Tell.Show.Do.Review

Tell, Show, Do, and Review is a instructional design method which is very effective for training programs around Task Competency, Skill Development and Behavioural Change. It incorporates principles of Constructivism theory that says learners construct knowledge rather than just passively take in information. As people experience the world and reflect upon those experiences, they build their own representations and incorporate new information into their pre-existing knowledge.

Tell – Tell people what the task is, and the reason/purpose it is being done. Provide a clear and concise description of the desired outcome and also common issues/problems - e.g., Top Three areas to watch out for or key safety issues/risks involved. Use verbal or written descriptions of the skill – this may include visual examples of the process or verbal explanations of the behaviours involved.

Written instructions or verbal instructions are not enough but they are a good start. Provide PowerPoint slides; real world examples; job descriptions; work instructions; procedures; hand-outs or “Cheat Sheets” as I have heard them. ?This allows people to take notes and review the information during the Show, Do or Review stages.

Show – Do the task yourself, or have a skilled Subject Matter Expert complete the activity from start to finish.?Record the demonstration for later review and reinforcement if possible. This is why YouTube How-To videos are often the first place we look to learn how to do something and see a completed example - we want to see how it works or answer the question "What does good look like?". Demonstration of the process or task shows people what you mean and avoids misunderstanding of key words or terms. Demonstrate how the explanation in the Tell stage is applied in the real-world. Turn theory into application. Outline the sequence of the process or task, and show how each step builds on the last or is needed for the next step - this helps people "Connect the Dots". Provide multiple examples if the task can be done differently e.g. Here is one way to do it, here is another way to do it if you don’t have the tools or the environment is different.?This helps with any What-If, What-About or What-Else questions people may have.

Do – Allow for time and activities which allow people to complete the task and do it themselves. Provide activities which simulate the actual task or allow real-world practice – the more realistic the practice activity is to the real-world task, the more effective the learning will be. Ensure you clearly state the conditions of the activity and the criteria for success in measurable terms – people want to know what good likes, sounds and feels like. This supports constructivist learning where people “build” their own learning experience. Provide supervision and monitoring to ensure safe completion of the task and comment on successful completion of steps as people are working through the task – people want to know they are doing it right. Take notes based on factual observation to use in the review stage.

Review

This step is often skipped over or not completed at all – how do people know how they went? Go over the activity or the task with the learner together on what they have done. Timing is important – provide immediate feedback to praise positive behaviour or provide corrective feedback if any errors were made or steps were missed. Allow them time to ask questions and getting feedback. Provide factual evidence based on observations during the activity and use tools like checklists or self-reflection handouts to allow learners to see what worked well, what didn’t work well and what they can do differently – ensure that feedback is not your opinion, back it up with facts and also consequences of not doing it right. People appreciate knowing what happens if a step is missed or completed incorrectly. If there is a standard of competency or behaviours required, compare the behaviour and outcomes from the Do against this standard. Remind people that learning is a process, not an event and it’s okay if they didn’t get everything right the first time – provide opportunities to review any Information needs or misunderstandings of theory - Tell - to clarify theory linkages to application, provide another demonstration to outline steps missed or provide another example - Show - to remind people what good looks like, or let them practice again - Do - with a focus on the areas identified by you or them during the review.

Tell. Show.Do.Review - very handy indeed!

?