Facilitators looking to improve the ease and efficiency of their training procedures as well as making training more effective, interesting and enjoyable for participants will find these 35 activities, based on Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, just what they have been looking for.
While the theory of multiple intelligences has revolutionized educational practices around the world over the last two decades, until now there has been little guidance in how to apply it to workplace training and development. These 35 activities address this gap with games, questionnaires, role plays, guided reflections and other hands-on activities designed to help facilitators provide participants with:
- Icebreakers which illustrate the uniqueness of personal abilities;
- Guidance for the identification of your own intelligences and preferences for learning;
- Methods of improving written or verbal communication;
- Identification of trainer preferences for learning and teaching;
- Procedures for improving team work and team building;
- Valuing and support for workplace diversity; and
- Alternative methods of problem solving.
Each of the 35 activities provides the facilitator with a ready-to-use plan of what the activity should accomplish, the materials, suggested timing, OHPs, worksheets and a step-by-step facilitation process of everything from motivation to conclusions to be drawn and questions to be asked. In addition, each activity closes with an annotated set of resources such as books, articles, videos or websites.
These activities will change forever how facilitators teach as well as how participants think about themselves and those they work with, whether employers, clients or customers of the wider community.
Contents:
Part I Ice Breakers: Pick your own logo; Talent bingo; Hidden talents.
Part II Introducing Multiple Intelligences: Exploring preferences; Describing the intelligences; Multiple intelligences and job descriptions; Your multiple intelligences at work; Facts and fancies about multiple intelligences.
Part III Communicating Using Multiple Intelligences: The perfect backrub; Chopsticks; Listening with the intelligences; Anniversary e-mails; Chinese whispers.
Part IV Training with Multiple Intelligences: Trainer preferences; How others learn; Tie the knot; Teaching technophobes; You're on Candid Camera.
Part V Teamwork and Multiple Intelligences: Irritations; Teams for a competitive edge; Knowledge fair; Draw cards and teams; Trust and knowledge; How to say 'sorry'.
Part VI Diversity with Multiple Intelligences: Meeting special needs; Abilities and disabilities; Targeting cultural markets; Gender hunt; Noughts and crosses.
Part VII Problem-Solving with Multiple Intelligences: Brainstorming with multiple intelligences; Questions, questions, questions; Worst possible scenario; Back from the future; Creating innovation; Motivation and morale.
Part VIII Materials for Evaluation: Thought-bubble feedback; Training process evaluation; Star ratings; Using multiple intelligences.
Part IX Resources: References and resources.
About the Author: Joyce Martin, a lecturer in social psychology at the Australian Catholic University, Sydney, has been involved in adult education and training for over 20 years. She has produced a wide range of research papers, books for working with diversity and career advisement materials for Zonta International, Sydney, and has worked as a consultant with the NSW Police on the use of action learning. Joyce is author of Profiting from Multiple Intelligences, also published by Gower.
