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Common sense may no longer be common but it still makes sense. Much of the material presented in
these articles would probably have fallen into the category of common sense in the past. However, over
the years modern thinking has become clouded with ideas that complicate rather than illuminate
our understanding of the learning process. “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it,” goes
the age-old adage. Yet some educators, for example, introduced the look-say method of reading and literacy
suffered. Where phonics has been re-instituted literacy has rebounded. And so it goes with many of our modern
concepts. We can do very well without them.
The Difference Between Training and Educating
Many people, both students and trainers, have never bothered to differentiate between training and educating.
There is certainly overlap between the two but there is a distinction as well.
This is a distinction worth making. Although they may both use many of the same techniques,
the purpose and end result are substantially different.
If someone is trained to ride a bicycle then at the end of the day they will happily hop onto their bike
with a grin and ride into the sunset. If they are educated about a bicycle, they will know who invented it,
why early prototypes were modified, the mechanical principles that make it work, of what it is
made, the cultural and economic impact it has had, they will know about the bicycle’s appearance
in literature, why some bicycle manufactures have failed, why others have succeeded, and what the likely
future for the contraption will be. If their education is complete they will also be able to hop onto their
bike and be on their way.
Sadly, many of our educational institutions today graduate their students with much to say about
“bicycles,” but after the ceremony the graduates walk their “bicycles” home.
(Therein lays the need for training companies today.) Training is part of an education. Very generally,
educating is more about knowing; training is about doing.
This Site Is About Training
I have trained many people in many different subjects. I began writing these articles when I was working
as a technical trainer. Although these articles were originally directed toward fellow
or future technical trainers, most of the material is applicable to any subject. Since these articles are
not about educating, an educator will probably find that they do not go far enough. Nonetheless, everything
here can be applied to educating as well.
People commonly associate “teachers” with “educating.” Teachers
typically do more than train their students. Trainers, however,
also teach though not to the extent of providing a complete
education. (The best trainers I have experienced will at times
go beyond training by providing additional information. In
that sense they educate.) Because there is overlap between
training and teaching, I use the words
“trainer” and “teacher” interchangeably.
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Are Good Trainers Born Or Trained?
That’s a good question. Admittedly, I do not have any empirical evidence
but I think some individuals are born with a knack for explaining things.
I have been told by many students that I
was the best trainer that he or she has ever had. I mention this
not to pat myself on my back but to make an interesting point. Many of those
compliments came before I had any formal education regarding training.
There are many excellent trainers in positions that are not necessarily training positions. These
on-the-job trainers have never heard of learning theory, have never attended a train-the-trainer seminar,
and in some cases didn’t finish high school. Yet they successfully train new employees
to do their assigned tasks not only accurately and expeditiously but also with enjoyment
on the part of the trainee as well as the trainer.
Certainly, not all good trainers are born trainers. There is no reason an individual can not learn what
others may know by nature.
We can also learn from others' mistakes. There are a lot of well-intentioned but poor trainers in training
positions. We can be thankful to them for being examples of what not to do. A good student will not only learn
from a trainer's knowledge but will also learn from the trainer's mistakes.
Educational Degrees
The relationship between educational degrees and the ability
to train is interesting. Many of those who are degreed think
that continually gaining education about training will necessarily
make them a better trainer. Some are pompous enough to think
that the converse is also true; if someone does not have extensive
education
about training they cannot be an effective trainer. Neither
of those positions are true.
They also mistakenly postulate that if a little education is good then a lot of education is better.
I remain convinced that these unhappy souls can yet learn the errors of their ways.
The inverse is not true either; that more education necessarily means
one will become a worse trainer. The trainers I’ve known who believed
this, me included, were drawing conclusions from anecdotal
evidence. To be sure, some of the worst trainers
I’ve experienced had the most education. I have also known effective
trainers who are well educated. The relationship between the
ability to train and the amount of education one has about training
is indirect. I think many of those pursuing
an education about training lose sight of effective methods because
much of the available information about learning is theoretical.
They fall into the trap of “it’s
the latest so it must be the best.” There is some available theory
that holds promise, some is poppycock, and the rest calls for
a wait-and-see approach. Something they all have in common
is that they are theoretical, not proven. I stated
earlier that “if it
ain’t broke don’t fix it.” Evidently some trainer’s
are in need of hearing it again. After all, repetition is the
key to learning.
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