Connecting the Dots

In our recent group meeting for the FIT project we came up with a question that the three of us had a challenge answering. How does R2D2 and Salmon's 5 Stages really fit together? At first we struggled a bit with what each is on its own, then a brief discussion of how they fit together. We may have surprised ourselves because we didn't have a clear answer. The conversation was brief and came at the end of a productive two and a half hour review of our FIT experience and some good ideas for activities. Later in the week when I was working on the activities I realized the question went unanswered!

Here is my attempt at the response from the perspective if someone asked; what are you learning in your course this semester? I am learning about online and FTF facilitation, primarily two models that fit together for instructional design and learning styles of attendees. The models are R2D2, which addresses various learning styles and Gilly Salmon's 5 Stage Model which speaks to the stages learners and facilitators move through while learning online. Sounds simple, right? Not so when you are facilitating an online discussion of individuals you have never met and are unfamiliar with or only vaguely familiar with the topics they are discussing. A challenge that has been frustrating and exhilarating all at once. I believe I am learning!

My next challenge is to apply more of this to my workplace. I am looking forward to creating a train the trainer for my face to face and online faciltators in the very near future. In addition, the goal for the next quarter is to create a "real" program with scheduled topics for the Sales staff and the Specialists and working staff members who are interested in taking a bigger role in training. Thanks Dr. Zhang!