It has become quite common to hear people say that the trainer's role in the result of a training is modest. Researchers from Princeton University (Morgan McCall, Robert Eichinger and Michael Lombardo of the Center for Creative Leadership) estimate that only 10% of training’s result came from the trainers themselves. They argue that learning is achieved 70%  "on the job" and 20% by watching colleagues and peers at work.

 

However, a recent study in the United States about training, carried out with 3000 teachers, puts this misconception in its place. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has undertaken the evaluation of the performance of teachers in a new study.

 

The program is called MET or Measures of Effective Teaching Project. It is supported by prestigious universities including Harvard and Stanford. Teachers played along and were filmed in their classrooms. This provided thousands of hours of recordings to be analyzed. Then the differences in practices from one teacher to another were evaluated depending on the grades of their class and levels of understanding.

 

According to these researchers, educational effectiveness depends primarily on the personality of the teacher, who is usually open to others, with the ability to let their students express themselves and create an atmosphere that promotes interaction. The evaluation also showed that successful teachers used teaching methods that included promoting repetition, discussion of different concepts and the assessment of understanding with exercises.

 

The last point they found was that a structured course with clear and understood learning objectives promoted progress and assimilation.

 

This reminds us of our ‘train the trainer’ training courses that we organize regularly at the request of companies. It also shows the importance of the person who transfers knowledge and know-how.

 

This is not a profession that can be improvised. It calls for learning, and according to the study, performance gets better with seniority.

 

This analysis was echoed by the CAS (Centre for Strategic Analysis), an institution of expertise and consulting which reports to the Prime Minister. The CAS believes that "between 10 and 15% of the observed differences in results at the end of the school year can be explained by the teacher that the child was entrusted with." Now we must find the right formula to start setting this up in the education system in France, where teacher evaluations are not yet common practice.

 

Things are very different in the field of professional training. The effect of the trainer does exist and we strive to continually measure performance. It is here that trainers can get the recognition they deserve and feel fully satisfied with their career. 

 

Companies also do not want to make mistakes, and the choice of their training company still depends largely on the quality of the trainers. It is thus necessary to review the participation of all the players in the training process.

 

Thanks to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.