When did you know what you wanted “to be” in life? I’ve known since I was about 8 years old that I loved teaching others. In fact, my first memory of designing a learning strategy is from about that age. My Aunt Patricia taught ballet and jazz classes on Tuesday evenings in a part of Toronto that was populated by new immigrants to Canada.
There were four classes, beginning at 6PM and running through to 10PM. I was in the 6PM class, but my mum was in the 9PM (adult) class and my grandmother was the costume designer for the wonderful recitals we would have each year. It was definitely a family affair.
Since I had a fair bit of time to kill each Tuesday night, I was always on the lookout for something interesting and productive to do (that’s just who I am). Before long, I discovered that one of the other little girls in my class had to wait around for her older sister and she barely spoke English. My response, “I’ll teach you!”
And so, I started to fashion together my first learning plan. One of my distinct memories is of using graph paper to create word-finds and crossword puzzles. I took my responsibility very seriously and every Tuesday after our class was done, we would find a quiet place where I would share whatever learning tool I had come up with that week and we would practice the words of the week.
I chuckle now when I reflect on what our mums must have been thinking.
From this early stage, I learned that impactful training design is experiential in nature.
Making word-finds today is much easier than it was in the 70’s. In fact, if you are homeschooling your children these days, you can use an online tool like Puzzlemaker to create them in less than a minute. No more graph paper required!
If you’d like to figure out how to make your employee training programs interesting and engaging, let’s connect for a virtual coffee chat.
P.S. She DID learn to speak English over the course of the winter.
FREE Online Workshop: How to Make Live Online Training More Engaging
On December 3rd, I will be sharing some of my best tips for reaching through the screen and capturing the attention of your learners. Learn practical ways to jazz up your sessions with fun and meaningful techniques that will increase the learner retention rates and put your live online classes at the front of the pack.
For registration and more details regarding this online workshop, click here.
About Us
WeLoveLearning is a one-stop shop for learning solutions with an extended virtual team who’ve worked with us for many years including designers, developers, tech support, trainers, consultants, facilitators and coaches; and a rich community of Subject Matter Experts.
We translate YOUR organization’s vision into really awesome but practical learner-centred training that can be delivered online or in the classroom (or both). Our training solutions impact your bottom-line by increasing efficiencies and reducing employee turnover. Learn more about what we do »
