Skill Training 2: Comprehensive Training

Comprehensive Training

1. Schedule training sessions. Shorter, more frequent times are better than one marathon session, especially with kids. Do not just decide one day you are tired of making six beds and it’s high time everyone started to make their own, from the 8 month old to the ten year old.
2. Demonstrate. Demonstrate the job (or part of the job) to your apprentices. Show where to get supplies and equipment. Show them how to clean-up when finished.
3. Explain. Explain how you expect the job to be done in kid-friendly terms. Incorporate the hints and expectations you compiled. You can devise non-reader charts of pictures to show what to do (cut out magazine pictures of a toilet and circle the outside of the bowl you want them to clean while you do the tank, seat, and inside the bowl, for example). Readers can get their own list you prepare for them.
4. Extra step: For children, quiz them away from the task to see what they remember about what needs to be done, what is important, easily forgotten, or tricky. See if they remember any BE SAFE rules you gave them. See if they know how to be SHERLOCK HOLMES and make the job disappear by putting away the tools and equipment.
5. Supervise. Have the apprentice do the job while you supervise at least three times. Put the evaluation sheet on a clipboard, put on a lab coat and a name tag that says supervisor. Big, black-framed glasses optional. Apprentice can wear his or her own name tag. Always start the supervision from the REQUEST to do the task, through gathering supplies, doing the task, putting away supplies, and reviewing the report. Always have the stop watch running, as part of data collection. Don’t make it a race to start with (you want them to learn to do a good job, and you want to know how long they take to do a good job without distractions). You will be checking to see how close they can get to your average time, of course, but save time trials for a bit later.
6. Evaluate. These evaluations are “reviewing the report.” After they finish the task (after putting away supplies), sit down with cookies and drink and informally talk over how things went, what went well, what to try think about for the next time. Another time, go for a walk to review the report. Another time, simply ask how they thought it went. Another time talk about the diligence of attention to detail they showed. Comment on how you enjoyed hearing them sing while working. When you feel the work habits are under control, but the time could be improved, mention the time, and do a specific time trial two or three times. You coach them to not forget anything in the rush (the important part is to always do the complete job), but see if the time can improve. Once you have a reasonable time estimate for them doing the task, you have DATA to refer to when correction for dallying is needed.