Learning: Specific Learner Concerns for Driving Learning

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Developing on from the entry on “Learning: Key Concerns in the Grounds Care Industry that can drive learning”, identifying a wider range of specific concerns that learners may have can help provide the basis for developing an engaging and useful training course.

Asking learners what their specific concerns are, in addition to those already identified in the other entry, might see them respond with a range of comments. These can then be utilised by a course designer as opportunities for effective learning.

Examples of comments or common themes might include:

1. Lack of confidence.
2. Confidence has been knocked back.
3. How to interpret data protection principles appropriately.
4. To ensure that I’m good at my job.
5. Ensuring the material is spread at the correct rate. (So how to calibrate should be a good element here)
6. How to reply appropriately to an email.
7. Fitting into a new workplace. (So, this could be a suitable onboarding element within a course)
8. How to meet deadlines and targets and how to respond when I don’t meet them.
9. Failing to meet expectations.
10. Having to speak at a meeting.
11. I struggle to explain what I am thinking so people often don’t understand what I am saying.
12. How to address conflict in the workplace and what to do if it is encountered.
13. There are no progression opportunities, or there doesn’t appear to be any.
14. Being left behind in technological developments.
15. Being overwhelmed with workload.
16. I’m finding some tasks boring.
17. I don’t understand what is needed to be done.
18. I have a mental health issue but am unsure how best to mention this to my employer.
19. I have experienced harassment and discrimination at my workplace.
20. I want to make a positive impact at work.
21. Working practices are becoming complacent and I am concerned there is now a good chance of someone becoming injured.
22. How to choose the most suitable materials for the task to be done.
23. How to fit in, or change, the organisational culture and / or vision.
24. There is a lack of staff motivation.
25. How to maintain the machinery properly.
26. I’m not being allocated enough time for a task to be completed to a satisfactory standard.
27. My line manager is nearly always moody and abrupt and is making me unhappy in my work.
28. I am not getting any, or minimal, feedback from my line manager.
29. The training course I am on is not very interesting.
30. The annual performance appraisals are just a tick box exercise and are not actively managed.
31. There is an inadequate skills and training programme at work.
32. The is a lack of investment in equipment, materials and staff.
33. We are understaffed for what we have to achieve.
34. How to best work with people who are different from me (e.g. gender, age, ethnicity) as I want to make sure I don’t inadvertently offend others, but want to make sure I gain everyone’s respect and trust.
35. Finding time to learn is challenging at best as I don’t seem to have time for learning.
36. I’m always worried that the playing surface might cause a player to be injured. I want to make sure the surface doesn’t result in any foreseeable injuries.
37. I want to make sure all staff enjoy what they do.
38. Our pitches are overused and want to be able to ensure everyone understands the impact of overusing a pitch.
39. How to collect the right data for my decision making.
40. How to delegate work equitably and to help motivate staff.
41. How to say no to someone without offending them, because I am either too busy or just don’t want to help.
42. How to use the applications / software on the IT system properly, so I get the most out of it.
43. How to create an appropriate report, so it’s not too short, too long, or missing important headings or sections.
44. How to create an appropriate work programme or schedule.
45. How to ask, or justify, for a pay rise.
46. How to answer the telephone / mobile when a customer calls.
47. What to do if I damage the machinery.
48. How to best say that I’ve made a mistake.
49. How to complete an accident book.
50. What to do if the first aid box is low on or missing items.

Concerns can be grouped into general areas, for example:
• How to use each item of equipment properly – that is safely, efficiently and effectively.
• Why you might or should be using certain materials in contrast to other materials.
• Why you should not be doing something or using something in particular situation.
• Communication skills.

Making sure that the course content is relevant for the context, helpful and provides a solution to an identified concern will go a long way to improve the learning process.