The iFTI Instructor Training Program is accredited by the Council on Occupational Education (COE). With this nationally recognized seal of excellence comes our responsibility to analyze, design, develop, and review our instructor training curriculum to ensure the integrity, quality and effectiveness of the program materials and implementation strategies.
Keeping this in mind, the iFTI has been working with Dr. Mark Johnson, University Professor in Technology and Workforce Learning of the College of Technology at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, KS. Dr. Johnson has over 35 years of experience, in and out of the classroom, as a professor and public speaker and is a fierce advocate for student learning and success in the classroom leading to the transfer of skills and knowledge in the workplace.
Dr. Johnson’s efforts to re-design and implement a simpler, yet highly effective, methodology for teaching both the iFTI 1000 Introduction to Teaching Techniques for Adults and iFTI 1001 Teaching Techniques for Adults were realized this fall with the implementation of both classes in Hanover, MD. The 5-day introductory course followed the instructional design model known as ADDIE – Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. Students focused on analyzing what their apprentices need to know in order to perform their job, how they will best communicate the expectation, and how they will design and implement instruction and evaluation to ensure their apprentices succeed.
During the introductory class, our new instructors were challenged to think in a new way, to solve problems for teaching cognitive skills and knowledge as well as strategies for teaching psychomotor skills for safely and accurately performing tasks. Activities focused on writing objectives, and identifying the specific tools, materials and conditions under which apprentices will learn. The next level class focused on building concepts and abstract ideas that are based on job-related experiences and which transfer to a better understanding of tasks performed on the job.
Instructors were guided through creating meaningful engagement through activities to teach concepts to their students and engaging in deeper conversation after the activities to gauge understanding. Both classes were highly interactive, employed critical thinking skills, and concluded with teach backs, peer and instructor review, and discussion on lessons learned. We look forward to the continued enhancement of the iFTI Instructor Training Program to ensure confidence, creativity and success for each of the iFTI’s instructors.