This is Module 2 in the Indiana State Library Best Practices in Training Series for staff trainers. I present here potential approaches for reducing scrap learning in training from perspectives of: collection development, 70-20-10, coaching, UX and CX, the Forgetting Curve, Dump Truck Syndrome, and scaffolding learning. Learners will review each and share their initial reactions in a group meeting with the facilitator. For a follow-up meeting in another month, learners will present creative representations of the scrap reduction approach they are choosing to work on.

2. Hey, hi, it’s Emily with Best Practices in Training!

3. Prepared by Emily Schaber for Indiana State Library Training Staff
April 2016
Best Practices in Training Series
Module 2:
Reducing Scrap Learning in Training
(or, “Cut the Scrap”)

4. What IS Scrap Learning?

5. Recap on Scrap :
is learning
that is facilitated
but never
used on the job

6. But we’re librarians.
We love learning for the sake of it.

7. So, what’s the problem with
scrap learning?
Take a break here to consider what might be the possible
consequences of scrap learning.
What are your first thoughts?

8. What are we going to accomplish in
this module?

9. Recap on Our Learning Objective:
Think about your interests and strengths and choose 1 scrap-reduction
approaches introduced here (or maybe you have another
idea!)that you will incorporate into your training.
For our next meeting on May 16, we will share our initial
thoughts about what approach we are considering implementing.
For our meeting on June 20, we will share detailed plans:
Choose any medium you like - it could be an outline, a selfie video, an
audio recording, a journal-style entry, or any other format - to tell us:
1. Which approach you chose,
2. Why you chose it, and
3. The steps of your plan to attack scrap with that approach.

10. How might a …
Collection Development Librarian
reduce scrap learning in training?

11. A 5-minute read in library language with suggestions for
reducing scrap in training. (Remember MUSTIE?)
How to Reduce Scrap Learning in Training: Take It from
Librarians; We Know Scrap When We See It
“When it comes to our collections, great librarians are a
lot like great instructional designers: We keep them
current, relevant, appealing, and responsive to our
communities. Keeping our collections useful and looking
good means we have to get rid of things though. That’s
right: Public libraries throw books away. Here is how to
reduce scrap learning in your training.”

12. Take a Think Break.
What questions did you find yourself asking while
reading the article?
What questions do you still have after reading?
What examples of MUSTIE do you see in trainings
you’ve attended or trainings you’ve facilitated?
Anything:
Misleading? Ugly? Superseded?
Trivial? Irrelevant? Elsewhere?

13. How might a …
Human Resources Professional
reduce scrap learning in training?

14. Recap on 70-20-10:
An anecdotal formula estimating how much
we learn in which work settings:
70% from on-the-job experience
20% from interactions with others
10% from formal training
More at The 70-20-10 Model for Learning and Development

15. Take a Think Break.
Reflect on your experiences learning to do your job.
What do you guess would be your formula for how much knowledge
you gained from on-the-job experience, from interactions with
others, and from formal training?
What does 70-20-10 mean for the effectiveness of our training?
How much does our formal training contribute to library
outcomes?
What are the implications of 70-20-10 for us as curriculum
developers and facilitators?
How can we increase our estimated 10% contribution to learning
at work?
Can we integrate our training with the other 90%?

16. How might a …
Manager Coach
reduce scrap learning in training?

17. Recap on Coaching:
Coaching IS NOT monitoring or controlling employees,
NOR IS IT alleviating managers or employees of
accountability.
Coaching IS a partnership between managers and
employees.
Managers Coaches:
Develop their employees in such a way that “actual and
expected performance” match up, and
Provide continuous feedback and clarify expectations.
Why coaching?
To support employees in achieving success in their
performance goals.
More at What is Coaching?

18. Recap on Coaching (continued):
Best Practice: Review by managers of the “business
case” for training attendance.
Consider the following:
Is this employee the right person for the training?
Does this employee have prior knowledge or experience to
build from or is the training too advanced? (Or, is this
employee already an expert in this area?)
Is this the right time (i.e. not too soon or too late) for
this training?
Is this training applicable to the employee’s role?
Are there supports in place that will allow the employee to
use new learning back on the job?
More at Scrap Learning & Manager Engagement

19. Take a Think Break.
What kinds of conversations about scrap learning
could you have with Directors or Managers in your
libraries?
What terms would you use to express the concept?
You may already be asking Directors why they want
specific trainings when they want them (Is there a
pressing issue in the library that they hope this
training will address?):
In what other ways do you see yourself supporting
Directors in determining what training is
appropriate for whom and when?
Or, IS training the answer to the pressing issue?

20. How might …
UX and CX Designers
reduce scrap learning in training?

21. Recap on UX & CX:
User Experience (UX) describes the
experiences users have with your product and
the nature or quality of those experiences.
Customer Experience (CX) describes the
nature or quality users have with your brand
itself.
More at User Experience (UX) vs. Customer Experience (CX): What's the Dif?

22. Take a Think Break.
When you are developing in-person workshops,
webinars, or any other training support documents,
how much do you think you focus on UX? How much
do you focus on CX?
Are there specific trainings you believe are
lacking in either UX or CX in particular?
What processes might you use to evaluate UX and CX
in your trainings?
If you are interested in a UX or CX approach to
reducing scrap learning in training, what else do
you need to learn or ask about these concepts?

23. Take a Think Break (continued).
How does UX relate to face-to-face training?
What experiences have you had with great or poor UX or CX
in training?
What experiences have you had with UX and CX prior to
attending a training? What about after training?
What ISL trainings come to mind when you think about UX
and CX?
In what ways is ISL excelling in UX and CX?
Where and how can we improve?

24. How might …
19th Century Psychologist, Hermann Ebbinghaus,
reduce scrap learning in training?

25. Recap on the Forgetting Curve & Dump Truck Syndrome:
The brain forgets information because it has to.
Without review, new memories will reduce by 50% in a matter of
days (or less).
Recall is dependent on meaningfulness of memory and
physiological factors (e.g. stress, sleep, etc).
Memory strength increases through Mnemonic Techniques and Active
Recall with Spaced Repetition.
Dump Truck Syndrome = learner brain overload that results in
reduced retention.
Ask learners what impacts they observe. What real life stories
support these observations? What solutions will resolve these?
Think like an architect: “Look at the big picture and create
designs that see the whole.”
More at Forgetting Curve, Fight the Forgetting Curve, and Stop that Dump Truck!

26. Take a Think Break.
What content (personal or professional) do you find
yourself remembering easily? Why do you think that
is?
What methods help you remember new information?
What recall methods do you share with your learners?
Do you find yourself dumping content into a
training? How can you recognize it before learners
get overloaded?
How will you determine which portions of your
content “serve the whole” and which do not?

27. How might an …
Architect
reduce scrap learning in training?

28. Recap on Scaffolding Learning:
Scaffolding = “Breaking up the learning into chunks and
then providing a tool, or structure, with each chunk.”
1. Urge learners to show, model, or demonstrate their point, not
just talk about it.
1. Provide plenty of guidance and clarity on the expected outcome
or product. Criteria sheets, rubrics, etc. may be helpful.
1. Guide learners in connecting the learning to their lives by
asking about their experiences and hypotheses.
1. Give them a minute to process their thoughts, think things
through outloud, and allow time for asking and sharing.
1. Frontload vocabulary: Share key concepts with learners prior
to training. Put concepts in contexts learners are interested
in.
More at Scaffolding and Scaffolding Strategies to Use with Your Students

29. Take a Think Break.
Do you see a relationship between scaffolding as
used in K12 and the adult learning that you create
and facilitate?
Have you used any of these techniques to scaffold
learning in your training?
Have you attended a training that employed
scaffolding? What was effective? What was not?

30. And that, facilitators, is scrap.
Emily Schaber, Indiana State Library
EmSchaber@library.IN.gov
May 2016