Building Training Frameworks

Training is easy. Transformation takes design. Anyone can deliver a great-looking workshop. Slides, activities, energy all of that is important. But none of it guarantees change. Real transformation doesn’t begin in the training room. It starts much earlier in the time spent understanding what truly drives behavior on the ground. Before one of our recent interventions, we didn’t begin with content. We began with conversations diagnostic visits, listening to the people who lived that reality every day. That’s when the gaps became clear. People didn’t need more information they needed a simple way to connect features to value. So, we introduced the FABBING framework (Feature–Advantage–Benefit) and suddenly, selling wasn’t about price; it was about purpose. But we didn’t stop there. Post-session coaching helped participants practice real conversations, share wins, and build confidence one interaction at a time. That’s where the real transformation happened. Because when people start using what they’ve learned, that’s when the learning becomes real. Training changes knowledge. Design changes behavior.  What’s one element you include in your programs to move from ‘great training’ to ‘real transformation’?

A year ago I shared a framework called GROWTH™. It didn’t perform particularly well. Which is funny, because over time it’s become one of the models I rely on most when designing learning experiences. Most training programs are built as courses. But the way people actually develop capability looks very different. Progress happens across a series of experiences—practice, feedback, reflection, and iteration. In other words, it happens through a learning journey, not a single event. The GROWTH framework is a way to design those journeys more intentionally. It breaks the process into six stages: G — Goal Setting R — Research & Empathy O — Outline the Experience W — Work in Layers T — Test & Adapt H — Highlight Progress Over the past year, I revisited the framework, expanded it, and turned it into a practical guide with examples, worksheets, and a full case study on redesigning onboarding as a learning journey. I also realized something interesting. GROWTH is actually one of the foundational pieces behind another model I’ve been developing called The Academy Engine™, which focuses on building scalable learning ecosystems. If the Academy Engine explains how education systems operate, GROWTH focuses on how the learning journey itself should be designed. If you’d like the full guide and templates, you can download it below. Curious how others think about this. When you design learning, do you think in terms of courses or journeys?

Framework: Maslow Before Bloom in Education 1. Foundation – Maslow’s Needs 🧩 Physiological: School breakfast/lunch programs, hydration breaks, rest spaces. Safety: Anti-bullying policies, trauma-informed teaching, predictable routines. Belonging: Mentorship, peer-support groups, culturally responsive pedagogy. Esteem: Student voice in decision-making, celebrating effort, not just grades. 2. Structure – Bloom’s Cognitive Growth 🌱 Once foundational needs are supported, teachers can build lessons that: Start with Remember & Understand (recall, comprehension). Move to Apply & Analyze (hands-on, problem-solving). Reach Evaluate & Create (critical thinking, innovation). 3. Real-World Classroom Strategies ✨ Morning check-ins: Quick emotional pulse before academics. Safe space corners: Small areas in classrooms for calming down. Integrated SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) alongside academics. Maslow-informed lesson planning: Each unit considers student context first. 4. Policy Implications 🏫 Metrics should track well-being indicators (safety, inclusion, engagement) alongside test scores. Teacher training must include psychology + empathy-based practice. Schools should be community hubs for nutrition, counseling, and social support.

“Train-the-trainers” (TTT) is one of the most common methods used to scale up improvement & change capability across organisations, yet we often fail to set it up for success. A recent article, drawing on teacher professional development & transfer-of-training research, argues TTT should always be based on an “offer-and-use” model: OFFER: what the programme provides—facilitator expertise, session design, practice opportunities, feedback, follow-up support & evaluation. USE: what participants do with those opportunities—what they notice, how they make sense of it, how much they engage, what they learn, & whether they apply it in real work. How to design TTT that works & sticks: 1. Design for real-world use: Clarify the practical outcome - what trainers should do differently in their next sessions & what that should improve for the organisation. Plan beyond the classroom with post-course support so people can apply learning. Space learning over time rather than delivering it in one intensive block, because spacing & follow-ups support sustained use. 2. Use strong facilitators: Select facilitators who know the topic & how adults learn, how groups work & how to give useful feedback. Ensure they teach “how to make this stick at work” (apply & sustain practices), not only “how to deliver a session.” 3. Make practice central: Build the programme around realistic rehearsal: deliver, get feedback, & practise again until skills become automatic. Use participants’ real scenarios (especially change situations) to strengthen transfer. Include safe practice for difficult moments (challenge, unexpected questions) & treat mistakes as learning. Build peer learning so participants learn with & from each other, not just the facilitator. 4. Prepare participants to succeed: Assess what participants already know & can do, then tailor the learning. Build confidence to use skills at work (confidence predicts application). Help each person create a simple, specific plan for when & how they will use the approaches in their next training sessions. 5. Ensure workplace transfer support: Enable quick application (opportunities to deliver training soon after the course), plus time & resources to do it well. Provide ongoing support (feedback, coaching, & encouragement) from leaders, peers &/or the wider organisation. 6. Evaluate what matters: Go beyond satisfaction scores - assess whether trainers changed their practice & whether this improved outcomes for learners & the organisation. Use findings to improve the next iteration as a continuous improvement cycle, not a one-off event. https://lnkd.in/eJ-Xrxwm. By Prof. Dr. Susanne Wisshak & colleagues, sourced via John Whitfield MBA

Your learning programs are failing for the same reason most people quit the gym. If your carefully designed learning program has the same completion rate as a January gym membership, you're making the same mistake as every mediocre fitness trainer. You're designing for an "average learner" who doesn't exist. Here's how smart learning designers can apply fitness training principles to create more impactful experiences: 1️⃣ Progressive Overload 🏋️♀️ In fitness: Gradually increasing weight, frequency, or reps to build strength and endurance. 🧠 In learning: Systematically increasing cognitive challenge to build deeper understanding. How to integrate in your next design: - Create tiered challenge levels within each learning module - Build knowledge checks that adapt difficulty based on previous performance - Include optional "challenge" activities for advanced learners - Document the progression pathway so learners can see their growth 2️⃣ Scaled Workouts 🏋️♀️ In fitness: Modifying exercises to match individual fitness levels while preserving movement patterns. 🧠 In learning: Adapting content complexity while maintaining core learning objectives. How to integrate in your next design: - Create three versions of each activity (beginner, intermediate, advanced) - Include prerequisite self-assessments that guide learners to appropriate starting points - Design scaffolded resources that can be added or removed based on learner needs - Allow multiple paths to demonstrate competency 3️⃣ Active Recovery 🏋️♀️ In fitness: Low-intensity activity between intense workouts that promotes healing and prevents burnout. 🧠 In learning: Structured reflection periods that consolidate knowledge and prevent cognitive overload. How to integrate in your next design: - Schedule reflection activities between challenging content sections - Create templates that prompt learners to connect new concepts to existing knowledge - Include peer teaching opportunities as a form of active learning recovery - Design "cognitive cooldowns" that close each module with key takeaway exercises 4️⃣ Periodisation 🏋️♀️ In fitness: Organising training into structured cycles with varying intensity and focus. 🧠 In learning: Cycling between concept acquisition, application, and mastery phases. How to integrate in your next design: - Map your curriculum into distinct learning phases (foundation, application, mastery) - Create "micro-cycles" within modules that alternate between content delivery and practice - Design culminating challenges at the end of each learning cycle - Include assessment "de-load" weeks with lighter workload but higher reflection The best learning experience isn't the one with the most content or the fanciest technology—it's the one designed for consistent progress through appropriate challenge. What fitness training principle will you incorporate in your next learning design?

Good instructional design doesn’t start with content. It starts with a business question: “What needs to change? And how will we know it did?” Everything follows from that. Instead of: “What should we include?” It becomes: • What will people do differently? • Where will they apply it? • What happens if they get it wrong? That changes the design completely. You get: • Fewer topics, more focus • Real scenarios, not generic ones • Practice tied to actual decisions And most importantly, you can trace the impact. Not just: “They completed it.” But: • Sales conversations improved • Errors reduced • Customers adopted faster That’s when training stops being a cost center. And starts becoming a performance lever. I’m Jessica, an instructional designer for corporate & academic learning. What’s one example of training you’ve seen that actually changed outcomes and not just knowledge? 👇

Learning flourishes when students are exposed to a rich tapestry of strategies that activate different parts of the brain and heart. Beyond memorization and review, innovative approaches like peer teaching, role-playing, project-based learning, and multisensory exploration allow learners to engage deeply and authentically. For example, when students teach a concept to classmates, they strengthen their communication, metacognition, and confidence. Role-playing historical events or scientific processes builds empathy, critical thinking, and problem-solving. Project-based learning such as designing a community garden or creating a presentation fosters collaboration, creativity, and real-world application. Multisensory strategies like using manipulatives, visuals, movement, and sound especially benefit neurodiverse learners, enhancing retention, focus, and emotional connection to content. These methods don’t just improve academic outcomes they cultivate lifelong skills like adaptability, initiative, and resilience. When teachers intentionally layer strategies that match students’ strengths and needs, they create classrooms that are inclusive, dynamic, and deeply empowering. #LearningInEveryWay

Most schools get curriculum training wrong. Here's how to fix it: Schools spend thousands on new curriculum, but here’s what usually happens: Teachers sit through a one-day training before school starts. They get a thick teacher’s guide that no one has time to read. By October, most are picking and choosing what to use. By January, the curriculum is barely recognizable. This isn’t a teacher problem. It’s a training problem. If you want a new curriculum to actually improve student outcomes, here’s how to do it right: 1. Teach the Why First If teachers don’t understand why this curriculum is better, they won’t commit to it. Start by making the case: - What research is behind it? - What student gaps will it help close? - How will it make their job easier, not harder? 2. Focus on Execution, Not Just Exposure A single sit-and-get PD won’t cut it. Training should be: - Ongoing: Built into PLCs, coaching, and planning time. - Practice-Based: Teachers should practice lessons and get feedback. - Modeled: Leaders and coaches should show what strong instruction looks like in execution and planning. 3. Build a Playbook for Intellectual Prep Great execution starts with great preparation. Schools should: - Create unit and lesson planning protocols. - Set clear expectations for lesson internalization. - Provide exemplars of strong student work so teachers know what success looks like. 4. Protect Time for Teachers to Collaborate No teacher should be figuring out a new curriculum alone. Schools should: - Schedule regular co-planning time. - Pair teachers up to internalize lessons together, including video review of how the curriculum looks in execution. - Ensure strong modeling from lead teachers and coaches. Choosing the right curriculum is only half the battle. How you train teachers to use it determines whether it actually improves student learning.

You cannot design effective training… if you don’t understand behavior change. Because learning alone doesn’t change behavior. Systems do. One of the most important things instructional designers need to understand is this: Behavior is shaped by the environment people work inside. Things like: • workflows • tools • incentives • feedback • job aids • system constraints These elements influence what people actually do far more than a course. That’s why strong instructional designers start by asking: What is preventing the right behavior right now? Sometimes the answer is a skill gap. But often it’s something else: • confusing processes • missing tools • unclear expectations • lack of feedback • poorly designed systems When you understand behavior change, your design approach changes. Instead of just building courses, you start designing performance systems that include: • practice environments • job aids • decision support • coaching systems • workflow guidance This is the mindset we teach inside IDOL Academy. Because instructional design isn’t about delivering content. It’s about improving performance in the real world. Curious: What’s a time when training didn’t actually solve the problem?

The OECD just released the Education for Human Flourishing framework, and it lands at exactly the right moment. We��re deep in conversations at Hong Kong International School about UDL, Belonging, Inquiry, Service, Experiential Learning—and now here comes a global framework reminding us that the real shift isn’t “more content” or “more tech,” but deeper foundations that actually let students navigate ambiguity, AI, complexity, and the world they’re inheriting. What I appreciate about this framework is its clarity: ✔️ Numeracy and literacy remain non-negotiable ✔️ But “depth” now means usable, transferable, connected knowledge ✔️ Students need to reason, interpret, evaluate, and adapt—not repeat ✔️ And everything sits inside a bigger human purpose: acting ethically, solving problems, understanding our world, and contributing to others For those of us working at the intersection of pedagogy and technology, this is the kind of signal we need. AI won’t replace foundational learning - but it will expose where learning was only ever surface-level. If we want students who flourish - not just “perform” - we have to design learning that is adaptive, meaningful, and human. A good read for anyone thinking about the future of curriculum, assessment, and what schools are really for.