instructor assessment tool - guila muir & associates · overview the goal of elevate your...

Elevate Your Training! Instructor Assessment Tool

Contents

Part 1: What is Elevate Your Training?

Part 2: How to Use Elevate Your Training!

Part 3: Trainer Profile with Instructions for Use

Part 1: What is Elevate Your Training?

OverviewThe goal of Elevate Your Training! is improved trainer performance. This tool can be used in many ways:

• Observers can use it to assess trainer performance in the classroom.

• Instructors can use it to stimulate reflection on their own practice.

• Students of adult education can use it as a guide.

• Administrators can use it as part of a staff performance review process.

Elevate Your Training! draws from studies, reports, rubrics, checklists, assessment tools, and texts on training evaluation, all striving to answer the question “What Makes an Effective Trainer?”

What do Excellent Trainers Do?Across industries and venues, all effective teachers perform behaviors, which fall into four basic dimensions. Effective trainers:

• Carefully prepare for a successful teaching experience, instead of just hoping that it will occur.

• Maintain abundant participation from the beginning to the end of the class.

• Strive to perfect their platform skills.

• Effectively manage their classrooms, demonstrating appropriate levels of both dominant and cooperative behavior with participants.

Elevate Your Training! defines each of these four dimensions and provides Performance Standards within each dimension. Using the Tool, observers rate how well the trainer achieves each Performance Standard.

Elevate Your Training!© 2018 Guila Muir and Associates

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Part 2: How to Use Elevate Your Training!

Four Dimensions of Trainer EffectivenessThe behavior of all effective trainers tends to fall into four general categories, or dimensions. When a trainer fails to demonstrate robust skills in any dimension, he or she becomes less effective.

Definitions of Dimensions

1. Preparing for Success

Definition: The trainer has prepared to teach effectively by demonstrating knowledge about the participants, training content, and logistics.

2. Maintaining Abundant Participation

Definition: The trainer encourages and supports active learning by all participants throughout the session.

3. Perfecting Platform Skills

Definition: The trainer models effective presentation skills.

4. Managing the Classroom

Definition: The trainer establishes a pleasant, safe and orderly climate conducive for learning.


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Performance Standards for Excellent Training Elevate Your Training! Tool, uses essential Performance Standards in each dimension:

Dimension #1: Preparing for SuccessPerformance Standards

Preparing for Success

Definition:

The trainer has prepared to teach effectively by demonstrating knowledge about the participants, training content, and logistics.

The Trainer:

• Greets students as they enter; informally introduces self to each.

• Arrives in the classroom at least 30 minutes early.

• Finishes setting up and testing all equipment at least 20 minutes before the session starts.

• Sets up tables and chairs for the highest level of participation at least 20 minutes before the session starts.


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Dimension #2: Maintaining Abundant ParticipationPerformance Standards

Maintaining Abundant Participation

Definition:

The trainer encourages and supports active learning by all participants throughout the session.

The Trainer:

• Encourages class-wide participation, using words, body language, and affect.

• Integrates individual, pair, and small group activities in which participants process training content.Observer note: Look for participants being active (not just receiving information) for a majority of the total class time.

• Responds to participants’ non-verbal cues and behaviors.

• Elicits responses from all participants, not just the more verbal ones.

• Draws on participants’ prior knowledge and experiences; integrates opportunities to discuss how students will apply new information or skills specifically in their roles.

• Asks open-ended questions. Waits for a response before re-phrasing the question.

• Finds ways to meaningfully engage participants who finish tasks first.


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Dimension #3: Perfecting Platform SkillsPerformance Standards

Perfecting Platform Skills

Definition:

The trainer models effective presentation skills.

The Trainer:

• Clearly communicates the session’s topic, goal, and relevance to the participants at the beginning of the session.

• Effectively manages his or her nervousness so that it does not distract the participants.

• Makes eye contact with all participants, even those on the periphery.

• Uses clear, audible voice with a variety of inflections.

• Faces the participants most of the time in a “full-frontal” body position.

• Provides clear, sequential instructions for activities.

• Presents material accurately, thoroughly, and in proper sequence.

• Uses analogies, examples, metaphors, stories, and delivery methods other than lecture or PowerPoint.

• Periodically checks equipment to ensure it is working.

• Makes smooth transitions between sections of content.

• Models enthusiasm and positive energy throughout.

• Closes the session by summarizing and reinforcing essential content.


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Dimension #4: Managing the ClassroomPerformance Standards

Managing the Classroom

Definition:

The trainer establishes a pleasant, safe and orderly climate conducive for learning.

The Trainer:

• Begins and ends on time.

• Greets and refers to participants by name.

• Cleary states behavioral expectations; notices and mentions when students defy these.

• Brings sidetracked conversations back to the subject.

• Manages time effectively.

• Is accessible to participants during breaks, before, and after the session.


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Steps to Use the Trainer Profile

1. Print the Trainer Profile. For ease of use, use different colored paper for each Dimension of Trainer Effectiveness. This color-coding enables the observer(s) to easily distinguish each Dimension from the others.

2. Identify one to three people who will observe the trainer in action. More observers may be most effective, as each can focus carefully on the Performance Standards he or she is measuring.

3. Familiarize yourselves with the four Dimensions of Trainer Effectiveness and the definition of each.

4. Review the Performance Standards within each Dimension of Trainer Effectiveness.

5. Decide when and how to observe the instructor. Will the observers simultaneously assess the trainer? For how long? Or will each observer come at a different time, having chosen a section, module, or class period to observe?

6. Distribute the Trainer Profile pages among the observers, along with a clipboard and writing utensil. Alternatively, one observer may use the entire Profile.

7. Watch carefully. What exactly do you see? Add objective comments in the space beside each performance standard. Be specific about the behaviors you observe. Write as if you are an impartial journalist documenting a story, or even as if you are a video camera: Be as objective as possible; do not infer or assume anything.

At the end of the session, reflect on your initial tallies and notes. Make final comments on Page One of the Trainer Profile.

8. Provide the trainer with a copy of the completed Trainer Profile, covering all four Dimensions of Trainer Effectiveness, as soon as possible. Also distribute it to each stakeholder in the trainer evaluation process. Stakeholders may include only the observer and the trainer, but in some cases, may also include team members, administrators, grantors, and other relevant people.

9. Schedule a feedback meeting within two days (maximum) of the training session. Generally, the more immediate the feedback meeting is after the training session, the fresher the memories of trainer and observer.

In the meeting, share the observers’ findings with the trainer. Make sure that the spirit of the meeting is “Let’s all be the best trainers we can be.” The meeting should not be punitive. Rather, it should identify those behaviors that boost the trainer’s effectiveness, as well as those that may be holding him or her back.

Note: For ease of use, either:

• Use different colored paper for each Dimension of Trainer Effectiveness, stapling each Dimension separately. This will result in four separate packets, enabling the observer(s) to easily distinguish each Dimension from the others.

OR

• Staple all pages together. Then, place a small Post-It note on each Dimension to use it as a tab between sections.


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TRAINER PROFILE

TRAINER NAME:

DATE:

LOCATION:

OVERALL COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS

© 2018 Guila Muir and Associates

TRAINING DIMENSION #1: Preparing for Success (2 pages total)


Please put a dot in the correct column and add specific observations.

THE TRAINER: YES NO COMMENTS

1. Greets students as they enter; informally introduces self to each.

2. Arrives in the classroom at least 30 minutes early.

3. Finishes setting up and testing all equipment at least 20 minutes before the session starts.

4. Sets up tables and chairs for the highest level of participation at least 20 minutes before the session starts.

See next page to add additional comments on this Dimension.


TRAINING DIMENSION #1: Preparing for Success, Qualitative Comments


Additional Observer Insights for the Trainer on this Dimension:

HIGHLIGHTS FOR IMPROVEMENT


TRAINING DIMENSION #2: Maintaining Abundant Participation (3 pages total)



THE TRAINER: YES SOME-WHAT NO COMMENTS

1. Encourages class-wide participation, using words, body language, and affect.

2. Integrates individual, pair, and small group activities in which participants process training content.

Observer note: Participants should be active (not just receiving information) a majority of the total class time.

3. Responds to participants’ non-verbal cues and behaviors.

4. Elicits responses from all participants, not just the more verbal ones.



5. Draws on participants’ prior knowledge and experiences; integrates opportunities to discuss how students will apply new information or skills specifically in their roles.

6. Asks open-ended questions. Waits for a response before re-phrasing the question.

7. Finds ways to meaningfully engage participants who finish tasks first.



TRAINING DIMENSION #2: Maintaining Abundant Participation, Qualitative Comments





TRAINING DIMENSION #3: Platform Skills (4 pages total)




1. Clearly communicates the session’s topic and goal at the beginning of the session.

2. Effectively manages his or her nervousness.

3. Makes eye contact with all participants, even those on the periphery.

4. Uses clear, audible voice with a variety of inflections.



5. Faces the participants most of the time in a “full-frontal” body position.

6. Provides clear, sequential instructions for activities.

7. Presents material accurately, thoroughly, and in proper sequence.

8. Uses analogies, examples, metaphors, stories, and delivery methods other than lecture or PowerPoint.

9. Periodically checks equipment to ensure it is working.



10. Makes smooth transitions between sections of content.

11. Models enthusiasm and positive energy throughout.

12. Closes the session by summarizing and reinforcing essential content.



Training Dimension #3: Platform Skills, Qualitative Comments





Training Dimension #4: Managing the Classroom (3 pages total)



THE TRAINER: YES NO COMMENTS

1. Begins and ends on time.

2. Refers to participants by name.

3. Clearly states ground rules.

These may pertain to:

• timing of breaks

• use of electronic devices

• question protocols

• other behaviors

Notices and mentionswhen students defythese expectations.


4. Brings sidetracked conversations back to the subject.

5. Manages time effectively.

6. Is accessible to participants during breaks, before, and after the session.



Training Dimension #4: Managing the Classroom, Qualitative Comments





instructor assessment tool - guila muir & associates · overview the goal of elevate your...

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