Training from the BACK of the Room – Virtual Edition (TBR-VE)

In this practical and interactive virtual class, you’ll explore the current “cognitive neuroscience” that explains how ALL humans learn.
You’ll discover 6 specific brain-science principles and a 4-step instructional design model that you can use in your own virtual teaching and training.
And you’ll leave with dozens of new ideas, activities, resources, and a new “Gold Standard” for virtual instruction and learning.

Target Audience

The “Training from the BACK of the room” workshop is suitable for teachers, facilitators and coaches, as well as scrum masters and project managers. People with some experience of delivering training will get the most out of this course.

Program

Module 1

• Introduction to moving from ‘in person’ to ‘virtual’ learning format, online facilitation and tools
• Connection activities (to other learners, to content and to learning outcomes)
• Setting up for success and Trainers Toolkit
• Psychological safety and learning agreements.

Module 2

• How humans learn
• The Six Trumps – six learning principles based on brain science
• Application of the “trainer’s toolkit” and brain science principles.

Module 3

• Introduction to Accelerated Learning and the 4Cs – design and delivery model
• General design and delivery reminders
• Creating a 4Cs map – first draft.

Module 4

• Deeper dive into one of Connections, Concepts, Concrete Practice or Conclusion step
• Writing successful learning outcomes
• Practical task – design your own training session (application of the 4Cs map and toolbox strategies to specific training topics)

Optional informal drop-in session (1 hour)

• 1-hour check-in for Q&A and working on the 4Cs map.

Module 5

• Teachbacks – learners each present their 4Cs map back to the group
• Glows and Grows – all learners receive feedback on their 4Cs map presentation
• Conclusion activities.

What you will learn

After your active participation in the TBR-VE Class with Teri Frith, you will be able to:

• Apply 6 brain-science principles based on current research every time you deliver virtual training, regardless of the complexity of the topic, size of group, or level of learners.
• Use the 4Cs Map as a training design and delivery model for brain-based virtual instruction.
• Create virtual training sessions that combine your own topic and materials with the brain-based concepts and strategies from the class and demonstrate how to leverage the strengths of virtual learning environments.
• Explain to colleagues your understanding of cognitive science as it applies to learning, training and memory in both virtual and face-to-face environments.
• Choose from dozens of virtual brain-based learning activities for all topics.
• Become an active member of the TBR-VE Class Group and share your own expertise about brain-based virtual instruction and learning.

Requirements

You will need to commit and attend all five 2.5 hour modules.

In order to attend the TBR-VE Class, you will need to:

• Do the “Warm-Ups” and “Follow-Ups”, i.e. pre/post work for each module (between 90 and 120 minutes of homework before the start and between each module – reading, viewing, writing, responding)
• Become an active member of the TBR-VE Class Group on Slack (free membership). Post your “homework” assignments there and respond to what others have posted
• Complete our feedback survey to help us improve the TBR VE class for the future.

Also, in order to join us you’ll need to have:

• Live-streaming camera capability and adequate sound system – so that we can all see and hear you as part of the class
• A copy of the book “Training for the BACK of the Room” by Sharon Bowman in either paperback or digital format (provided by Avanscoperta)
• A computer (desktop or laptop; not just a tablet or cell phone)
• A printed copy of the participant workbook (provided as a pdf) – so that you can write and draw on it, and flag pages with sticky notes etc
• Miscellaneous analogic materials: sticky notes, blank paper, markers, pen/pencil.
• A basic familiarity with the software platforms that will be used to deliver the class: Zoom, Miro, Slack.
  If these apps are new to you, please consider viewing one of the free introductory tutorials on YouTube: Miro – Slack – Zoom.

Online Workshop – How does it work

We will meet online in a virtual classroom and use presentation through screen share. The modules are designed to help you learn in a brain-friendly way. Every module includes interactive and collaborative activities, applying and building on the concepts in the warm-up and follow-up homework tasks. Discussions and questions are encouraged all the time.

The workshop will happen online and in live streaming: the trainer and all other participants will be in a video conference. You’ll be interacting and working together in real-time thanks to a variety of tools you’ll have at your disposal.

The workshop will keep its highly interactive and hands-on spirit despite being online.
This is why we *require* that all participants keep their webcam on for the whole duration of the workshop: this will enhance the quality of the communication and of the workshop as a whole.
You won’t be sitting at your desk watching slides and videos during the workshop, and you’ll be engaged in real-time activities for the majority of the time… as if we were in a real classroom!

Testimonials

TBR-VE is a great experience, full of precious insights and practical techniques ready to apply, very helpful to improve the training experience both for the learner and the trainer!Lorenzo Ava

“Training from the BACK of the room” had already been helpful to me for more than three years. Although a lot of the material was already known to me, I gained a new level of insight in the various ideas behind the approach introduced in Training from the back of the room.

Regardless of your experience, I would recommend this training to anyone that has to teach people new ideas. For experienced trainers, the workshop is humbling in the sense that you experience what your learners experience in your class.

Perhaps some would characterize certain activities as childish but they are fun and engaging too. Still, childish beats boring and dreadful as experienced in mosts training sessions. In short: join the class!Marijn Huizendveld

I recommend the TBR-VE training highly to anyone who works as a trainer or workshop/event facilitator. The TBR-VE training is probably unique currently in the world.

You think you create already good trainings / events? Probably since many years? That’s nice. What about creating GREAT training / events?

Do you want to have great tools and a rock-solid, simple methodology to create online (virtual) trainings / events? Attend the TBR-VE training.Peti Koch

The TBR-VE workshop brings the great ideas from Training from the Back of the Room and shows how these approaches are applicable to empower participants to create great remote learning.
The TBR-VE experience is participatory, immersive, engaging and good fun.Shane Hastie

This training course explains and lets you practice what makes the difference between mediocrity and excellence in designing and delivering coaching and learning sessions – regardless of the subject.Marco Consolaro

Instructive, engaging and well organized.

It’s been enlightening to learn the tricks that help us learn new things and concepts, and the same tricks can be applied to any type of teaching experience (from a frontal session to a workshop, and anything in between).

We’re used to learning new things in the same old way as school, university and courses have taught us in all these years (aka the frontal way), and so, when it comes to teaching we’re kind of used to transmit knowledge in that same old way in our workshops too. But this doesn’t work, especially when moving to the online format.

The methods detailed by Sharon Bowman in her book and training course “Training from the BACK of the Room”, which I could experience in an online workshop taught by Teri Frith, are instead an effective and innovative “toolkit”. In this way, you’re able to teach how to learn, elaborate and consolidate newly learned concepts in a very easy and simple way. This also fully applies to the online scenario, as I could experience myself.

The interaction and the exchanges with the other students, the discovery of a whole lot of functionalities inside the online tools that are extremely useful when it comes to collaborating with others remotely, the extra resources (videos, articles, workbooks), and of course Sharon’s book: all of these elements made the training course held by Teri Frith very complete.
During the workshop, Teri has been applying the same techniques we were learning from her.

It’s a mandatory workshop for anyone who wants to teach or facilitate online sessions of any kind.Cristiano Giardi

I have been working through Training from the BACK of the Room – VE and can recommend it to all the trainers and teachers among my friends.
It connects well with “thinking fast and slow” and Adminton’s work on psychological safety. A method on how to teach in a way brains learn.Marco Heimeshoff

Neuroscience applied to teaching at its fullest.Alessandro Colla – Head of Development

It’s a must-do for anyone involved in teaching, training or coaching.Giovanni Melis – Senior Scrum Master

Very useful training for people (even for novice trainers) who want to approach an effective method to train others (in pull-style).Fabiana Palu – Founder

Be prepared to be trained as you should really train others and leave space for a lot of “a-ha” moments.Marco Zanconi – Scrum Master and Agile Coach

It’s a mandatory workshop for whoever is involved in training.Hoang Huynh

Interesting course full of ideas and tools that can change the way you teach.Emanuele DelBono

Training from the BACK of the room provides awesome tools to enable a shift in teaching style: from ‘against the brain’ to ‘brain friendly’.Alberto Brandolini – CEO and Founder of Avanscoperta