Customer Reviews

How to Deliver Dynamic Training: 77 Sensational Tips for Computer Instructors

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Bruners has been there. She knows the dynamics of teaching adult classes and competently applies that understanding to the delivery of information technology (IT) computer hardware/software courses.

The typical IT instructor works out of volumes of standardized content and is given prescribed heavily technical curricula to deliver - especially for industry certification courses. It can be so tempting to follow the prescription to the letter, even to the point of just reading it to the students - and be so deadly dull that learning is impeded. "77 Tips" can easily make that same curriculum formula palatable and learning fun for both students and instructor.

Trainers of instructors will find a goldfield strewn with nuggets in this book. Each tip is a neat little precise with solid underpinnings from the substantial realm of learning psychology and teaching practice. In aggregate, the tips cover everything from learning styles and preferences to student-implemented learning strategies and techniques, from motivating learners to accelerating learning, from classroom climate to learning resource management.

Used as presented, the tips make for more pleasant and effective course experiences. Taken as junctures for delving into how learners learn and how to enhance learning, one can come up with a rich program for training instructors.

"77 Tips" is a package of concentrated capsules - and elegant little book packed with power.

Many of the 77 tips in Daina Bruner's easy-to-read book have proven to be quite successful when used in the classroom setting. Computer programs or courses commonly involve very technical material that may not be grasped or understood readily by all students; this in turn leads to their loss of interest and inevitable poor grades - a response that instructors like myself are disappointed to see. As an adult computer instructor of 5 years, I have seen boredom and confusion on the faces of students. It is true that learning about computers can be a very tedious task requiring immense patience and a keeness to learn; yet I also realized that a lot of the frustration my students were experiencing was due to my method of instruction; the students sat behind computers barely able to see me, while I stood in front of them speaking a language that was completely foreign to some. I was searching for options to use in my own teaching schema when I came across "77 Tips".

This book stressed the importance of acknowledging students as people rather than blank slates waiting to be filled with ideas. Keeping this notion in mind, Bruners suggests ideas for the teacher that truly make learning more fun and just plain easier for adult learners. When I used some of the tips in my own classroom, I was glad to see that the majority of my students were more enthusiastic to learn and found it easier to concentrate and stay on task. On my part as well, I was able to identify what information was essential to the course and what was not as important; this allowed me to alot the appropriate amounts of time for each section. I used to be under the assumption that there should be an equal share to all of the material covered in class, but now I know that that is not the case.

With 77 terrific suggestions, this book has not only been beneficial for my students, but it has made me a better teacher, a wonderful achievement in itself.

As a computer instructor, I am always looking for practical ways to change the approach I take to my training. I was impressed with the variety of activities that are included in this book. Having tried a number of these in my computer lab, I now have answers to the question I've been asking, "How do I maintain the necessary human connections among students when teaching the technical stuff"? Thank you to the author!

This seems like an outline for other, more complete books on the subject. Some of the excercises are intended for adults yet seem appropriate for ten year olds. All of the info here could be found in other books and then some.

Although I wouldn't consider all the tips to be practical I did find many useful ones. I've been using some of the ideas with my classes, and I've found I have made improvements that the students seem to enjoy. With some of the tips I have made my own modifications. This book helped me either use her ideas, or come up with some of your own. It was motivational for me.

Being an adult computer instructor for almost 4 years, I've tried a lot of different things to motivate the students. Most of the 77 tips in this book would serve more as distractions than aids. For example, one tip has each student with 3 cups (red, yellow, and green). If a student understands the topic being covered, they show the green cup. If they're not sure, yellow and if their lost, red. I have yet to meet ANY student in my experiences who would rotate their cups to keep up with the topics being covered. Another area of the book recommends waiting a full minute for a response to a question! I tried this once, and after 35 seconds a student asked me to repeat the question....

77 Sensational Tips is an excellent collection of training tips that can be used in a wide range of training settings. Although the book is aimed at computer instructors, many of the tips can be used effectively in other safety and technical training settings. I have used a number of the tips in both small and large group settings and overall had great responses from the participants.

Good instructors / facilitators are always looking for ways to keep their participants engaged in the learning. This handy book gives some good ideas on things that might be considered "outside the lines" in many traditional settings and for many instructors. Not all of the tips work in all settings however, with a little imagination and thought, a good instructor can use many of them in a range of learning settings.

77 Tips presents ideas & tips that reinforce fundamental adult learning concepts and helps us to remember that learners are human and not just an ID number. Ms Bruners has obviously spent a lot of time dealing with adult learners and this book is a reflection on her desire to enhance the learning experience. If you want to improve the material you present, try some of the tips. It worked for me.

When I came across this book in a friends bathroom and took a look through it, I saw why it was in the "john". This was one of the most poorly written adult instruction books I have ever seen. The so-called author uses contractions and imcomplete sentence structure throughout the book. It is not clear and concise. I wonder what publisher would agree to take on this mess. As another review states, it seems more like something a 10 year old would use. Perhaps this want to be author should spend her time doing something other than writing.

If you played all the little learning games suggested by this book, you'd have no time left for "real" classtime. I found only 3 of the tips even remotely useful. This book seemed to be geared toward teaching 10-year-olds.