, the instructor is, ideally, involved in three virtually continuous activities. Of course, different circumstances will cause the balance between these activities to vary. The three activities are:

Observing.

Controlling, and

Recording.

OBSERVING

15. Accurate and effective observation is crucial to the success of a training exercise. It must be accurate otherwise learning will not be maximized and there will be a loss of training value. To be effective it must provide the instructor with the information required without unduly affecting student performance. The instructor must be prepared for the observation activity; that is, the exercise must be analysed to identify the critical performance elements and the associated signs which indicate student success (or difficulty). Good observation is essential to effective control, recording and debriefing. CONTROLLING

16. The instructor must control the student to ensure that progress is being made and that personnel or equipment are not endangered. Furthermore, the parameters of the exercise must be controlled to ensure that the variables do not go beyond those planned or laid down in the briefing. 17. This control can be achieved either by direct intervention or indirectly by covert manipulation of the exercise variables. Effective intervention is a technique (skill?) not easily acquired and, thus, deserves special attention. Intervention Technique

18. There are four main elements to intervention technique, which the instructor must be aware of if the student and the exercise is to be effectively controlled:

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Purpose. There must be a valid reason, a purpose, for the intervention. Is

the situation becoming dangerous? Is the student making a serous or repetitive error? Has progress ceased? Is there an insurmountable problem? Do the circumstances provide a unique opportunity to exploit an important teaching point? Has the exercise gone beyond the predetermined limits? If the answer to any one of these questions is ‘yes’, then the instructor has a valid reason for intervening.

Timing. The timing of intervention will significantly affect its effectiveness, yet

there are no hard and fast rules which the instructor can use to decide exactly when intervention should take place. Timing is largely a matter of common sense coupled with an awareness of the probable effects of the intervention. Naturally, the purpose will have strong influence on timing. For example, if the student appears to be not coping with a problem, then sufficient time should be given to recognise the problem before there is any intervention – unless, of course, there is a safety hazard. On the other hand, the instructor may decide not to intervene over a trivial error in procedure, provided that it does not significantly affect the outcome of the exercise. If the student continues to make that same trivial error, the instructor should intervene before the student becomes ‘good at it’. It is important to remember that observed errors which do not result in intervention must be dealt with in the debrief.

Method. Whilst there are three distinctly different methods of direct

intervention, it is possible (even desirable on occasions) for the instructor to use more than one – or a hybrid – during a single intervention. The least effective (as a teaching aid) is the ‘taking over’ or ‘I have control’ approach. Of course it may be necessary if safety is being jeopardized but the student may not learn much from the intervention. Slightly more effective is the ‘talk through’ approach, where the instructor tells the student exactly what to do. This method is useful where prompt corrective action will save the situation, but where there is insufficient time foe the more thorough ‘interrogative’ approach. The most effective method is to use question to ‘force’ the student to identify the problem/error/situation and to determine the appropriate (corrective) action.

Consequences. An awareness of the possible consequences of intervention

will enable the instructor to select appropriate method as well as assisting with the timing of an intervention. The consequences can be considered in two ways: how intervention affects the exercise, and how it affects the student. Generally, interventions have two effects on the exercise itself: it may become disjointed and/or some of the exercise variables may be altered. In the first case, the exercise could be reduced to a series of smaller exercises which, collectively, are not equivalent to the whole. In the second case, time related variables such as work rate load and stress are affected, sometimes to the detriment of the objectives and at other times to the benefit of all concerned. The instructor must ensure that interventions are not allowed to affect the exercise in a way which will compromise the purpose of the exercise or the associated standards. The effect of intervention on the student is more complex, however, and not so easily described. The reasonably competent (‘good’) student resents intervention if there has not been an opportunity to deal with the problem. Conversely, the weaker student may appreciate assistance before the situation goes beyond any capacity to cope with it. In some cases, however, it may be necessary to

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‘force’ the weaker student to accept more difficult or challenging situations and so delayed intervention could be appropriate. Frequent intervention may cause concentration problems and can affect student moral/confidence; it can also result in the instructor doing more of the exercise than the student. To minimize these adverse effects the instructor must know the possible consequences and their likely effect on the student and intervene accordingly. This must be done in such a way that the primary purpose of the exercise is not compromised.

RECORDING

19. The instructor must keep an accurate record of the student’s performance during an exercise if the eventual assessment is to be correct and if the debriefing is to be effective. There are several sources of information which the instructor can use:

Memory. The human memory is the least reliable data source and should not be used exclusively except for very short (and simple) exercises, or when it is physically impossible to use an alternative. Subsequent recall of data tends to be selective and suffers from ‘time-distortion’. When memory is used exclusively it generally leads to a less effective debriefing structure.

Written Notes. The most obvious source of information is the written

assessment made by the instructor as he observes the student. A serious problem, equally as obvious, is that while the instructor is making notes observation is not occurring. This problem can be alleviated if the instructor prepares an assessment sheet (or checklist) which requires a minimum of effort and time to record various aspects of the student performance. The items in such a checklist should be arranged in the most likely order in which they will be observed and worded such that the required response is limited to not more than two or three words. Naturally, space should be provided for longer, more detailed, comment. The checklist items should be those identified during the analysis of the exercise.

Student Noted. The instructor may be able to refer to materials (notes, logs,

or maps) used by the student during the exercise. These notes are only as reliable and accurate as the student who produced them and the instructor should interpret them accordingly. Nevertheless, they can be useful, particularly when planning the debriefing.

Video Recordings. The use of video recordings during debriefing and

remedial/consolidation training may be beneficial, but only if the replayed image highlights those points which require attention. Video recording should not be used in isolation.

Tape Recordings. Mini and micro cassette recorders provide the instructor

with an alternative to written notes in situations where writing may be difficult. In contrast to written notes, the instructor using a cassette recorder must record ‘complete statements’, as it is not just an addition to a written checklist. Furthermore, it must be ensured that the ‘verbal’ notes do not adversely affect student performance.

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NOTE

Care should be taken to ensure equal division of attention if more than one individual is

Involved.

THE DEBRIEF

20. The purpose of the debriefing is fourfold: to identify the student’s strengths and weaknesses, to consolidate (or reinforce) what the student has learnt during the exercise , to further develop the student’s skills of self-analysis, and to focus on the required corrective actions for improved performance. 21. All of these must be integrated and presented in such a way as to appear logical to the student, not be demotivating to the student and not be excessively time consuming. To achieve these goals, firstly, the instructor must plan the debrief and, secondly, apply an effective structure. Planning the Debrief

22. There are four clear steps in planning a debrief which should be done as soon as possible after the exercise has finished:

Determine Strengths and Weaknesses. The instructor usually records the

observations of the student’s performance as straight observations. What must them be done is to identify the causes of these observations in terms of Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes, because it is these attributes (KSA) which are the student’s actual strengths and weaknesses.

Order of Importance. The strengths should be listed separately in order of

importance. Repeat for the weaknesses.

Consider Times and Emphasis. The instructor must now decide whether

the strengths and weaknesses as listed can all be covered in the time available. If not, then the least important may be ‘struck off’ the list (as far as the verbal debrief is conceded) until the remainder will fit into the time available. If there isn’t a time limit, then other factors may apply. For example, if the exercise has been very poorly done and there is only one very serious weakness plus a number of relatively minor faults, then the instructor may decide to concentrate (as far as weaknesses are concerned) on the very serious weakness only.

Select Opening Comments. Very often the student’s frame of mind is

determined by the instructor’s opening remarks. Therefore, it is important that the instructor carefully selects the opening remarks to ensure that the student starts the debrief with a positive attitude.

STRUCTURE OF THE DEBRIEF

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23. The most difficult aspect of debriefing is, in fact, the planning. If the planning has been thorough (and accurate) then the instructor has little difficulty in applying an effective structure to the actual debrief. The ideal structure is as follows:

INTRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT CONSLUSION

In which the instructor: In which the instructor: In which the instructor:

Ensures that the student is in a receptive frame of mind.

Starts with the most significant strength

Reviews main points covered in the Development.

Asks the student to give a self-analysis of the performance.

Deals with remaining strengths in decreasing order of importance.

Establishes lessons learnt and what will be done to correct errors.

Summarises student performance in terms of achievement of the objectives.

Continues with most serous weakness.

Ensures student’s future co-operation by finishing on a note of encouragement.

Established the starting point for the debrief.

Deals with remaining weaknesses in decreasing order of importance.

Uses student self analysis when dealing with weaknesses.

Problem areas

24. Because the debriefing structure is so clearly defined it creates the false impression that it is not a flexible tools. In fact, it offers considerable flexibility for the instructor without in any compromising its effectiveness or conflicting with its underlying principles. Some of these apparent problems are worth considering.

Student Has No Strengths. If the student’s performance is completely

without merit then the Development phase should start with the most serious weakness. However, in most situations, the student will have done some things correctly and these points should be reinforced to avoid total demoralization.

Student Has No Weakness. These types of student should not pose a

debriefing problem. Once the instructor has dealt with the student’s strengths, he replaces the ‘weaknesses’ aspect with ‘greatest room for improvement’.

Very Long Exercise. If the exercise has been taken several hours then it is

likely that the student and instructor are fatigued. If so, the student is not likely to be in a receptive frame of mind for a detailed debriefing. Give a summary immediately (incorporating the debrief Introduction) and then, at a later and more suitable time, a full debrief should be conducted.

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Conducting the Debrief

25. Whilst the ideal structure shows the sequencing of the various elements within the Introduction, Development and Conclusion, it does not give the instructor much guidance as to how the debriefing should be managed.

During the Introduction, the instructor must not allow the student to bog down in fine detail when giving the impressions of the performance, The instructor is interested mainly in the student’s general observations at this point.

During the Development phase the strengths are best dealt with by the instructor as the instructor is the best judge of these of the performance (student participation should not be discouraged, but not should be required when discussing strengths). Student participation (self analysis) is essential when dealing with weaknesses. Here, the instructor should use the observations (from records) to guide the student self analysis to deal with the weaknesses in the desired order. Note that the observations form the basis of questions which the instructor uses to dead the student to identify the

cause – and hence weakness – and subsequent corrective action.

During the Conclusion the instructor should summarise the main points from the Development phase, and then elicit from the student the lessons learnt and corrective action required. This in effect, constitutes a formal

acknowledgment by the student of the required remedial action. Timing of the Debrief

26. Using the structure described above will result in content efficient debriefing, even for relatively long exercises. 27. Nevertheless, debriefing should not exceed about 45 minutes as student concentration will be rapidly declining at that point. The instructor must ensure that the point is not unnecessarily labored or nit picked for the sake of saying something, as many

students will perceive this as time-wasting. In other words, when there is nothing to say, and then say nothing. Attitude 28. The instructor should always treat the student with due respect (and vice versa), but this should in no way be an obstacle to strong or serious criticism where this is warranted. During the debriefing the instructor should ensure that eye contact is used with the student(s) at all times, to do otherwise may cause the student to question the sincerity of the comments. STRUCTURE OF BMD METHOD

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The following is the structure of a BMD.

Brief Introduction – Aim, Motivation, Revision

Development – Assessment Instruction, check, Any

Questions

Conclusion – Review, Restate Aim

Monitor Observe, Control and Record

Debrief Prepare Debrief, Deliver Debrief (bathtub method)

Structure of a BMD EXAMPLE OF BMD LESSON PLAN

BRIEF

INTRO DEV CONC

- AIM - ASSESSMENT - REVIEW - MOTIVATION - INSTRUCTION - RESTATE - REVISION - CHECK AIM - ANY QUESTIONS

MONITOR

- OBSERVING - CONTROLLING - RECORDING

DEBRIEF

- POSITIVE OPENING - STUDENT SELF ANALYSIS - IDENTIFY STRENGTHS - IDENTIFY WEAKNESSES - STRATEGIES - AGREE ON CORRECTIVE ACTION - REVIEW MAIN POINTS - POSITIVE CONCLUSION

PREPARE DEBRIEF

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BANGER MANUFACTURING

Key Point

Content/Activity/Scope

Aids

Make a Banger

Mag Cards

AIM MOTIVATION You have been identified as possessing the necessary skills and

aptitude to be cross-trained in banger manufacturing.

If you succeed in today’s final selection test, you will be granted a

promotion, $6000 per annum danger money and be in the final selection group to attend the International Banger Conference to be held in Madrid later this year.

Q/ What were the two safety precautions when making a banger? Mag Cards Ans: Paper cuts Keep the bang down REVISION Q/ What was step 1? Fold banger in half. Q/ What was step 2? Unfold banger. Q/ What was step 3? Fold the 4 corners into centre crease. Q/ What was step 4? Fold in half. 1. Make two Bangers Assessment 2. Duration of three minutes Instruction 3. Make in accordance with the six steps Mag Cards 4. Adhere to the Safety precautions 5. Assessment to be conducted in this room 6. All tools are provided

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Key Point Content/Activity/Scope Aids (take down all mag cards – except aim) Q/ What was one of the safety precautions? Q/ …and the other? CHECK Q/ How many bangers do you have to make? Q/ Where does the assessment take place? Place Mag Q/ What are the bangers to be made in accordance with? Cards up again Q/ How long do you have to make the bangers? Q/ What must be adhered to during the assessment? And lastly all the tools required are provided. STUDENT Any Questions QUESTIONS So you are to make two bangers within three minutes. Bangers are to REVIEW be made in accordance with the six steps, adhering to the safety MAIN precautions. The assessment will be conducted in this room and all POINTS tools will be provided. RESTATE The Aim, then, is to: Mag Cards AIM Make a Banger Monitor students Prepare Individual Debrief Individual Debrief

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REVIEW QUESTIONS

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