Lektor April 2021 Newsletter

Lektor has been hard at work in April. We have been editing the videos we recorded last month. All the videos will be included on the Practical Instructor course, which soon will be available as a user-paced product.

Here is our Virtual Learning Manager, Julio in action explaining some learning theories. Click HERE to see the taster video.

When we get all our stuff ready, it means that all the theoretical content will be accessible via Learning Management System, so that you can study ABSOLUTELY at your own schedule. You need to hook up with a live instructor only for the practical exercises and assessment. Remember - these are the ones we do on our Instructor Skills Trainer we introduced a while ago.

Then we have also introduced a new product. Lektor exists because it wants to set new standards of training excellence by developing instructors. We focus on instructors, because they are the key people in organisational development. Everyone in an organisations goes through some sort of training so the trainers have huge influence in how the working culture is, and how it is maintained.

We launched a mentoring programme, which is aimed at developing the instructors to be the ambassadors of great working and learning culture in organisations. Programme runs for six months and during that time each participating instructor gets 5-7 mentoring sessions with a Lektor educational professional. The goal of the programme is to make client’s organisation run smoother and do better business by investing in their key staff. Simple as that.

Looks good. Feels good. Must be good.

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Lektor March 2021 Newsletter

This month we’ve had some interesting things happening at Lektor. We have decided to keep constantly developing stuff, so that we can hold our position as the most modern and learner driven training organisation.

Our training products are all available as online courses. Lektor’s instructor leads most of them, but we want to offer the training in hugely learner focused delivery.

That is why we started filming our instructional videos, which will be incorporated into our courses soon. When this is done, the student is free to complete the course in their own pace, whenever it is good for them.

The only part that still require someone from Lektor on the course will be the practical exercises. We have worked together with 10Monkeys, which is a company specialised in educational games and software. They have put together an interactive training platform, on which we can do all the practical exercises and competence assessments. This tool is also online, so the trainees do not need to travel anywhere to do this.

How cool is that? You can do a competence assessment sitting on your comfy lounger at home!

Lektor has set eyes also further in the future. The world will not snap back to the way it used to be, and nobody really knows what the new normal will look like. Except Lektor! We are determined to lead the way in the field of ATC training and create the new standards. This will include a lot of tech and a uber-learner-centered approach to training. For this end, we just secured a start funding from Business Finland, which will enable us to start our project of taking ATC Training to the next flight level.

Make sure you follow us on social media.

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We need your help in boosting Lektor to the top-of-mind. Please like, nudge, retweet, share, comment, poke, snap, binge, to spread the Lektor message.

Stay tuned! Stay well!

Error correction - how?

Now, how do you correct errors students make in a ‘normal’ situation? What is there to consider, when you see that an error indeed needs to be corrected, one way or the other? What is the learner centered way of slapping the student on the fingers with a flight strip holder?

The point is to have a balance between being clear enough about the need of correction and finding a supportive, neutral way of bringing the error forward. This means using all the relevant communication and questioning techniques and strategies to lead the situations in a way that helps the student.

As far as practicable, error correction should be performed at the terms of the student. This means that the student should be given time to detect and correct their errors by themselves. Usually this approach is enough to actually resolve these situations. Errors the student detects and corrects by themself can then be discussed in the debriefing, or even dismissed completely if you assess the student has ‘learned the lesson’.

If a student fails to detect the error, you need to direct their attention to the error and its consequences. When done in a learner centered way, with questioning and communication methods that support the student, the student’s own thought processes kick in and they gain ownership and autonomy over their progress. Also it strengthens the trust between you and your student, as instead of pointing your finger at the student and their errors, you stand by their side and constructively guide them to take responsibility for their actions.

How to communicate errors, then? 

Think about the following sentences from the student’s perspective:

The clearance you gave to that aircraft was wrong. Correct it now!

vs.

What was the clearance you issued to that aircraft? Are you happy with the clearance?

Here is another example for you to think. Which would you like to hear from instructor as a student?

Stop that pushback now! The readback was not correct and you missed it!

or maybe

What was the pushback instruction you issued to that aircraft and what did they read back?

In both examples, the first style is pointing a finger at the error and the student, and you don’t want that. That will very clearly make the error visible, but is not for the student’s best. By using questions and investigative communication to direct the student’s attention to the error and their consequences, you facilitate learning. This of course requires that the situation is not too urgent and that you have good enough Situational Awareness to lead the discussion with the student.

Sometimes there comes up a situation that is urgent and needs immediate action to resolve, but you still want to keep the student working. Here, you need to make sure the student understands both what is the problem and what needs to be done to fix it. Now you need to revert to a more direct communication style; there is no time to let the student think, because their experience level is too low. If they made the error based on their best judgment, they most likely remain oblivious of its consequences. So enough with the questioning, now it’s time to tell the student what to do.

Stop FIN123’s climb at FL230, or else he’ll conflict with SAS456.

Read the hold short clearance to DLH1PH again, he didn’t read back correctly.

Check the MSA once more. NAX1AM is descending too low. Stop his descent at 3000ft.’

Now, the most important thing here is to clearly state the required action you want the student to perform. You need to be assertive in your communication and clear about what you want to happen. Don’t use vague terms like ‘turn him away’ or ‘don’t descend him any lower’. Use clear and precise language, just as if you would give the clearance to the aircraft yourself: callsigns, headings, altitudes etc. The student will not be able to make those judgements themself. They have already fallen behind and their Situational Awareness is clearly too flawed for them to be able to handle the situation without you giving clear instructions.

So, to summarise; the ultimate goal is that the students are able to detect and correct their own errors when working, since that’s where they should end up at the end of the training. Whenever there is a possibility to let them practice that, use it to your and your student’s benefit and support their development. Then again, when the situation needs direct action, claim responsibility and lead the situation clearly and assertively.

Note Taking

Taking notes of a training session is an important part of the instructor’s work, especially when monitoring the student. Comprehensive, fact-based and objective documentation of the events of a training session form a structure for the debriefing, which in turn facilitates learning and student’s development.

A good set of notes describe the events during a training session in a factual and objective way. The point is not to assess or evaluate the trainee’s person, but to list the facts of their actions. The notes answer the question ’what happened’ during a training session. It is worthwhile to write down the events, discussions, conflicts etc. as comprehensively as possible, so you have something to refer back to on the things your student finds worth mentioning in the debriefing. During the training session you have no means to know which event the student thinks is the most valuable lesson, so having as much as possible written down helps you to remember and discuss situations the student wants to talk about. (Sounds tough, but with practise, you find a good balance on what is important and what can be left out.)

You can also build data-sheets in your notes, for example noting down each final separation when sequencing arrivals. This way you can show the student their actual performance in the debriefing in an objective way. It’s far more educating to say “your average final separation during this session was 3,2NM”, than “your final separations were good”. 

Note-taking also helps you to let your student concentrate on the work itself, while you are monitoring. If you address the things you see right when they happen, then you end up talking and student listening while the session is running.  While getting feedback is an important part of learning, we have to give student’s time to do some actual practice in peace as well. Let the student do their thing, note your observations, and talk about it during debrief.

Safety vs. Training

How do safety and training relate to each other?

If you go into a coffee shop, the barista might have a name plate that says ‘trainee’. Student drivers have markings on their car to let others know they are still practicing, and when a student pilot is on a training flight, they write ‘school flight’ in the flight plan’s remarks. Why do you think this is? Is there an underlying notion that training will somehow affect service quality and therefore others should know about it?

If that is the case, why don’t we in ATC let pilots know when we have training in progress?Have a look at this Skybrary article about Safety occurrences during OJT. From the article we see that On-the-Job Training indeed poses a measurable safety impact, in light of reported occurrences. Even though the article is a bit dated and the statistics are not clarified on a detailed level, we think it’s safe to conclude that ATC On-the-Job training really has an effect on operational safety. 

Let’s take a moment and think about this.

On-the-Job Training in Air Traffic Control adds an additional layer of complexity to an already complex system. Even though the instructor is responsible for the quality of service and safety, it’s actually someone else who is holding the controls. The additional complexity comes from the quality of communication, understanding and overall cooperation between the student and the instructor. The instructor’s ability to maintain a picture of the situation which aligns with the students situational awareness, plays an extremely important role in safe training operations.

Now, we could go on and on about this subject, but for the sake of keeping it simple we want to concentrate on the importance of prioritising safety over training. It means that safety always comes first. This might seem too obvious to mention, but we cannot stress it enough. Whenever there is a situation that you think isn’t safe, or you assess that the situation is evolving into a direction that you are not comfortable with, act immediately. In these cases training objectives and student centered pedagogical approaches fall down in priority. Make an intervention, take over the position or give clear instructions to the student on what to do and say, even if this wasn’t the preferable thing to do training-wise. Be vigilant and updated on what is happening in the position and in the air at all times, and update your Situational Awareness actively. This way you can balance your actions to ensure both safety and learning.

Practical Aspects of Holding a Debriefing

Debriefing is equally important as the actual work done in the simulator or in the position, if not even more important. That’s why it shouldn’t be neglected, but you should really invest in it. As the briefing, debriefing also needs to be prepared, structured, timed and held in an appropriate place where you can avoid distractions.

So be prepared and use a structured approach. Take time to hold a debriefing after every training session. Use the facilities available to build a peaceful environment for your discussions. Lead the way for the student and show an example. When you take the debriefing seriously, so will your student.

What to consider?

Time: Arrange a debriefing at the end of a training session. In initial training, this means right after a training session in the sim. Don’t wait until the next day, or have ‘combined’ debriefings only after completing a certain training phase. The student needs constant feedback on their progress and by making the debriefing after a training session a habit, they will get the most out of the sessions. A good advice is to have a quick break after a session, so that you have time to go through your notes and the student can prepare themself for the upcoming debriefing.

“Let’s have a quick break and we’ll meet in the debriefing room for feedback in 5 minutes.”

— The Good Instructor

In OJT, have a full debriefing at least at the end of each shift. It is also good to have quick, compact debriefings after each session in the position, when the events are still fresh in the memory. Just make sure that there is also enough time for the student to have decent breaks. This way the feedback will be timely and it will help to keep the debriefing duration at the end of the day reasonable.

Place: Arrange the debriefing in a private location, away from the working position. This way you are free of distractions and the conversation remains private. We want the discussions to remain trustful, which is not going to happen with an audience. If there isn’t a dedicated briefing/debriefing room at your training academy/unit, make arrangements to allow private debriefings.

Duration: The duration of the debriefing may vary, as long as all the required elements are covered. Normally, a debriefing should be considered to take some time in order for you to go through everything thoroughly. Still, sometimes a more streamlined approach may be necessary. For example, in between sessions in the position during OJT may be covered with a shorter debriefing with only a few main items. This shall be compensated for in the debriefing at the end of the day, though.

Practical Aspects of Conducting a Briefing

How to conduct the briefing may and will vary depending on the type of training. In simulator training phase a part of the briefing may act as a tool to introduce new subjects and the respective session objectives. This could be done simultaneously for a group of students at a time, when all the students will be working on the same exercise. Still, an individual one-on-one briefing covering the rest of the session’s details needs be completed prior to the actual simulator exercise. This is the part, where you and your student agree on the rules for that individual session.

In On-the-Job Training however, the training session needs to be adapted to the needs of the student every time. Even if there were a group of students in OJT at the same time, this type of training needs a more individual approach, and briefings should be held in private to adapt better to the individual student’s needs.

Here are three things to consider when planning a briefing session:

Time, duration and place of briefing are important aspects to consider.

Time: Arrange a briefing prior to every training session. It’s best to have it right before going into the position or simulator. If there is too long time between briefing and the actual training session, there is a chance that the plan you’ve discussed and agreed on becomes irrelevant as conditions may change. Also, student’s readiness for a training session cannot be evaluated into the future, so the student’s situation might (and will) shift as time goes by. That’s why it is important to have the briefing in close conjunction with the training session.

Place: Arrange the briefing in a private location, away from the working position. This way you are free of distractions and the conversation remains private. We want the discussions to remain trustful, which is not going to happen with an audience. If there isn’t a dedicated briefing/debriefing room at your training academy/unit, make arrangements to allow private briefings.

Duration: The duration of the briefing may vary, as long as all the required elements for said training session are covered. Normally a briefing should be considered to take some time in order for the two of you to go through everything thoroughly. 

Still, sometimes a more streamlined approach may be possible. For example during OJT, a shorter briefing with only a few main items in between sessions in the position may do the trick, as long as a thorough briefing has been carried out at some point along the line. Also, when working consecutive shifts together with the same student may open the possibility for short briefings, where only changed information is taken into consideration (ie. weather and whatever other changing conditions need to be addressed). In these situations it is important that you know the student and their progress well enough to be sure a short briefing will be appropriate. 

Take the time you need to complete the briefing but do not rush it. Sometimes you need more time and sometimes less. Just ensure you and the student are ready before the start of each training session!

How to work around reactions when giving feedback in ATC

How do we react to feedback?

That depends a lot on the personality of the feedback receiver. Some people are more inclined towards hearing comments regarding their performance and how to improve it than others. As an instructor, it is important to be aware of and understand the psychology behind reactions to feedback. You should know how to adjust your communication depending on the student’s reactions. The whole point of giving feedback is to give the student their keys to success, so there’s no point trying to force criticism in a way that doesn’t serve our cause.

We’ll be looking at some common reactions to feedback and how to handle them.

Fight or flight

Some people consider feedback automatically as a threat. This is a completely natural reaction; we’ve evolved to be social creatures, and our brains have been wired to unconsciously look for social threats, such as criticism. For cavemen, rejection by the pack was a matter of life and death, and that’s why modern humans still react to these cues as a matter of survival. Depending on the situation you might witness a student start to challenge (or fight) your feedback strongly, in an attempt to redirect the attention away from their actions. Others might close down emotionally, or even want to end the discussion completely and leave the situation, just as prey fleeing a predator.

If your student shows this kind of behaviour, it is important to react in a way that restates trust and puts the student back in a safe environment. Make sure the student understands that the feedback is not personal, and concentrate on their performance instead of the person. Be calm and assertive. A person in fight or flight mode needs calming, and they mirror your personal reactions when assessing the situation. So don’t push their limits, but bring them back from their state of alert.

Avoiding

Sometimes we start avoiding the critique, by reasoning and seeking explanations from external factors that would make our performance shortcomings more understandable. This might involve students twisting the feedback information in their mind to better fit their understanding of their performance. After all, it is easier to alter the received information than yourself. That is why students may “hear what they want to hear” because it is more comfortable for them. While it is important to reflect and understand why we function how we function, focusing on external conditions doesn’t help us alter our own behaviour. 

When a student is avoiding your feedback, it is important to draw attention to the goals and objectives; the external conditions will be the same the next time, and to achieve different results (the goals/objectives) need a change in the student’s actions, not the surroundings. Ask questions to make sure the student understands clearly what you are trying to communicate to them as feedback and to see they are not just bending the message in their mind to better suit their own (flawed) perceptions.

Blaming

This is a more active version of avoiding; your student might start blaming you and everyone else (i.e. pilots and colleagues) for their poor performance. “The separation on the final wouldn’t have been too tight had the pilots just slowed down in time.” This way we try to shift the focus away from ourselves to protect our own ego.

When a student starts to point fingers at others, ask questions regarding the student’s performance. “What could’ve YOU done differently in the situation?” Forcing the student to think about their own performance will help them reflect as well as assume responsibility for their actions.

Defensive coping

Sometimes a student might start completely ignoring the feedback over a longer period of time, combined with a notable performance decline. When confronted, the student might seem to think everything is going well. He/she might even agree with your feedback, but still, no observable change in behaviour is achieved. This is called defensive coping; a survival strategy in which the student has adopted a false positive perception of his/her performance, based on a self-protective pattern that defends the student’s self-confidence from outer threats.

In this case, the student is not receiving your feedback but has logged off completely. They will not be able to meet any performance or training objectives unless helped back on track. If suspecting that a student is in this mode, a comprehensive assessment of the student’s situation needs to be performed by the training organisation and made sure that the student understands the severity of the situation as well. This will require putting the training on hold and reviewing the whole training process for the said student. Still, if dealt with accordingly, there is no reason why the student would not perform after taking care of the situation.

Inspired by: https://medium.com/seek-blog/learn-how-people-really-respond-to-feedback-822de0f46c87

Season's Greetings from Lektor