Back in the Learner’s Seat: Reflections on EFL Training and Instructional Design
Two cavemen climbing up a mountain. One waits behind as the other goes ahead due to his better abilities.
7 MINUTE READ
🎯 Engaged from the Start How collaborative discussions, simple slides, and clear delivery set the tone for effective, inclusive training.
🎲 Interactive and Practical From Kahoot quizzes to real-life speaking test scenarios—where training became hands-on and memorable.
⚖️ Where It Fell Short When mixed experience levels, abstract content, and mismatched activities left some learners disengaged.
🛠️ Practical Gaps The missing “how-tos” of technology and resources that could have saved time with a more hands-on approach.
💡 Key takeaways: Tailor to learner backgrounds, always provide job aids, and adapt methods to meet learners where they are.
“Learning experiences are like journeys. The journey starts where the learner is now, and ends when the learner is successful (however that is defined).”
Starting a new job as an EFL teacher again, a job in which I had already had three years of experience, I found myself in an unusual position. After undertaking thorough research learning to become an instructional designer, suddenly I was the one on the receiving end of training again. It gave me a fresh lens—part participant, part designer—through which to evaluate the experience. Overall, I’ve landed in a fantastic company with highly capable, extremely supportive colleagues, and the training was definitely helpful. But looking back, I couldn’t resist reflecting on what worked well and what could have been even stronger given more time and a higher budget to improve my learning outcomes.
🎯 The positives - Engaged from the Start
The sessions were in-house and highly collaborative. Instead of treating us like blank slates, trainers asked about our prior experience and encouraged group discussion. That simple step got us actively involved and gave us space to share knowledge. PowerPoint slides were clean and uncluttered, avoiding jargon and making the content feel accessible. We also sometimes received job aids for key topics, which acted as handy references after the session. It was clear, straightforward, and engaging without overwhelming us.
🎲 Interactive and Practical
One highlight was the use of interactive tools. Kahoot quizzes added a burst of energy, breaking up the flow and reinforcing some points through play. More importantly, we tackled real-life scenarios by marking speaking tests and then comparing our judgments with others. This exercise felt authentic and provided immediate, constructive feedback. Accessibility was also considered—no fancy tech was required beyond what we already had, so nobody was left behind.
⚖️ Where It Fell Short
That said, the training had a few areas that left me feeling lost. The wide range of participants—some highly experienced, others brand new—meant content often missed the mark. Experienced teachers sat through material they didn’t need, while novices sometimes relied on peers to explain the basics. The Kahoot quizzes, while fun, didn’t add much for those guessing their way through. And although talking through the marks in the exam were useful, we weren’t given time to sit with a whole exam paper, leaving much of the content abstract rather than concrete.
🛠️ Practical Gaps
Another area for improvement was technology. While lessons and exams were well-covered, there was little training on practical aspects like locating resources in the shared folders or using smartboards. An older member of staff who was not tech savvy had to ask multiple questions after the session as locating digital resources wasn’t something we were trained on directly. These skills were critical to have to be able to teach and a short, hands-on session would have saved me from piecing it together alone. I think a learner analysis would have revealed this if this was training in a large corporate company. Similarly, job aids weren’t always distributed where they could have been, leaving some information hanging in the air instead of anchored for future reference.
