general tutor guidance - kelvin top-set general... · one of the key aspects of being a tutor is to...

General Tutor Guidance

KTS01

© 2009 Kelvin TOP-SET Ltd KTS01: General Tutor Guidance v.3

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Contents Introduction 5

Part 1: Teaching and How People Learn 7

Part 2: Presentation Skills 25


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Introduction This tutor’s booklet is to help you to effectively present Kelvin TOP‐SET Investigator courses. What this booklet is about and how to use it This booklet is intended to be your personal resource. It has been designed to support the cascading of all of the information necessary for Kelvin TOP‐SET Investigator courses. It will act as a kind of aide memoire for you to dip into when you are preparing your presentation. The materials here can be written on to suit your own personal circumstances and style of operation and, where appropriate, you can develop your own case studies. Before starting, it is important that you have read through and are fully familiar with the Kelvin TOP‐SET Practical Handbook of Investigation and the TOP‐SET ‘Investigation Card’, as they contain information that will form the basis of the course that you will facilitate. About You If you are to be a facilitator / tutor of the Kelvin TOP‐SET Incident Investigation System, it is likely that you have a significant background in safety and / or incident investigation and / or an understanding of thinking processes, and that you have studied the Kelvin TOP‐SET methodology by having attended a 3‐Day Senior Investigator course. It is important that you have a real understanding of the subject before you run a course because you will need to draw on your experience, whatever that is, and be able to share this with the class. In this way, your style of running the course, while being absolutely faithful to the TOP‐SET process, will still be personal to you. All of the materials, including a suggested running order, are contained in the materials that have been supplied to you.


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Part 1

Teaching and How People Learn


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Teaching and How People Learn Aims This section aims to help you present and also teach others to use and apply the Kelvin TOP‐SET Incident Investigation System. The aims of this section are: • to raise your awareness of the tutor / presenter / facilitator’s role; • to encourage the development of specific teaching skills and • to assist your understanding of course management.

The objective here is that you should be able to: • effectively run and manage teaching / information sessions about the Kelvin TOP‐

SET Incident Investigation System. Your Task Your job has three roles: 1. to develop individuals in the use of the TOP‐SET system; 2. to be a friendly helper and 3. to provide information. In order to help you achieve these objectives, the guide is supported by a tutor development workshop. The most important outcome is that you will be able to educate others to use the Kelvin TOP‐SET Incident Investigation System effectively.


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Self-Management Potential pitfalls are familiarity, making assumptions or losing the plot. So:

• Be clear about the purpose of the input or activity you are engaged in. • Be alert to the response, keeping your attention outward focussed while

maintaining awareness of your own state.

• Be flexible, ready to change tack or shift emphasis, as the situation requires.

As you work through this booklet, you will see that it has been laid out with examples and checklists. Do use this material as a teaching resource and dip back into it as required. Most people about to learn a skill or gain knowledge are nervous of the learning situation; this is normal. Think of when you started learning to drive or even when you learned to ride a bike; what you really wanted was to be completely skillful as quickly as possible. You did not particularly want to go through the learning process. Sadly, many of us have had previous bad experiences of learning but these were perhaps the fault of poor teachers or tutors and the use of substandard materials. You will require to support learners by: • discussing their progress; • being available to answer queries and • ensuring that quality procedures are correctly applied. As a tutor you are really acting as a facilitator helping other people to learn. How People Learn & Working Within the Capacity of the Learner One of the key aspects of being a tutor is to understand the learning process from the studentʹs point of view. Stop for a moment and think of a situation where you have been the learner and perhaps experienced some difficulty. It may have been at school, college or driving school or it might even just simply have been trying to understand the manual for your car, camera or computer software program. You will probably accept that not everything is easy. We all have learning blockages and teachers may not always have been sympathetic to your own particular difficulty. Or you may have found it difficult to express to your teacher what exactly was holding you back.


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Hopefully, recognising that we have learning blockages may help you to better understand students’ learning difficulties. In your instruction, always aim for success. Work within the capability of the learner and build little by little on good experience and practice. People learn different things at different rates. For example, you may have quickly become competent at some aspect of manufacturing but perhaps slower to understand administration. The rate of learning is not necessarily an indication of how well an individual will eventually perform. Apparently Albert Einstein failed maths (he also could not speak until he was age five) but that did not stop him from going on to produce the Theory of Relativity. Remember too that people have different learning styles according to which of their ‘intelligences’ is most highly developed or works best for them. For example, some people are highly visual and learn best from graphics and even visual imagery, while for others there is a need to read about a subject for themselves before they effectively retain taught information. This is why it is essential in education to vary how material is presented. We are careful about this in Kelvin TOP‐SET and all of our courses are designed to take differing learning styles into account. People learn best by building on previous experience. Each of us brings to a new job knowledge and skills previously acquired and then these become the foundations for new material. In reality no‐one actually likes the learning process but, on the other hand, people are usually eager to gain new knowledge and it can often be rewarding. It is also possible that some of the individuals with whom you will be working may not have been involved in formal study for quite some time. Because of this, they will have quite genuine, but perhaps private, fears about returning to the learning process. It is also likely that they will be suffering from the time demands of their employment, so they will be unable to devote large blocks of time to personal study. For these reasons it is important, as in all learning, that we build on the experience of the learner and where possible relate it to their workplace. All education is based on building blocks. You have to confirm the foundations of the learnerʹs knowledge and understanding of the subject before going on to something new.


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t w timing.

In general, where knowledge and information are required as part of personal development, this is achieved in two stages that depend on each other: 1. Gathering information • by attending the session, watching the DVD, etc. • by talking to and working with the tutor and other colleagues 2. Processing information • by thinking and developing understanding • by doing exercises • by making notes The outcome of this learning process is the application of the acquired information, knowledge and skills in some specific area. People learn best by working in short packets of time. Forty minutes to one hour is ideal as this then allows the brain time to process the information it has acquired. This might seem surprising to you if you have had a traditional approach as a student doing long study sessions, but these donʹt actually work ‐ so keep your sessions short. You will find that the suggested TOP‐SET teaching programme is highly interactive and has a lot of variation built in so that the learnerʹs interest is always maintained. Take a Break!

It is recommended that a break of 10 minutes in every hour is provided on courses. Tell delegates about this at the beginning of the course and stick to it.

However, be strict about their return time as time los here ill affect your overall


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Some General Points Learning as a human process is: Natural People cannot be stopped from learning ‐ just look at a 3 year old child. We are natural information absorbers, problem solvers and decision makers. We may not, however, always learn what our mentors wish us to learn. Dependent on the purposes and goals of the learner Our purposes and goals determine what is attended to and what is (and is not) learned. Kelvin TOP‐SET greatly helps this because the delegates are usually keen to learn. Affected by arousal and emotion The learner who is interested, aroused and alert does better than the apathetic or the anxious. Social When we work with others we usually learn faster than we do on our own.

[Adapted from: Beard & Hartley (1984) Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, Harper]

Active learning is more effective than passive ‐ the listener retains much less than someone who actively works on the learning material. We learn by doing ‐ and we learn best when our active doing (operating the machinery, making notes, analysing) allows for feedback on achievement ‐ from the learning experience and also from the tutor / coach. A ratio of 20% listening to 80% doing is probably a productive proportion on any course and Kelvin TOP‐SET has been very much designed with this in mind.


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Participation Participation in activities and discussions is one of the best means of learning. We can see from the memory cone that where the learner is actively involved in the learning process, in discussion or practice, the whole process of assimilation is much better. Best of all is where the learner is involved in the educating of others, for in teaching others we have to first understand so that we can then communicate and share our knowledge and skills.

The memory cone shows just how important participation and practice is in the process of learning. Where your students become directly involved in some activity, whether that is discussion, group work or helping others to learn, then the amount remembered is normally far greater than by other means of learning. Teaching and learning involve change and new experiences, so it will be necessary to obtain the full co‐operation of the group, or the whole system is likely to fail. The more it is possible to give the students a high element of choice in the programme, the more likely a successful outcome will be. Meeting the Need In conducting Kelvin TOP‐SET Investigator courses, you should be seeking to develop skills and close any gaps that exist in the investigation skills of your delegates. To achieve this you will require from your delegates their: • co‐operation,

• involvement,

• commitment and

• partnership.


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Key Teaching Points To run a successful Kelvin TOP‐SET course, you will need to start by ensuring that where you teach is suitable for your task and is comfortable for your learners. You will also have to ensure the smooth operation of all administrative details. It is strongly suggested that one large room with a maximum class of 15 people is used. TOP‐SET courses use active case studies so you will need quite a lot of space in the room. We suggest that you will need twice the space that you originally thought of as appropriate. In operating as a tutor you need to recognise learnersʹ needs and how they approach learning. • People like to be able to control their own learning.

• Learning is a highly individual process and everyone has a different starting point.

• Learning speeds vary between individuals and people do have off days.

• Individuals often need convincing of the value of new or different methods and

concepts. Always explain the purpose of what you do. Provide evidence, e.g. the

learning cone.

• Building on previous experience is necessary for positive results.

• Individuals approach learning in different ways, e.g. some like to read the

materials first.

• Learning must be relevant to the individual and their workplace.

• Positive reinforcement is necessary for the learnerʹs self‐esteem ‐ success breeds

success.

• The learnerʹs senses need to be stimulated by visual aids.

• Practice is an essential feature of learning – ‘To see is to forget, to do is to

remember’.

• Learning is a continuous process.

Any teaching session takes its tone from the leader and, as tutor, you are in charge ‐ you must control the proceedings and project a general level of confidence. Be aware of your facilitator presence.


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Names One of the most valuable aids to teaching is simply knowing people’s names. Try to memorise these early on in the course because, once people move around to form case study groups, it becomes much harder. Everyone likes to be addressed by name. Giving Instructions Prepare

Make sure your aim is clear. Think through the instructions in a logical order.

Communicate

Check that your class is ready and listening, not doing or thinking about something else. State the aim and the overall picture first. Give clear instructions in a logical order. Expand on detailed or complex points after you have gone through the whole procedure. Write down or sketch any complex instructions. Check understanding of complex points or changes in routine (use open questions, not “Is that clear?”). If there are several complex points, or lengthy instructions, check understanding at each stage. Keep it simple.

Knowing what to expect Throughout each part of the course, every morning and afternoon, explain in broad detail what that part of the course will contain, e.g. “This morning there will be some introductory slides supported by a short DVD. We will then carry out a practical case study exercise that will last an hour followed by some discussion of findings”. People need to know what they are going to be doing and where they are in the course at each stage.


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Asking Questions Throughout the course encourage participants to ask questions and stimulate discussion. It is equally important that you ask questions throughout the course and, if you look at the support notes with the slides and the case studies, you will find guidance on how to stimulate your class to gain a high degree of quality interaction. Where you achieve a high degree of quality interaction, the learning experience for everyone is much better. The Planning Card – Indicators A very useful basis for stimulating interaction and learning is to keep relating back to the yellow Planning Card. Do this continually throughout the course so that it becomes second nature to people who are investigating.


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Individual Differences Some Examples At the time of writing this we have been teaching TOP‐SET for about 20 years and, although we feel that we must have encountered every learning style and form of class participation, we can still be caught out. Here are some things to look out for: • The smiley person

It is so easy to find that smiling face in your class and to keep presenting almost to them alone. This also applies to someone the tutor finds particularly attractive or someone of the opposite gender. All tutors need positive feedback and encouragement but the danger is that we seduce ourselves into believing that we are doing a wonderful job and only present to those people giving us signals of approval or who relate to us well.

• The grumpy person

This person may not be grumpy at all but just demonstrate little or no affect so you, the tutor, think that they are not interested in what you have to say. The danger is that either you try too hard to please them or ignore or marginalise them as you progress. However, it is our experience that it is often the people who show little affect who have got the most from their learning experience – they just don’t show it during the course.

• I’m not listening

This type of person is quite unusual but we have, on more than one occasion, had course members who never look at the tutors at all though they are actually concentrating ‐ it is just their listening style. They may combine this style with other activities such as writing or entering information in a laptop.


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Guiding Discussions On TOP‐SET courses we have found that tutor‐led discussions are very effective. Discussion:

• promotes learning through the sharing of experience;

• allows you as tutor to gauge the level of understanding of the topic and

• can support a positive group dynamic.

Potential hazards: discussion may become repetitive, competitive or negative. To ensure that discussion is productive, model positive respectful behaviour as tutor and use the following tools:

• Listening actively

• Inviting contributions

• Discouraging inappropriate interruptions

• Keeping it relevant

• Summarising

Case Studies Much of the content of all TOP‐SET courses is based on case studies. You may use only the ones supplied with the course materials or you may have developed some of your own, perhaps with particular relevance to your industry. Case study teaching is very powerful. Here are some tips:

• Choose the size of the group carefully and relevant to the task in hand, e.g. operating in pairs, threes or groups of four. For larger case studies, groups of four are usually best but it may be necessary to increase this to five occasionally to balance overall numbers. Avoid greater numbers as this can seriously affect the learning process. For larger groups, appointing a team leader is necessary to give direction and avoid fragmentation.

• Explain clearly what the exercise is about, the expected outcomes and the time

available to complete the exercise.


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• Hand out the case study to each delegate.

• Constantly monitor, coach and advise each group as they are working on their case studies.

• Manage the feedback at the end of the session – this is usually best tutor‐led

rather than having a whole series of groups making presentations as this loses time.

Coaching Case Studies

• Ensure that each group is equally supported.

• Attend to the dynamic of the group as well as the progress of the task.

• Support by questioning rather than by providing answers.

• Be directive about the process (e.g. “use the indicators”, “keep generating

information”).

• Focus on the quality of the investigation process.


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Root Cause Analysis Technology On TOP‐SET courses we teach Root Cause Analysis (RCA) as part of the case study exercises. It can be difficult to present a Root Cause Diagram on paper or computer while teaching and dealing with competing suggestions, all of which can be very good. Therefore, with each TOP‐SET case study we have provided you with a draft RCA diagram. This is a quick guide for you to help keep you on track and, while we would not expect you to replicate this exactly with your class, we strongly suggest that you gently guide them towards a broadly similar answer as this will be reasonably accurate for discussion purposes and will help you greatly. Do try and build in as many of the groups’ suggestions as you can but also make them aware that this is only meant as a ‘desktop’ exercise on the course as some individuals will try to argue some very small points. Example Root Cause Analysis Diagram Should you develop your own case studies, do ensure that you have a supporting Root Cause Diagram for the reasons set out above.


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Being in Control The tutor must always be in control, whether that is of time, exercises, materials, breaks, etc. If not, the course can become disorganised and unsatisfactory from everyone’s point of view. Sometimes the problem is cultural; people may want different starting and finishing times or varying lengths of breaks according to their normal practice. You can negotiate and change but do make sure that you retain the total number of teaching hours required. Even after negotiation, some individuals still prefer to be running on a different time cycle to the agreed schedule for their own reasons. Do not delay for them; always start on time, even if you only have a partial class. Otherwise it is unfair on those individuals who are fully engaged. Very occasionally, you may experience a disruptive individual. Do not allow them to spoil the class for others. It is difficult to advise how to deal with every type of situation, and it will depend a lot on your own personality and management style, but the guide words are ‘courteous’ but ‘firm’. In extreme cases (which may rarely happen) you may need to speak privately to the individual at break time. Whatever you do stay in charge and be seen to be in control. Managing the Session Think ‘TOP-SET’!

• Timing Always keep an eye on the clock. Start and finish on time.

• Organisation Respect the culture of the client and of Kelvin TOP‐SET.

• People Look after physical comfort and energy levels, attend to group dynamics and maintain self‐awareness.

• Similar situations Draw on past experience without assuming the situation is identical.

• Environment Monitor temperature, noise, use of space and supply of refreshments.

• Technology Set up in plenty of time, check equipment and take nothing for granted.

Note that this is not a definitive ‘checklist’ – you can add your own suggestions.


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Co-Facilitation Potential hazards: competition, duplication, abdication Protection against these requires:

• Self management

• Allocation of roles and tasks in light of strengths

• Sharing of leadership

• Development of trust by addressing concerns

Report and Recommendations Employ the TOP‐SET elements of report and recommendation by debriefing your colleagues and agreeing any future improvements.


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Part 2

Presentation Skills


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Presentation Skills In response to being told how lucky he was at golf, the international champion Gary Player is reputed to have replied, ʺItʹs funny, the more I practise, the luckier I getʺ. It is the same with presentation skills ‐ the better the preparation and practice, the better the presentation. Giving a presentation is a nerve‐racking experience for most people and yet some people seem to do it with apparent ease. You can be sure that those skilled performers have followed some simple formula for their preparation. The nervousness in advance of making a speech or giving a presentation never leaves you but it need not be a barrier to success because, once the well‐prepared speaker starts, the nerves are calmed and professionalism takes over. Before starting your preparation, consider the whole purpose of a presentation, which is: • to communicate,

• to teach,

• to inform,

• to stimulate interest,

• to stimulate a response and

• to sell ideas and concepts.

5 SIMPLE STEPS TO GOOD PRESENTATION

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Know your audience

Research your topic

Organise your material

Practise your presentation

Make your delivery


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1. Know your audience This is the first step in any presentation. You need to know the likely level of understanding of your topic amongst your audience. This will assist your presentation since you will be targeting your information / language level / anecdotes / register to a specific group. Other things that you may find helpful would be the formality / informality of the group and the style of presentation that they are likely to expect. It is always useful if you know your audience from previous occasions and how they reacted then and what you could do to improve your performance the next time. This should help you to form a mental picture of how you would adjust your approach for each group. Always consider how well the audience is prepared for your presentation and pitch it accordingly. 2. Research your topic What are you going to speak about and where are you going to find the information? The answer to this depends very much on your audience, your subject and how well you know it. One guiding rule is that it is always better to have much more information than you are likely to need. This ensures that you are well informed, gives you confidence and helps you to deal with questions. You should have adequate materials in this series of books and in the separate Kelvin TOP‐SET Practical Handbook of Investigation for your needs but you should consider adding recent and local or other personal examples to this. 3. Organise your material Always bear in mind that you should tell the audience what they need to know, not everything that you know. You should be able to state your purpose in one short sentence. There should be one major theme with no more than three or four points that you want to make. A rule from selling is to sell only one thing at a time. If you do not do this you lose the concentration of your audience. If you know your subject, each point will act as a stimulus to your memory and keep you on course. Try to build in variations in pacing as this helps to hold audience interest. A presentation is a bit like music in that it is the variations around a constant theme that maintain your interest. All of the materials supplied are organised for you but in some situations you may wish to change the running order.


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4. Practise your presentation Practise your presentation until you are satisfied with it. Go right through your presentation, including the use of visual aids. If you use a dictaphone (or even a video camera and recorder) you will be able to judge for yourself how you are coming across. Making your presentation in front of friends or family is a useful way to obtain initial feedback. Time your practice so that you know how long it will take on the day. This practice will make you familiar with your material, your prompt cards and visual aids and will ensure that when you do make the presentation you are well rehearsed and not presenting for the first time. 5. Make your delivery For presentations, always be in the room first and greet all of the audience as they arrive. Also, being there first will allow you to set up your equipment and test it. For delivery of your presentation do not rush; take time to ensure that you have a controlled pace, good enunciation of words and adequate voice projection to reach all points in the room. It is quite unnecessary and also difficult to change your normal accent and mode of speaking ‐ just speak clearly. To start it is often helpful if you can say something that makes your audience smile, but this only comes with great practice and jokes should be avoided unless they are relevant and you are good at telling them. It is worth remembering that audiences want the speaker to succeed so they are on your side all the way. Keep your sentences short and avoid all abbreviations, acronyms and jargon unless you are absolutely certain that all your delegates fully understand them. For example, FPSO, OIM or SPIC are meaningless to any delegate not from the same industry that uses these acronyms. You may lose their interest if they are afraid to ask what they mean. As with most things in life, the less complicated they are the better they work so try to keep your presentation simple and straightforward with a clear objective and key points that can be recapped in a summary. Make good use of visual aids. Finally, you are in charge, so manage your class.


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Tutor Checklist Read and understand all the Kelvin TOP‐SET materials.

Find out about your students, e.g. what is their background and their interests? What is their previous knowledge and experience of investigation? What company do they work for?

Study the programme that you are going to use.

Spend time in preparation.

Be completely familiar with the topics for discussion.

Encourage the students to discuss their study; any problems or specific queries And please note, you do most of the listening.

Encourage the students to find their own solutions rather than providing them with answers. Be friendly and supportive.


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Some Useful Tips

Use good eye contact ‐ look at everyone in turn

If appropriate, for example at discussion time, address each person that you are talking to by name ‐ this is a powerful means of gaining co‐operation and interest (name cards help here)

If people talk during your presentation, just stop; they will too, then you can continue

All presenters are nervous

Know your delegates

Research your topic

Practise your presentation

Make your delivery

Tell them what they need to know

Keep it simple

Use visual aids

Manage the class – and yourself

Now try out the presentation techniques for yourself. Why not make yourself some small cards with key points to keep you on track?


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Advance Preparation for Session Start by arriving early and arranging the room to suit your needs. Some points to consider:

Are you clear about emergency procedures and evacuation routes and assembly points?

Do you know what the emergency warning is, i.e. fire bell or siren / klaxon etc?

Do you know the locations of male and female toilets / rest rooms?

Is the room appropriate for the purpose?

Is it free from noise?

Can interruptions be avoided?

Will the participants be comfortable?

Is the layout satisfactory for your event?

Does your visual aid equipment work?

Can all participants see the screen, flipchart, etc?

Has provision been made for group work, etc?

Have arrangements been made for coffee, lunch, etc.?

Have you built short concentration breaks into the session? (10 minutes in every 60)

Do you have a Kelvin TOP‐SET Practical Handbook of Investigation for everyone present?

Have you prepared your own checklist of things you require and need to do?


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The Tutor’s Toolbox The professional teacher always has a ʹtoolboxʹ of items that may be required during a training session. Even when attending an event where all the facilities are supposed to be laid on, in a hotel conference suite for example, it is still best to have your own materials as this will avoid the embarrassment of things going wrong. The following list has been compiled to help you. It is based on years of teaching experience, but you may find that there are extra items that you wish to add. Coloured markers Extra projector bulb(s) Adhesive tape Drawing pins Extra pens, pencils and paper Highlighter pens Large name cards Paper clips Scissors Blu‐Tac Sticky fixers Eraser and pencil sharpener String Stapler Bulldog clips Screwdriver Plug fuses (5 and 13 amp) Post‐It pads

Opaque sticky tape – the one that does not affect wall‐paper; ordinary sellotape,

sticky fixers and Blu‐tac Electrical adapters relevant to the country (and voltage that you are operating to)

NB Make sure that you have your own pack of materials with you.

TOP-SET Equipment To run a TOP‐SET Investigator course you will need appropriate resources, which will include the following: A laptop computer A computer data projector / beamer A screen on which to project Powered speakers (that link to computer /

projector) for DVD and audio presentation 2 flipcharts with stands TOP‐SET case studies Samples of what will be needed to run a course –

‐ A copy of The Practical Handbook of Investigation for each participant

‐ A TOP‐SET® Investigation Card for each participant

‐ A0 and A3 Storyboarding charts

‐ A0 and A3 Root Cause Analysis charts

‐ TOP‐SET® Post‐Its

‐ Small Post‐Its

‐ TOP‐SET® Pens

‐ Flipchart pens

‐ Name cards

‐ Blank paper

(further supplies, which are copyright, can be purchased from Kelvin TOP‐SET) All appropriate wires and leads to power and connect equipment* Rubber strip for covering wires on floor Extension lead with 4 sockets

(We also suggest the use of a residual current detector (RCD) on the main power lead).

* Please note the voltage differences between countries, particularly for projectors that do not have dual voltage systems, e.g. USA 110V, Europe 240V

© 2009 Kelvin TOP-SET Ltd KTS01: General Tutor Guidance v.3 34

general tutor guidance - kelvin top-set general... · one of the key aspects of being a tutor is to...

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