Knowledge of learners

By contrast, most practitioners claimed knowledge collected in advance about their expected learners was very important to have ready for use in the moment of first encounter with a new group. Before meeting a new class, most practitioners undertook one or more of four forms of information gathering about most of their group of learners: face-to-face meetings with learners not on same day as class; using communication technology;

information collected from other sources; and/or a face-to-face meeting on the day of the class, before class.

1 Face-to-face meetings with learners not on same day as class

A small number of practitioners in this study chose to or were required by their organisation to schedule meetings with potential learners some days or weeks before the first class. The process involved one or more of the

following approaches:

one or more practitioners interviewing a potential learner; submitting a potential learner to some form of testing eg. comprehension, writing, and either observing the process or assessing the outputs from such tests;

selection and the administrative enrolment of a learner. A few practitioners “enrol every student and know every student‟s

background and what they are hoping to achieve”. Their meetings may be formal or informal and be of different durations. Depending on practitioners‟ circumstances or needs, meetings with potential learners may be casual or fortuitous. Some practitioners do not meet all learners prior to a class coming together. For example, one practitioner reported that on average he “meets 70-80% of learners as individuals in advance”, and another remarked she “would normally know one third of a class before the start”. In this study, a proportion of practitioners knew at least some learners from previous classes or other experiences so that “sometimes you have some prior knowledge”. On the basis of their prior meetings with individual learners, some

practitioners claimed the “first encounter [in the classroom] isn‟t a genuine first encounter”. However, this study focuses on practitioners meeting

learners as individuals formed into a group for the first time, and assumes that a practitioner‟s approach may be different than from first encounters with an individual, in the teaching context.

Excepting the situation where learners are generally known from past situations, the specific prior meetings that were related to a forthcoming class acted either as a vetting or selection process or as an opportunity that only involved information exchange to set the scene for both parties. Such processes were a deliberate tactic to provide knowledge to the learner and for the practitioner and training organisation to gain specific types of information. In these meetings, practitioners “look at them”, speak “to them about their experiences“, “discover the reason why the learners will be attending training, and [collect] information about potential issues and personality types. [On this basis they determine] the style of training that will be best for them”. That is, practitioners develop “a good knowledge of who the learners are and their background, and of the outcomes expected”. Clearly, first impressions about potential learners are made by practitioners. Practitioners explain that their judgements and assessments derive from observations of the body language and the physical characteristics of potential learners along with the messages received from learners‟ verbal communication. Practitioners use the inferences and information gained “to memorise their names, to select icebreaker activities, and to get a picture of past and present”.

By contrast, a few practitioners chose not to meet with learners in advance, because such meetings were “a complete waste of time”. Resentment existed where institutional systems compelled them to meet learners in advance, because “as I see them as they walk into the classroom, I can get

the same information in 20 seconds”. Obviously, knowledge derived from seeing learners is deemed important for the moment of first encounter with the group, however usually most practitioners have the freedom to select a prior collection method or an on-the-spot collection method.

2 Using communication technology

Some practitioners do not engage in a face-to-face meeting with potential learners, rather they communicate, in advance of the first class, by telephone or email when potential learners make enquiries. First impressions in these situations derive from the language and the information supplied. When the contact is via the telephone, practitioners make impressions from the diction and tone of voice used by the potential learner. For example, in the process, practitioners may “work out - guess the age and maturity from life

experience”. These assumptions become „knowledge‟ that is available for use in the moment of first encounter when the new class comes together for the first time.

3 Information collected from other sources

Practitioners may have “done a fair amount of research on the group by the time they walk into the training room”. Typically, they may access external written information where available. For example, “I get the roll book and have a look. On the basis of [names], [I am looking for] the international [learners]. When I‟ve got any internationals, I‟m aware I‟ve got to present information differently for them. So, the number of internationals I‟ve got does affect my pre-preparation. It‟s just going to alter my personal pitch in the classroom rather than the way I put notes together and that sort of stuff. I

always find out - I know if I am going into a group whether there are international students or there is a language issue”.

Occasionally, practitioners cannot meet the learners in advance, but do communicate with learners‟ direct supervisors to gain information. The knowledge requested is various. It may be content driven or, for example, the request may be for “how the class will be dressed” so a practitioner can “be dressed accordingly”. Also, practitioners explained that a workplace supervisor “will give you a run down on all the learners that are going to be in the group before you start. That‟s prior knowledge”. In addition, information remembered from another source, such as from employees in similar workplaces encountered in previous training sessions, can be influential in the moment of first encounter with a new group. New knowledge so gained may lead practitioners to present themselves and organise the delivery differently.

Practitioners see benefits to both parties if information about learners is gathered before the class comes together. For example, practitioners increase their understanding of the varying nature and the diverse needs of individual learners. In turn, this may influence what and how they will deliver in class, and “it prevents everyone from being surprised in class”. The information provides “a degree of understanding about how to pitch – the delivery method” and enables the “tailoring of material within the program notes as well as in example case studies”.

While most of this knowledge exists for conscious use after the moment of first encounter, indirectly it influences practitioners in the moment of first encounter as they “read” the new whole class group. Their previously

gathered understandings of individuals help to gauge the differences and similarities within the group in the first moment.

4 Face-to-face meeting on the day of the class, before class

On the day of the class, prior to the group coming together, information gathering continues for some practitioners and starts for others. As part of the process, some practitioners internalise a list of questions about which they will seek answers directly or indirectly from learners.

The range of pre-class reflections and the development of questions needing answers and other activities may commence hours in advance of

practitioners meeting the new class group. Examples of comments included, “When does it start [for me]? It starts at about 5.30 in the morning on a full day session. I think about how relaxed they will be, where are they coming from, why they are likely to be there, and, of the resources I‟ve got available to me, what are going to be the best resources for that group”. In addition, practitioners “think before meeting the new class. I think of making a list of things I will talk about and go through that. I think of what I am going to tell them. Telling them what sort of things they can expect from the course and what they will look at”.

Then, as they meet individual learners, practitioners begin to find answers to their questions through observation and through listening. Before entering the classroom, some practitioners congregate with arriving learners in a refreshment area. Whether in that area, or within the classroom, they may engage individual learners in small talk, and watch and listen to them. This deliberate tactic usually starts with a greeting, allows practitioners “to

introduce themselves before the session”, and then to make what appears to be “idle chat”. The occasional practitioner engages learners with a

handshake as a link with the verbal “how are you”, a practice which can offer additional „information‟ through the sense of touch. The goal is to construct a means by which to gather more information about the individuals before they meet as a group for the first time. In particular, this way of working assists those practitioners who define their roles as developers or builders within the teaching context. These roles are explained in the next section.

The standard practice is for practitioners to arrive in advance of the class group coming together. For the majority of practitioners, on entering the classroom, they are watchfully attentive of learners who are already in attendance and then “look at the learners as they enter “and “make a lot of eye contact”. During these moments, practitioners search for a familiar face - “I look for someone I know”.