With technology firmly making it’s mark in the world of Learning & Development in the form of bite sized modules, mobile learning, gamification, and self-paced learning hosted on an LMS that churns out reports and dashboards at a micro and macro level, one would be quick to assume that the age old method of classroom training would be dying a slow death.
However, it is safe to say that is not the case, the classroom in fact is more alive than it ever actually was. Let us try to understand why:
Collaborative Learning
There is no replacement to drive home learning than collaborative, peer-to-peer dialogue facilitated in a classroom by an expert. The energy generated through animated discussions, participants sharing their experiences/examples, questions being asked and answered cannot be replaced by any LMS/e-learning component, no matter how many features they have built in for Collaborative Learning.
Concentrating on the “DO/APPLY”
It is a well-known fact that maximum retention and ownership of learning takes place when learners get to take a “DO/APPLY” approach to the knowledge and skills that they have gained. For example, group activities, role-plays, simulations that can be conducted only in a classroom setting are a great way to get learners to “DO/APPLY” the knowledge and skills gained, thereby boosting retention. This is where a well-designed Blended/HYBRID Solution comes into play, where the classroom is utilized purely for the “DO/APPLY”.
INVEST IN EDUCATION TOOLKIT
With this 10-step process, you will have all the tools you need
to master the critical areas of a successful school.
The “Human Touch”
Facilitating a training session, particularly on soft skills in any industry requires the “Human Touch”. Imagine a machine trying to take you through the finer nuances of verbal and non-verbal communication, now replace that with an effective facilitator demonstrating the finer nuances of verbal and non-verbal communication. You know who wins! Facilitation of soft skills requires a two-way dialogue, something that is best executed in a classroom.
Inspiration
At the end of a learning session, one would ideally want their learners to be inspired enough to self-motivate themselves to apply the knowledge and skills gained. Ending a learning session on a natural high and appealing to the Emotional Quotient of the learners is a kind of magic that can only be played out through the hands of an expert facilitator in a classroom. A monotonous voice is not going to get the learners inspired.
Tap into different learning styles
Facilitating in a classroom allows the flexibility of constructing and delivering your learning session in a manner that has something for each of the seven different learning styles. The machine is hard-coded in its form of learning, which means that the visual learners may get by, but other styles like kinesthetic and social learners may lose out.
A classroom allows for reflection, peer dialogue and application, which are all critical components of an experiential and well-rounded learning process. Whilst there is no question on the fact, that technology in the field of learning and development is here to stay and will make the learning process effective, efficient and exciting, one simply cannot rule the classroom out.
We are not ready to surrender the beautiful world of learning to bots, just yet.
EHL Advisory Services using its deep-rooted expertise, history, credibility and knowledge is well placed to design and deliver high impact facilitative and experiential workshops for your People Development needs. Our end-to-end solutions are tailor-made, keeping your pinch points at the centre of it all and providing solutions with a measurable impact.
