How to Answer: How do you know what teaching methods to use to ensure the best learning experience?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Training and Development Manager job interview.
7. How do you know what teaching methods to use to ensure the best learning experience?
What You Need to Know
As a Training and Development Manager, you will need to design learning materials that appeal to a wide range of learning styles. Perhaps you get to know who the attendees are to know which learning modalities work best. The group may be hands-on, getting the most out of the interactive training sessions you prepare. Or maybe the group learns well through independent online training sessions where they take quizzes at the end of each module. Share how you adapt your training programs to individuals with varied learning styles and needs.
Written by Ryan Brown on June 29th, 2020
Focus Your Answer On
Emphasize that you follow adult learning best practices backed by science on motivation, reinforcement, and knowledge transfer. Share how you stay actively immersed in the latest research on instructional design and facilitation approaches for optimal participant capability building.
Explain how you analyze learner audiences first to determine baseline proficiencies, confidence levels, technical savviness, career aspirations, and more. These insights allow you to align teaching methods to each group's uniqueness. Highlight the ability to balance high-touch customized experiences while still driving learning efficiency.
Elaborate on modalities you might leverage to drive engagement across preferences - things like job aids, peer exchanges, scenario application, gaming simulations, microlearning, and post-training support resources. Convey the art behind blending delivery channels to inspire various learning styles in one cohesive learner journey.
Share 1-2 anecdotes illustrating how you translated complex topics into focused training experiences that clicked with participants through relevance to their realities and active knowledge reinforcement. Quantify effectiveness through score improvements, utilization gains, or career advancement opportunities realized afterward.
The goal is to exhibit dedication to elevating workforce capabilities through continually vetting and expertly leveraging cutting-edge instructional approaches tailored precisely to each learner group's needs.
Written by William Rosser on March 1st, 2024
1st Answer Example
"Typically, I take a student-centered approach to training because this approach almost always leads to a very positive experience for the attendee. Of course, my approach may change based on my leadership team's learning objectives and goals. If the sessions are delivered online, the best learning experience will come from a wide range of multimedia to ensure the information is appealing and informative while moving at a visually interesting pace. If the training is in a classroom or seminar setting, I will use visual aids and physical activities such as role-playing and team-building challenges. I take into consideration if the work is primarily solo or more interactive. Overall, my approach to teaching is interactive, encouraging, and human-centered."
Written by Ryan Brown on June 29th, 2020
2nd Answer Example
"I stay closely attuned to adult learning science and tailor my teaching methods using a research-backed framework assessing audience, goals, content, and context. For example, when designing a cybersecurity certification for non-technical teams exposed to phishing risks, I understood meeting them where they were required me to substitute dense jargon for engaging vulnerability simulations.
Rather than lecturing broadly about threats, I created an interactive module leveraging gamification techniques to safely emulate realistic phishing attempts through mock malicious emails. Learners gained muscle memory by spotting red flags by competing to identify schemes first, earning badges for vigilance. I layered this experiential micro-activity between bigger concepts covered through cinematic videos, knowledge checks, and group discussions.
Post-training vulnerability detection score improvements averaged 29% higher for participants compared to holdouts. Plus 82% rated the practicality of examples used as directly relevant to risks encountered daily. Evaluating audience knowledge gaps and career realities before matching immersive teaching methods drives information stickiness and application eagerness exponentially more than generalized content push."
Written by William Rosser on March 1st, 2024
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