learning by doing: legal/tax training with impact
Pity today's legal/tax trainees. Whether training is in-class, online, or blended, trainees have a common complaint: "bòòòring".
Results:
The problem
Here is my take on the main culprit. Observe what usually happens during legal/tax (e-)training: the trainee is "waterboarded" with?information. Unfortunately, human cognitive ability to process this information is limited. There is scant opportunity to process the uninterrupted flow of new and often complex legal/tax information. Consequently, the trainee cannot adequately deal with such?quantities of information. Let alone that the trainee can gain a deeper understanding or is given sufficient opportunity to practice with the information.
As a result, the trainee cannot?consolidate the overload of information. The consequence is pretty awful: once back on the job, our ex-trainee has no access to what he/she was supposed to have learned during training. Why? Because there is nothing to retrieve from memory .... all information evaporated, POOF! Everyone's training effort has been in vain.
There is another consequence. As a professional, what counts is not what you?know?but what you can?do?with your knowledge: using the skills that?build on?the acquired information. Skills like analyzing and evaluating the facts within the legal/tax context, critical and creative thinking as well as coming up with convincing arguments. The training should incorporate using these skills but rarely does.
In short, legal/tax training?needs an upgrade. And it is nòt about showering our trainees with more content. It it is about enabling learners to consolidate and use the new content.
The solution
Learning is an activity, a cognitive activity. Therefore, to make learning happen we should turn the trainee from a passive receiver into an active learner. Start with the low hanging fruit by introducing?two?essential features: learner control and learner activity.
First, give the learner more?control?over his/her learning process. This allows the learner to process and consolidate the new information according to his/her ability. One way would be to have the learner perform appropriate learning activities that require the learner to use that information.
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Second, provide the learner with learning material that is challenging, relevant, and requires work-authentic learning?activities. These activities strengthen critical and creative thinking, analysis, contextualizing, and evaluation necessary for desired job performance. Activities can be performed either alone or in interaction with the trainer-specialist and/or peers; their feedback strengthens the trainee's deeper learning.
Aim for knowhow and motivation
Legal/tax learning is about building longterm knowhow. Applying?the newly acquired information in the context of authentic problems enables the learner to gain practical understanding. Such knowhow builds new expertise. Once back in the office, the ex-trainee is now capable to apply this new capacity. But capacity is not enough for good job performance, motivation is also needed.
Learner control and problem solving also stimulate motivation. First, during?learning by challenging and encouraging the learner. Second, after learning: a motivated learner is anxious to?apply?the new expertise?once back on the job.
“Easy peasy?”
Is implementing this solution simple? Absolutely not. Legal/tax experts with training responsibilities cannot do it on their own. They have neither been taught how to instruct nor how to design good instruction. Consequently, they often do not have a clue how to?(e-)teach effectively or how to?moderate in a constructive and engaging style.
Instruction is?not about presenting information nor is it about law or tax; it is about?helping?trainees?process and practice?legal/tax information. This requires?instructional?know-how. Such expertise belongs to instructional specialists. They can help the legal/tax specialist to teach and to design impactful (e-)training.?
Ask your instructional specialist
Upgrading legal/tax training has a new urgency. The post-Covid era resulted in an increase of technology-enabled training. Such e-learning products risks being boring. A first step up would be to have the legal/tax specialists?cooperate?with instructional specialists: The instructional know-how can boosts the impact of the legal know how.
Does this solution involve an expense? Unfortunately, yes. Especially in the beginning. But you will be amazed how instructional expertise can transform training into an effective, efficient, and engaging experience with relatively simple means. Trainees will improve job performance. Trainers will attain more satisfaction. Finally, bottom-line results will soon make up for the extra costs.