Teacher Training Program

Question: Discuss about theTeacher Training Program. Answer: Discussion A trainer may face various kinds of situations during the training session. He needs to be informed about the kinds of circumstances he may have to face in the proceedings (www.bradford.ac.uk 2016). Five such situations that a trainer may face are given below: In a diverse group of trainees, there will be some students who will be more dominating than the others. They would like to turn the attention of the trainer as well as the other trainees and try to disrupt the smooth functioning in the training session. Sometimes the group becomes overenthusiastic about a single topic which prevents the discussion from moving forward. The trainees may not be engaged in the training session wholeheartedly and remains distracted throughout the session. The group contains a diverse variety of trainees with miscellaneous mentality. This difference may lead to interpersonal conflicts in the group. Following from the previous point, the trainer may face another problem while dealing with a heterogeneous group. In the training session, a trainer may be compelled to deal with a sensitive issue and the various members of the group may react differently to it. Three Situations: Domination in a group: Researches have studied about the importance of leadership through the centuries. A good leader should always be placed at the helm of relevant organizations so that the group succeeds (Landis et al. 2014). However, in certain cases, a person confuses leadership qualities with over dominance over the group. This creates problems for a trainer where he has to deal with different individuals without showing partiality to a single individual or individuals. If this kind of situation continues, the trainer must try to ensure that the views of the dominant trainee are heard but along with him, the opinions of the other individuals should also be heard. He must encourage other trainees to speak up in the training session (www.bradford.ac.uk, 2016). Engagement in the session: Another problem that crops up during the training session is that the trainees may not be engaged in the proceedings of the session as much as the trainer wants. In terms of psychology, conscious as well as the span of attention is dependent on the inner state and the outer environmental factors (Csikszentmihalyi 2014). The trainer needs to give his presentations in such a way that he can engage the consciousness of the trainees wholeheartedly. The trainer can also insert interesting and lively activities in between to attract the attention of the trainees (www.bradford.ac.uk, 2016). Diversity in a group: The trainer must begin his session keeping in mind that the group he will be training is heterogeneous in nature. The conflict mainly arises out of a sense of self-identity which is a primary characteristic of every person (Sherif 2015). In the case of conflicts among the trainees, the trainer may turn the attention away from the conflict through a change of subject. The trainer may also directly address the problem instead of letting it grow out of control (www.bradford.ac.uk, 2016). Discussion A needs analysis is the process of collecting information about the students related to his needs, desires, wants, and so on. It also involves information related to the trainer and the other persons who will be affected by the training. A need analysis can be conducted in different ways as it depends on the circumstances where it will be performed (Linguistics.byu.edu, 2016). In the case of the training of entry level executives, the needs analysis is conducted to identify the requirements of the performance of the employees and the knowledge and skills of the employees to achieve the demands of the employers (Linguistics.byu.edu, 2016). Conduction of Needs Analysis: There are various steps to be followed while conducting a needs analysis of training (Managementhelp.org 2016). They are as follows: At the very beginning, the trainer needs to specify the training goal which should correspond with the objective of the organization. The second step would consist of linking the outcomes of the organization with the behavior of the employees. The data can be collected through interview, observation or surveys. In the third step, the skills that have to be trained should b identified. The prior skills of the employees occupy an important position in training such skills required for the organization. In the next step, the employees are to be evaluated to make sure that the employees possess the skills that are necessary to work in the team. The trainer may achieve this step through assessments and evaluations. From the information collected through the assessments, performance gaps are determined. The analysis of the data would give the trainer an idea as to how much the employees need to be trained. The analysis of the performance gaps would enable the trainer to prioritize the skills that need to be developed in the training session. After the priority list has been formed, the instructor should decide on the kind of training that the employees need to be provided with On-the-job training or online training. On determining the type of training to be imparted to the employees, the employer needs to conduct a cost-benefit analysis where the companies would ensure the costs that would be incurred as a result of the training. In the end, the trainer needs to evaluate the trainees who would help in determining whether the training was adequate or not. Methods and Techniques: Conduction of a needs analysis requires the presence of a professional trainer and the support of the HR team of the organization (Managementhelp.org 2016). There are several techniques and methods which can be employed for the analysis. Questionnaire method: The Questionnaire method is one of the oldest methods to conduct the needs analysis. In the case of survey method, sometimes the questions tend to be based on the interests of the trainer and not the trainee (Rossi et al. 2013). However, this method is extracting certain crucial information about the trainees to be trained. Interviews: Interviews add a personal touch to the collection of data (Brinkmann 2014). The trainees are of diverse outlook which makes it difficult to elicit exclusive information from them. According to researchers, interview method is one of the widespread practices for producing knowledge from the individuals (Brinkmann 2014). This method is a direct approach and is particularly useful in understanding the wishes of the diversely assorted group members. Observation: Another effective method of conducting a needs analysis is the process of observation. The executives should be allowed to work in a natural environment where the trainer can observe and make a note of the requisite information. The observation method works best when the trainees are not informed that they are being observed. As a matter of fact, observation furnishes the trainer with the useful data which cannot be obtained through any other method (Suen and Ary 2014). References: Brinkmann, S., 2014.Interview(pp. 1008-1010). Springer New York. Csikszentmihalyi, M., 2014. Attention and the holistic approach to behavior. InFlow and the Foundations of Positive Psychology(pp. 1-20). Springer Netherlands. Landis, E.A., Hill, D. and Harvey, M.R., 2014. A synthesis of leadership theories and styles.Journal of Management Policy and Practice,15(2), p.97. Linguistics.byu.edu. 2016. Needs Analysis. [online] Available at: https://linguistics.byu.edu/resources/volunteers/TESOLBYU_NeedsAnalysis.htm [Accessed 5 Sep. 2016]. Managementhelp.org. 2016. Assessing Your Training Needs: Needs Assessment to Training Goals. [online] Available at: https://managementhelp.org/training/systematic/needs-assessment.htm [Accessed 5 Sep. 2016]. Rossi, P.H., Wright, J.D. and Anderson, A.B. eds., 2013.Handbook of survey research. Academic Press. Sherif, M., 2015.Group conflict and co-operation: Their social psychology(Vol. 29). Psychology Press. Suen, H.K. and Ary, D., 2014.Analyzing quantitative behavioral observation data. Psychology Press. www.bradford.ac.uk. 2016. www.bradford.ac.uk. [online] Available at: https://www.bradford.ac.uk/staff-development/media/staffdevelopment/uob/Delivering-training-~-how-to-deal-with-problems-and-difficult-situations.pdf [Accessed 5 Sep. 2016].