Learner Support

Abstract

So far in this book we have identified a training need and decided how to meet that need. Now it is time to recognize the learner as a person and not as a bucket into which we pour knowledge. People are social beings; anyone learning a new skill will develop their expertise more quickly if they are supported by someone else. This can be someone who has the skill already, or someone who is learning at the same time — or just someone who is interested and can help the learner talk through what is being learned. I have often found that just by recapping a recent training course to me, my colleagues have recalled and reinforced the things they learnt. Explaining something to another person helps us to both understand it better and to see it from a different perspective.