Simulation Training Protocols™ explained

A Simulation Training Protocol™ is a teaching tool that makes training, instruction, teaching and skills coaching more cost- and time-effective.

Typically, after one successful skill correction/conversion/transition training session using Simulation Training Protocols™ (Old Way/New Way Learning^®), an individual, group or team has an 80% or higher probability of immediately performing in the new way; a 20% or lower probability of performing in the old way for a while; and a 90% probability of self-detecting an old way if and when it occurs and then self-correcting it (Figure 1).

Unprecedented training effects of this magnitude are achievable by skilled practitioners in all kinds of training and at any level, whether ab initio or advanced.

Simulation Training Protocols™ have this universal training impact because they empower the instructor, trainer, teacher or coach to directly tackle the transfer of training problem by:

• overcoming habit pattern interference, a common cause of training failure and reversion to old ways
• greatly reducing or eliminating negative transfer typically encountered by more conventional training methods
• eliminating the typically prolonged and risky adaptation period during which the trainee struggles to adapt to the new way of thinking and performing.

A Simulation Training Protocol™ consists of a set of verbal instructions given by an instructor, trainer, teacher or coach to a trainee during a training session conducted in a training simulator or other simulation training setting.

A Protocol can be applied in a training simulator, e.g., full motion flight simulator, train simulator, driving simulator and so on.

Simulation Training Protocols™ are flexible teaching tools because they can also be applied in simulation training settings that do not use a training simulator, e.g., a ground school instructor conducting glass cockpit conversion training in a training room.

The word "trainee" in this context refers to not just inexperienced novices doing ab initio training but also fully trained and experienced practitioners, e.g., an experienced pilot doing recurrent training in a familiar aircraft or a senior pilot converting to an unfamiliar aircraft.

The verbal instructions that make up a Simulation Training Protocol™ are an adaptation of Old Way/New Way^®, an innovative learning method developed in Australia by a cognitive psychologist.

Simulation Training Protocols™ (STPs) are developed on the spot, in real time, as required, by the instructor, trainer or coach during a training session. A practitioner skilled in using Simulation Training Protocols™ can easily develop and apply a fresh protocol at any time during a training session, which makes for a seamless insertion of the protocol into the normal training process.

The verbal instructions that form part of the protocol are tailored to achieve the primary training goals that form the basis of all kinds of teaching, training and coaching, namely:

Conversion/Transition Training

STPs enable the trainee to transition or convert, e.g, type conversion to a different aircraft or learning to operate a new machine with similar controls to an old machine but with different functions.

Skill Correction/Development

STPs can correct habit pattern errors, a common and persistent error that resists normal correction and retraining. This error, fault or imperfection in the trainee's performance may become apparent during a training session or may already be known. The error could be an incorrect response to an emergency situation during flight training; an unsafe work habit; or some other problem that requires correction.

For each of these training goals, there are two aspects of the trainee's performance that can be converted or corrected by a Simulation Training Protocol, namely:

The physical component of the skilled performance or action sequence

This is the trainee's actual physical performance that can be observed, e g., manipulation of controls; sequence and timing of actions; instrument scanning.

The mental component

This is the mental component that directs action, e.g., the trainee's incomplete or incorrect understanding or the mental map that underpins his or her actions.

STPs can be designed to be used with one trainee, e.g., a pilot converting to another aircraft, or with groups, e.g., crew resource management training (CRM).

The numerous case studies, user feedback and published experimental data on this website show that Simulation Training Protocols and Old Way/New Way^®, the learning method employed in protocols, can be applied to a wide range of human performance and behaviour, e.g., physical skills (flying an aircraft, work skills); communication skills (crew resource management); and conceptual understanding (correcting misconceptions).

Simulation Training Protocols™ are very user-friendly and easy to learn. Instructors, trainers and coaches readily adopt the protocols as part of their professional toolkit. Trainees not only learn and improve faster and appreciate the learning method but they also retain what they have learned, even in highly demanding performance situations.

Instructors, trainers, teachers and coaches can choose from three types of Simulation Training Protocol™ products for use during simulator training and in other simulation training settings.

Purpose-built, made-to-order Simulation Training Protocols™

SimTrain International can prepare tailor made STPs for specific training or retraining purposes, e.g., transition training, conversion training, skill correction, team development, change management and other training goals. More.

Online training modules for DIY users

Online modules equip trainers, instructors, teachers and coaches to develop STPs for their own specific purposes. An online module consists of a Flash-based, self-paced, interactive training module that runs in your web browser and:

1. Teaches you the Old Way/New Way^® Learning method.
2. Shows how to design your own Simulation Training Protocols™, using Old Way/New Way^®.
3. Gives a step by step explanation, often with video footage, of one or more specific applications of the protocol. More.

Training workshops

Training workshop for small groups provide hands-on instruction, demonstrations and follow-up implementation support for groups of instructors, industry trainers or organisations. The workshop objective is to equip participants with the necessary knowledge and skills to design and implement their own Simulation Training Protocols™. Workshop participants will be able to prepare simulation training protocols during the workshop and can then implement those protocols afterwards. More.

Simulation Training Protocols™—why you need them

Simulation Training Protocols™ make simulator based and non-simulator based training more effective because trainees learn and improve faster, errors (and associated risks) are reduced and negative transfer is virtually eliminated. With STPs you can:

1. Speed up transition and conversion training.

2. Improve transfer of learning and reduce negative transfer.

3. Reduce trainee errors and decrease risk.

4. Make more efficient use of simulator time, freeing up resources.

5. Increase trainee flexibility and adaptability to change.

6. Provide professional development for instructors, trainers and coaches so they can readily adopt these learning tools as part of their professional toolkit.

Simulation Training Protocols™ and Old Way/New Way^® can make a real difference to simulation training effectiveness for trainees, trainers, instructors and supervisors and for your business.

Typically, after one successful correction session with Old Way/New Way^®, an individual, group or team has an 80% or higher probability of immediately performing in the new way (Figure 1); a 20% or lower probability of performing in the old way for a while; and a 90% probability of self-detecting an old way if and when it occurs and then self-correcting it.

BENEFITS FOR TRAINEES
Without Simulation Training Protocols™	With Simulation Training Protocols™
Conversion/transition training takes time and effort.	Faster conversion/transition training.
Extended and risky adaptation/adjustment period during which trainees keep falling back to old ways (negative transfer).	Adaptation period greatly reduced or eliminated.
Trainee performs correctly during training/sim sessions while under instruction or supervised but reverts to their old incorrect ways when performing solo or unsupervised or while under performance stress (poor transfer).	Trainee performs correctly when unsupervised or solo or under performance stress. Minimal or No falling back to old erroneous ways, even when under stress.
Negative transfer increases risk.	Negligible or no negative transfer.
Sub-optimal transfer of training.	Excellent transfer of training.
Errors in understanding and performance often develop that require later correction (re-training).	Fewer errors and any errors are corrected rapidly and permanently. Little or no retraining because trainees get it right the first time.
Faulty mental models (misunderstandings) pose a risk.	Fewer faults in mental models. Misunderstandings are corrected quickly; risk averted.
Old habits from prior training (or lack of training) die hard.	Bad or unsafe habits corrected quickly and permanently.

 

BENEFITS FOR TRAINERS, INSTRUCTORS, SUPERVISORS
Without Simulation Training Protocols™	With Simulation Training Protocols™
Trainers undergoing professional development have to adapt to new skills, procedures, equipment.	STPs readily integrated into existing simulation training routines.
Ongoing performance monitoring by trainer or supervisor required.	Minimal performance monitoring. Trainees become self monitoring and self correcting.

 

BENEFITS FOR THE BUSINESS
Without Simulation Training Protocols™	With Simulation Training Protocols™
High demand for simulator time (initial training takes longer and remedial retraining is required).	More cost-effective use of simulator time (faster initial training and less remediation).
Negative transfer increases risk.	Negative transfer greatly reduced or eliminated altogether.
Ongoing performance monitoring by trainer or supervisor required.	Minimal performance monitoring. Trainees become self monitoring and self correcting.

Simulation Training Protocol™ Applications

All kinds of training simulators can employ Simulation Training Protocols™ (STPs). During a simulation training session, the instructor, trainer or coach applies the STPs, as required, to:

1. Accelerate conversion and transition training.
2. Reduce negative transfer.
3. Correct persistent habit pattern errors.
4. Speed up skill development.

Here are some typical training situations that illustrate the wide application of Simulation Training Protocols™. Actual case histories accompany many of these applications. Linked documents will open in a new page so when that page is closed you will be returned to this home page.

Flight training

• Aircraft type conversion
• Glass cockpit conversion
• Helicopter safety
• Airline pilot training
• Conference presentations

Aircraft type conversion

Singapore Airlines

Landings are a key competency in type conversion training. Key aspects of landing technique that typically show negative transfer effects are throttle control, attitude control and flare technique.

For example, during the initial stages of converting from the Beechcraft Baron to the Learjet 45, students often incorrectly apply the landing technique they learned in the Baron to the Learjet.

When placed under pressure to perform or during periods of intense cockpit activity, even experienced pilots can inadvertently revert to their previous training, i.e., they apply the techniques and knowledge learned and developed in previous aircraft. Old habits die hard. Read more.

Glass cockpit conversion

Singapore Airlines

Singapore Flying College, Marcoola, Queensland, provides advanced flying training for Singapore Airlines pilots, using Learjet 45 aircraft and simulators. Personal Best Academy™/SimTrain International was commissioned to develop STPs to assist pilots to transition from analog to digital instrumentation.

The Chief Pilot at Singapore Flying College explained that their cadets typically had problems transitioning from analogue instruments in the propellor plane to digital instruments in the Learjet. Since the "glass cockpit", i.e., digital instrumentation, is the airline industry standard, sooner or later every pilot would have to convert. They did not have a real solution to the problem.

SimTrain International designed a Glass Cockpit Conversion ground training aid with a sequence of Simulation Training Protocols™ that put cadets through the Old Way/New Way^® process.

The Glass Cockpit Conversion Course was trialed by the College and instrument scanning improved immediately after the course and stayed that way.

Here is the feedback from the Chief Pilot and Instructors who trialed the conversion course.

• "I am convinced that the tool is effective …. I used the tool on two occasions with more advanced students who were experiencing ongoing problems with instrument scan. On both occasions, their next and subsequent reports noted a significant improvement in scan. This continued throughout the remainder of their training." (Chief Pilot)
• "I have used it on the last four courses that I have instructed and it has worked very well …. I have found this a most effective way to introduce the Glass Cockpit. I thank you for the program and hope to be able to add it to my instructional tools." (Instructor A)
• "All in all, a useful tool which ... should mesh in nicely with our new C/P trainer!" (Instructor B).
  

Helicopter safety training and type conversion training

Robinson R22 safety training, rotor stall recovery

Over 30 mustering pilots learnt how to use a tailor made Simulation Training Protocol™ to correct a potentially fatal emergency situation known as "rotor stall." The Robinson R22 helicopter has an excellent safety record. However, like any aircraft, if it is allowed to stray outside its safe flight envelope and immediate and appropriate corrective action is not applied, a situation can develop that can have serious and even fatal consequences. Read more.

Australian Defence Force Helicopter School, Fairbairn

Helicopter flight instructors attended a two-day workshop on Old Way/New Way^® flight training. RAAF Base, Fairbairn, ACT, 2600. March 6 and 7, 2000. Presenter: Paul Baxter, Division of Training, DTIR, Brisbane. Guest speaker: Tony Carmody, International Aviation and Maritime Safety College, CSIT, Caloundra. One of the type conversion training problems discussed was teaching the recommended procedure for avoiding bird strike in a Kiowa, to pilots with a Squirrel background. A Simulation Training Protocol™ was prepared and implemented during the workshop to deal with this problem.

Airline pilot training

Smallwood, T. The Airline Training Pilot. 2000, 2nd edition. Ashgate. Chapter 6 on Old Way/New Way^® Learning

An invited chapter written by the site author that describes Old Way/New Way^® Flight Training. The book is aimed at an international airline pilot readership and explains the method and means of delivering effective airline pilot training.

Aviation and other conference presentations

Royal Aeronautical Society Human Factors Conference, CAA Gatwick, London 1998

Old Way/New Way^® Flight Training. Invited paper. Follow-up paper: CRM Training Fails Because of What Trainees Already Know; not Because of What They Don't Know. Full text.

Singapore Airlines Flight Instructors' Symposium 2004, Singapore, 22-23 July

Old Way/New Way^®; Accelerating adaptation to change through cognitive science. Keynote speech. Full presentation.

SimTect Health Care Simulation Conference 2005

"The problem is not learning the new; it's forgetting (unlearning) the old: Eliminating habit patterns and improving learning transfer." Presented at the SimTect 2005 Health Care Simulation Conference, 1-3 November. Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital Education Centre, Brisbane, Australia.

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Driver training

Mercedes Benz Performance Driving Centre

Old Way/New Way^® driver training was the topic of the day at the Mercedes Benz Performance Driving Centre (now renamed) , Norwell, Queensland, Australia when instructors discovered how this learning method could be integrated into their instructional routine.

Correcting bad driving habits

Old Way/New Way^® is a fast road to driver self improvement, as shown in this case study.

"As directed, I used the process to change some bad driving driving habits. My old way and new ways of addressing them along with the differences between the two appear below."

Buckling up

Getting into the car, starting,driving off and then buckling up 5-10 minutes later. That's my old way. This is my new way...Getting into the car, putting the key into the ignition and then putting on my seat belt. The difference between my old and new way is that in the new way inserting the key into the ignition serves as the stimulus to turn my body to the left, grab the seat belt and buckle up.

Checking behind before backing up

Turning the key, starting the car and looking in the mirror and then from side to side while backing up. That's my old way. This is my new way. Turn the key and start the car. Look into the rear view mirror then turn from side to side to check for pedestrians or oncoming cars. If clear, back up. The difference between my old and new way is that in the new way turning the key to start the engine serves as the stimulus to check the rear view mirror and move my body from side to side to see that all is clear at the rear on each side before actually starting to reverse the car.

Coming to a complete stop at stop signs and checking from left to right

Slowing down when approaching a stop sign, looking to the right and then the left, shifting to second gear and proceeding on through. That's my old way. This is my new way. Come to a complete stop at all stop signs. Look to the left and then right, shift to first gear and then proceed if all's clear. The difference between my old and new way is that in the new way the stop sign serves as my cue to come to a complete stop whenever I arrive at a stop sign. I stop and then check for oncoming traffic on the left first, then the right. I put the car into first gear and then advance if all's clear.

Parking with the hand brake and shifting to Park

Turn the engine off, remove the key, open the door and exit the car. That's my old way. This is my new way. Turn the engine off, remove the key, shift to first gear and put on the hand brake. Open the door and exit the car. The difference between my old and new way is that in the new way turning the engine off and removing the key serves as the stimulus to shift to first gear and put on the hand break. Shifting to first gear will ensure that I move the gear shift to "Park" when driving and parking cars with automatic transmissions. This action along with securing the hand break will prevent these cars from rolling away while unattended.

Rapid correction of habit pattern errors in driving

Roadwise, Australian College of Road Safety


Old Habit No Longer Die Hard: Rapid correction of habit pattern errors in driving. Roadwise, 2004, Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 19-24, the journal of the Australian College of Road Safety.

Driver educators and trainers try to get it right the first time with their students but invariably end up spending a lot of time trying to correct errors, misconceptions, technique faults and bad habits that somehow develop. Because these errors were not corrected early, and were inadvertently repeated over and over (i.e., practiced), many error patterns are actually learned, habitual and automatic and are then much harder to eradicate.

This paper (1) presents a new explanation for the common observation that although driver education and training programs appear to improve knowledge and skill, this learning do not readily transfer to safer driver behaviour and reduced crashes; and (2) offers a new theory and method for rapidly correcting driver misconceptions and changing habitual automated driving behaviours, thereby improving the effectiveness of driver education and training programs. Full text.

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Workplace safety training

• Safety
• Skills coaching
• Firearms training
• Crew training
• Customer relations
• Mining

Safety training and manual handling training

Australian Safety News, National Safety Council of Australia

Synthetic Mineral Fibres (SMF) are used as part of the casting process for aluminium and under a particular set of circumstances can be considered as having the potential to be detrimental to health. When this material was introduced as a replacement for more hazardous material, Kobe Alcoa Aluminium Limited at the Point Henry plant, Geelong, set up proper disposal procedures which were never wholly accepted by the work force who typically tended to dispose of this product in a somewhat ad-hoc manner. Numerous company initiatives to improve this practice had resulted in short term improvement at best and no improvement at worst. Read the entire published study, Changing Work Habits: More Gain, Less Pain, in Australian Safety News, National Safety Council of Australia, October 2999, pp.58-59.

Skill development and skills coaching

Journal of Vocational Education and Training

Australian National Training Authority Research Advisory Council Research Grant No. 95026: Skill correction and accelerated learning in the workplace. Published in the Journal of Vocational Education and Training, 2004, 56, 1, 21-50.

Journal Abstract: This project addressed an issue of national concern in skills training in the workplace, namely the rapid and permanent eradication of persistent errors and bad habits in the learning of manual skills. This problem is not only evident in workplace learning but is also highly prevalent in off-the-job learning. This project constituted an experimental comparison of the relative effectiveness of skill correction using the Conceptual Mediation Program and its primary component, Old Way/New Way^® (O/N), to that obtained by conventional error correction methods. Using a comparative methods research design incorporating a control group, vocational education students (n=34), representing a broad range of 8 skill types, were recruited and randomised to one of the two error correction modes, or to the control group in which no error correction was employed. Old Way/New Way^® was significantly better than conventional error correction methods at improving skilled performance. This was immediate after one ten minute session, was maintained over three post-test periods, and was irrespective of skill type being considered. Read the full article.

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Firearms training

Queensland Police Service

The Firearms and Officer Safety Training Unit (FOST) completed a four-day evaluation trial of Old Way/New Way^® in 2001. Instructors used the method with other instructors and with recruits. Every time they used it, it worked and worked well, in training situations where other methods typically took much longer to have an effect or did not work at all.

Instructors who successfully used Old way/new way found they were reluctant to return to their old way of teaching. The results were so good with frequently encountered entrenched behaviours and technique problems that other approaches seemed futile, by comparison.

Old Way/New Way^® left an indelible impression on some instructors, especially those who had an eye for detail in skills training and were looking for better ways to do things.

On the basis of these excellent results of the workplace trial, FOST requested further training in Old Way/New Way^® for all instructors.

United States Army Marksmanship Unit

The United States Army Marksmanship Unit purchased Simulation Training Protocols™ (Old Way/New Way^®) to improve their training.

Nuclear power plant control room crew communication

Control room crew communication

Crew members in a nuclear power plant control room were not following prescribed communication protocols, despite quality training. Their training coordinator listed the following malpractices, for which Simulation Training Protocols™ were prepared in order to correct these entrenched work habits. The communication correction session was designed to be used in a control room simulator with all crew members attending:

1. RO to US
   • Incorrect - I want to communicate so I yell out the information without looking up at him.
   • Correct - I want to communicate so I look up at the US, use his first name to get his attention, and then give the information.
2. RO responding to an alarm
   • Incorrect - I hear the alarm and I take immediate action.
   • Correct - I hear the alarm and I pick up the Hard Card.
3. RO undertaking a task
   • Incorrect - I select the task and push the button.
   • Correct - I select the task, touch the button, hesitate, think (right button?), push the button and check the effect.
4. RO starting a procedure
   • Incorrect - Decide to act and start the procedure.
   • Correct - Decide to act, ask for a peer check, then start the procedure.
5. SS responding to an alarm
   • Incorrect - alarm, move in, assist ROs.
   • Correct - alarm, stand back, observe, plan "what if" scenarios.
6. SS responding to an alarm
   • Incorrect - alarm, work it out myself.
   • Correct - alarm, ask STA to assist with diagnosis.
7. STA responding to an alarm
   • Incorrect - alarm, wait to be asked for information.
   • Correct - alarm, offer suggestions and stay ahead of the crew.

Customer relations training

Commonwealth Department of Education, Australia

In 1985 the then Commonwealth Department of Education employed the services of Personal Best Academy (then Personal Best Systems) on behalf of several Aboriginal students. In a letter of referral dated February 5, 1986, the Education Officer stated that, "... the intervention techniques ... proved remarkable in the case of a young adult who had previously been struggling to hold a position in the Public Service, This young person has now assumed increasingly more difficult and complicated tasks and aspires to permanent employment and promotion. I would recommend the programme highly on the results I have seen in only one year." Read more.

Mining industry training

Mining Industry Skills Centre, Brisbane, Australia

The Mining Industry Skills Centre in Brisbane, Australia, is a not for profit organisation that develops solutions to help the mining industry develop their workforce. The Skills Centre received training in the preparation and use of Simulation Training Protocols™ and Old Way/New Way^®, to develop their trainers.

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Medical training

Surgical procedures/clinical skills

Cautery

Surgical procedure training using cauterizing equipment brought to light some technique problems that had become hazardous. Failure to replace the cauterizer in its holder had, on occasions, caused a small fire in the operating room. The trainer requested an STP to help correct poor technique.

Physical therapy/physiotherapy

Gait correction

Andrew learns to walk again and overcomes a long standing health problem. Andrew had a walking problem. His gait was unusual in that he normally threw his right foot toe-outwards on a forward step, instead of pointing it straight forward. To an uninformed person that might not seem so drastic but the problems that it caused for Andrew, now in middle age, meant that his personalised walking style had to change and change quickly. Read more.

Correcting misconceptions and faulty mental models

Canberra High School, Australia

The Science course at Canberra High School is interesting and challenging for all students and is a compulsory part of the curriculum. Conceptual Mediation (Old Way/New Way^®), a process where students learn how they learn and then apply this, is used in all Science classes.

Glass cockpit conversion

Singapore Flying College

The Chief Pilot at Singapore Flying College explained that their cadets typically had problems transitioning from analogue instruments in the propellor plane to digital instruments in the Learjet. Since the "glass cockpit", i.e., digital instrumentation, is the airline industry standard, sooner or later every pilot would have to convert. They did not have a real solution to the problem.

SimTrain International designed a Glass Cockpit Conversion ground training aid consisting of a sequence of Simulation Training Protocols™ that put cadets through the Old Way/New Way^® process. More.

Error patterns in mathematics and science

Baxter, P and Dole, S. 1990. Working with the brain, not against it: correction of systematic errors in subtraction. British Journal of Special Education Research Supplement. 17, 1, 19-22. Abstract.

Error patterns, conceptual change and accelerated forgetting: Another dimension to the jigsaw of effective conceptual mediation in mathematics. Paper presented at the Fourth International Seminar, From Misconceptions to Constructed Understanding, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA, June 13-15, 1997. Abstract.

Changing misconceptions—a challenge to science educators. International Journal of Science Education. 1990, 12, 2, 167-175. Changing misconceptions: a challenge to science educators. Jack A. Rowell, Chris J. Dawson and Harry Lyndon, University of Adelaide, South Australia. Abstract.

Conceptual mediation—a new perspective on conceptual exchange. Research in Science Education, 1997, 27(2),157-173. Conceptual Mediation: A New Perspective on Conceptual Exchange. Chris Dawson and Harry Lyndon, University of Adelaide. Abstract.

Conceptual mediation program in science and mathematics—effects on motivational indices and strategy awareness. Roger Henderson, William Light School, DETE, Geoffrey Higgs, University of South Australia, E. Harry Lyndon, Support Services, DETE, David Wilkinson, William Light School, DETE, Gregory C. R. Yates, University of South Australia. Paper presented at the Department of Education Training and Employment Research Expo, Adelaide, South Australia, March 1999. Abstract.

Changing students' concepts—the Conceptual Mediation Program. Workshop for science teachers Years 8-10. Harry Lyndon, David Lloyd and David Wilkinson. South Australian Science Teachers' Association Journal, Semester 2, 1995. Abstract.

Conversion and Transition Training: Habit Patterns and Negative Transfer

Habit Pattern Demonstration

Prior training and experience (established knowledge and skills) that over time have become well learned, automated and instinctive, can interfere with and slow down the learning of new knowledge and skills or even completely disable new learning. This is known as habit pattern interference or proactive inhibition. It is a force to be reckoned with because it is a powerful and universal obstacle to learning.

This brief but intriguing activity, known as the Stroop Test, is a demonstration of the powerful interference effect caused by prior learning.

Exactly what it means for you personally will become clearer after you have done the two short tasks and you interpret your scores.

Proceed to the Stroop Test. When you have done the test and interpreted the results, close that page in order to return to this page.

The Transfer Problem

Here is an extract from a revised version of the site author's discussion paper listed on the CRM-DEVEL web site.

Neil Krey's CRM Developer's Forum serves to identify needs, coordinate processes and facilitate development of Crew Resource Management (CRM) and Human Factors (HF) resources and products for aviation and other applications.

The paper, entitled "CRM training fails because of what trainees already know; not because of what they don't know", makes the point that,

"In many training programs the learner may appear to be able to adopt the desired behaviours during the training session, e.g., "Crew members ask questions regarding crew actions" (one of Helmreich's Crew Performance Markers) but when they get into the air much of what they apparently learned during training sometimes seems to disappear. This is especially noticeable when things get busy or in emergency situations. Under high work load and stressful conditions people invariable revert to their "own way" [i,e., prior training, poor or no training, ingrained error or misconception] and forget their new training. This is known as the, "transfer of training problem".

"The transfer problem plagues most training efforts. For example, research from the University of Texas tells us that it can take up to 1,000 hours for an experienced pilot to become fully competent and comfortable with the flight management system. The transfer problem applies to all training and learning situations; not just flight training - it is universal and hence extremely important."

"The traditional answer to the transfer problem is to make them practice - "just keep practicing and it will come, eventually". While this is true and most will catch on soon and others will take longer, this time honoured remedy is very slow and expensive. The effects associated with the transfer problem, namely frustration, extra training time and cost, dropout rate, increased likelihood of error, incidents or accidents, all take their toll."

"The transfer problem is the real bogey in CRM training (and in any other training) and it has to be addressed." Read more.

Conversion and Transition Training

As an experienced flight instructor once said, "The problem isn't learning the new: it's forgetting [unlearning] the old."

The well-documented mental mechanism of negative transfer interferes with the learning process during conversion training, creates mental confusion, increases the error rate and slows down skill acquisition.

Because the disruptive effects of negative transfer often are not apparent during flight simulator or aircraft training, instructors and their students can be misled into believing that the training program has been effective and that the understanding and skills that were taught have transferred fully to the “real world”.

Unfortunately, the transfer of training problem is a “sleeper” because it only shows up under certain conditions. During normal flying conditions the problem does not surface because the pilot has enough spare mental capacity to be able to concentrate fully on the task at hand. Under such controlled conditions the pilot is able to apply his training and consequently the training program appears to have worked.

However, during stressful periods of high activity in the cockpit the pilot is working at or near the limits of his or her mental capacity such that active concentration is disabled in favour of operation at an automated instinctive reflex level. This is when the pilot typically falls back to mental models and skills learned with previous aircraft.

These consistent errors are referred to in the aviation research literature as habit pattern errors and they are notoriously hard to eradicate. At such potentially critical moments negative transfer suddenly surfaces and training failure becomes evident.

Apart from stressful operating conditions, negative transfer also shows up during periods of prolonged inactivity when concentration lapses and pilots fall back to old automated ways of thinking and acting. The valuable skills acquired during situational awareness training and CRM training then fail to be implemented.

The transfer of training problem makes flight training programs less cost- and time-effective and wastes valuable training resources. Sub-optimal transfer of training also exposes pilots, other crew members, passengers and the public to increased risk.

Until now, there was no known method of dealing with the transfer problem that meets industry requirements, i.e., is cost- and time-effective, user-friendly and above all, practical for flight instructors and pilots to use.

Simulation Training Protocol's™ (Old Way/New Way^® Learning) track record of published research and successful workplace trials show that this training method can quickly and permanently overcome negative transfer, accelerate learning and reduce risk.

Let us explore two documented instances of negative transfer during type conversion training, namely Learjet 45 landing technique and rotor stall recovery procedure.

Old Way/New Way^® Learning

What is Old Way/New Way^® Learning?

Simulation Training Protocols™ employ an adaptation of Old Way/New Way^® for use in simulation training. Old Way/New Way^® relies on well known learning principles. It is officially endorsed by the South Australian Department of Education as a recognised and approved learning method (The Education Gazette, 1983, Vol. 11, No. 11, week ending 29 April, p. 289. Department of Education, South Australia.)

Basically, Old Way/New Way^® Learning is a special way of practicing that greatly reduces the mental interference from established habit patterns (e.g., prior training) and consequently accelerates learning and improves performance.

Old Way/New Way^® is a novel synthesis and interpretation of existing and newly emerging cognitive science concepts and principles, including automaticity in behaviour (Bargh & Chartrand, 1999); learned errors (Reason, 1990); the influence of prior learning (Ausubel, 1968); metacognition (Flavell, 1987); and proactive inhibition and accelerated forgetting (Underwood, 1957; 1966).

Developed by Dr Harry Lyndon in the 1970's, Old Way/New Way^® consists of a protocol or set of instructions. Much more than just a remedial method, this protocol accelerates cognitive and behavioural change within individuals, greatly reduces the typically prolonged adaptation period to the adoption of change and consequently improves learning transfer.

Experienced Old Way/New Way^® practitioners have adapted the original Old Way/New Way^® protocol to a wide variety of learning and training situations, environments and individuals.

Why is Old Way/New Way^® Necessary?

What's wrong with currently available methods of teaching, training, coaching and behaviour change?

Current teaching, training, coaching and behaviour change methods can be quite effective when learning something new but are much less effective when changing something that is already established. Examples are an established work routine that is unsafe or has become inefficient; changing your faulty golf swing; or having to undergo type conversion training to transition to a new aircraft. In such change situations Old Way/New Way^® comes into its own and gets better results than other learning, training, coaching and behaviour change methods.

Whenever we want or have to change our beliefs, understanding and performance this presents special learning and training problems because old habits of thought and deed die hard. As an old flight instructor once said,

"The problem is not learning the new, it's forgetting [unlearning] the old."

Conventional learning, training and behaviour change methods typically come up against force of habit. This conflict between the old and the new produces a typically extended adaptation period. Even highly skilled and motivated people who diligently practice their new way despair when they find themselves repeatedly falling back to old ways and they struggle to adapt.

During this adaptation period, their performance slows, concentration demands rise, errors increase, risk exposure increases and frustration levels rise. These are all signs of a brain in conflict; an all too familiar but completely unnecessary conflict.

Old Way/New Way^® bypasses the brain mechanisms that preserve prior learning and that make old habits die hard. This learning method greatly accelerates change and improvement.

So, when should Old Way/New Way^® be used?

1. Conventional learning, training and behaviour change methods should be used when learning something new and unfamiliar.
2. Old Way/New Way^® should be used when changing over to something that conflicts, or is likely to conflict, with what we already know and do, as in the correction of errors (technique/skill correction, poor or unsafe work habits, misconceptions, behaviour change) and in conversion/transition training.

Old Way/New Way^® is a generic teaching method that has been applied successfully to a wide range of skill correction and skill development situations and to the correction of incorrect or incomplete mental models, i.e., the correction of misconceptions and the improvement of understanding.

Published experimental studies (Figure 1) and workplace trials show that when individuals undergo conversion or transition training or skill/technique correction that incorporates Old Way/New Way^®, they typically experience:

• 80% improvement in the specific skill and its understanding after one training session, i.e., trainees improve a lot faster
• no reversion or falling back to old ways, even during stressful performance, i.e., trainees remember what they were taught.

Since 1986, Personal Best Academy has been the sole supplier of customised Old Way/New Way^® training to government and industry trainers, worldwide.

Proof of Concept: Published Research, Workplace Trials, User Case Studies

Old Way/New Way^® is a learning method that is underpinned not just by a theoretical framework. Research published in refereed international journals, case studies, user reports and the results of workplace trials all confirm that Old Way/New Way^® is cost-effective, easy to learn and readily adopted by instructors, trainers and coaches and integrated seamlessly into their professional toolkit.

Published research, workplace trials and case studies over the last thirty years (see bibliography) indicate that an individual who undergoes Old Way/New Way^® training when trying to learn something new or change something already established, is able to make the change change after one or two brief learning sessions, provided that the problem was correctly diagnosed prior to the intervention and he or she follows the prescribed post-intervention self-correction routine.

Typically, after one successful correction session with Old Way/New Way^®, an individual, group or team has an 80% or higher probability of performing in the new way; a 20% or lower probability of still performing in the old way; and a 90% probability of self-detecting an old way if and when it occurs and then self-correcting it.

The success of this change method and subsequent performance improvement or behaviour change depend very much on a correct diagnosis or identification of the "old" and "new" ways, i.e., what is the person doing now that has to change and what should they be doing instead?

Although the Old Way/New Way^® protocol itself is not complicated to administer or follow, what comes before the intervention (i.e., the identification of the old and new ways) and what comes after (i.e., self-correction and follow-up) both require experience and expert knowledge of the change area concerned.

Some examples of habit pattern modification are sports technique correction and aircraft transition or conversion training.

1. Sports technique correction

Correcting poor technique in the javelin throw requires expert input from both the athlete and his or her experienced coach. Athlete and coach have to identify exactly what things are wrong with the athlete's technique. They then have to identify the optimal technique for that particular athlete at his or her stage of development. These preliminary tasks precede the application of the change protocol and require sufficient knowledge and time.

Although the athlete will be enabled by the Old Way/New Way^® protocol to change over to the "new" way, failure to correctly identify the "old" and "new" ways can compromise the entire change session and result in no improvement or, even worse, a drop in performance as measured by accuracy and length of the throw.

2. Aircraft transition/conversion training

An experienced aircraft pilot has to transition from an aircraft with analogue instrumentation to one with digital instrumentation. This is known as glass cockpit conversion training.

Both examples illustrate the two situations where Old Way/New Way^® can produce rapid and permanent change, namely:

• when correcting established, habitual, persistent errors (habit pattern errors)
• when changing over to a "new" way where the operator is not really doing anything wrong but nevertheless needs to convert or transition.

An "error" can be a performance error or a misconception or faulty mental model. These physical and mental errors are related because many performance errors start with a "wrong" idea or a faulty or incomplete mental model. In some situations, correcting the misconception is enough to also correct the associated performance error. In other situations, both the performance or action and its underlying wrong idea have to be corrected. This again illustrates the wide usefulness of Old Way/New Way^® but also explains why practitioners need to be experienced interventionists and be mindful of all the possible complications. There are many traps for young players.

Old Way/New Way^® is not only effective but also a flexible change tool because it can be used with individuals, groups or teams. There are important differences in the protocols when working with more than one individual at a time but the results are the same.

Another useful feature of Old Way/New Way^® is that change and improvement can be achieved incrementally. Sometimes, an individual or group cannot make a big change all at once. For example, a young athlete may not have the physical capability or lacks the readiness to adopt the "ideal" technique for his or her sport, so smaller, incremental improvements in technique can be made sequentially over several Old Way/New Way^® sessions.

All this makes Old Way/New Way^® a very useful and effective tool for change in all areas of human performance and behaviour.

About SimTrain International

SimTrain International is the simulation training division of Personal Best Academy™. SimTrain International works towards the improvement of skilled human performance in simulation training settings.

We have developed a fresh approach to improving learning and transfer of learning; eradicating bad or unsafe habits; accelerating transition and conversion training; and correcting technique faults, misconceptions and other persistent errors.

We maintain that the main reason why even motivated people have difficulty changing their skilled performance, behaviour, thoughts and beliefs is because they are the prisoners of habit.

Emerging research in cognitive psychology indicates that learned habit patterns influence and direct what we think and do, every day of our lives. This includes our performance in sport or at work, our conceptual framework including any misconceptions; our ability to learn; how we interact with others; and the thoughts and beliefs that guide our daily lives. All these learned behaviours, whether right or wrong, safe or unsafe, suitable or unsuitable, effective or ineffective, well adjusted or maladjusted, are under the powerful influence of habit forces.

Habit patterns automatically develop during practice, i.e, repeated conscious recall of a thought, word or deed. Practicing recall soon lays down neural networks in the brain that, when the same situation arises next time, are triggered automatically so that we can respond instinctively and appropriately, doing exactly what we learned or trained to do. The brain is built to work this way; to easily and automatically develop habit patterns.

Habit patterns are useful because they require less mental energy than conscious thought. The brain finds it more efficient to work this way. Good habits, developed from conscious practice and effort, help us function better during our daily lives.

As long as those good habits are suitable reactions to what we encounter, they remain beneficial. But when circumstances change and a different response is required to a familiar situation, that habit we have developed can be a real handicap.

As we all know from bitter experience, habit patterns are notoriously hard to change. Anyone who tries to change an established routine soon comes up against a powerful mental resistance which interferes, slows down, and sometimes even disables the desired change and improvement in performance and behaviour. The better someone has practiced, learned and therefore habituated the thought, performance or behaviour; the harder it is to change.

Currently available coaching, teaching, training and therapeutic methods can be very effective when dealing with a blank slate, i.e., when the person has no prior experience or training and no preconceptions that might get in the way of correct performance. However, coaching, teaching, training and therapeutic methods find it very difficult to deal with maladaptive habit patterns.

Eventually, after much time and effort, change does come and the person improves but there is a typically extended period of adaptation during which coaching, teaching, training and therapeutic efforts have to be re-applied. This problem is known as the transfer of learning/training/therapy problem.

The period of adaptation to change and the associated transfer problems make coaching, teaching, training and therapy less time- and cost-effective. There has to be a better way.

SimTrain International uses and teaches Old Way/New Way^® to help free people from the chains of habit and empower them to achieve their personal best. All our Simulation Training Protocols™ use Old Way/New Way^® Learning.

From the description below, we can see that Old Way/New Way^® is a powerful, cost- and time-effective yet very user friendly learning method that can change habit patterns quickly and permanently. Old Way/New Way^® greatly reduces the typically extended and often risky adaptation period during which people try to adjust to change.

Since its inception in 1986, Personal Best Academy has provided training courses in Old Way/New Way^® Learning to individuals, groups, organisations and corporations striving to achieve their personal best.

Recipients of Old Way/New Way^® training include Olympic athletes and coaches; players and coaches of elite and recreational sports; pilots and flight instructors; drivers and driving instructors; firearms trainees and instructors; police departments; mining machinery operators and instructors; workplace operators and supervisors; employees and managers; musicians and music teachers; dancers and teachers of dance; school, college and university students and teachers; and children and parents.

SimTrain International provides purpose-built STPs. We also offer interactive self-paced online courses and customised training workshops in Old Way/New Way^® that prepare instructors and trainers to develop their own STPs.

Personal Best Academy™ and SimTrain International are managed by Dr Paul Baxter and operate from Brisbane, Australia. Our customers are mostly from English speaking countries but include individuals, groups and organisations from many other nations around the globe.

Order Simulation Training Protocol™ Training for Instructors, Trainers and Coaches

There are three ways you can obtain Simulation Training Protocols™ for use in your simulation training, namely:

Simulation Training Protocol™ Workshops

The one-day training workshop provides hands-on instruction, demonstrations and follow-up implementation support for groups of instructors, industry trainers and organisations.

The workshop objective is to equip participants with the necessary knowledge and skills to design and implement their own simulation training protocols. Workshop participants will be able to prepare a Simulation Training Protocol™ during the workshop and can then implement that protocol afterwards.

To keep costs down, workshops are conducted at the client's own training venue and only a training fee is charged. If applicable, the trainer's travel and accommodation costs are additional to the training fee. Post-training support for implementation, usually via email, is provided for a minimum of three months after the workshop, for each participant.

Contact us to discuss your training requirements and get a workshop quotation.

Made-to-order Simulation Training Protocols™

SimTrain International can prepare tailor made STPs for specific training or retraining purposes, e.g., transition training, conversion training, skill correction, team development, change management and other training goals. Contact us to discuss your training requirements.

Online Do-It-Yourself Training Modules

Online modules equip trainers, instructors and coaches to develop STPs for their own specific purposes.

An online module consists of a Flash-based, self-paced, interactive training module that runs in your web browser and:

1. Teaches you the Old Way/New Way Learning method.
2. Shows how to design your own Simulation Training Protocols™, using Old Way/New Way^®.
3. Gives a step by step explanation, often with video footage, of one or more specific applications of the protocol.

Online training modules can be purchased with or without implementation support. Implementation support consists of step-by-step guidance via email and/or other online communication methods so you can develop protocols for your own specific purposes. In other words, you decide what you want to change; you describe this in detail; and then you receive a tailor made protocol to do that. After several instances of this, you should know enough to be able to design and implement your own protocols.

Online training modules without implementation support are more generic, although most modules contain at least one video example of an STP being used for a specific purpose. All modules are flexible and can be adapted by the user for different purposes.

Here is our current range of online training modules. More are being developed. Contact us for more information.