Building Training Frameworks

The Five A’s of Lesson Planning: A Reflective Approach to Engaged Learning Five A’s model of lesson planning — Aim, Action, Analysis, Application, and Assessment. Rooted in experiential and inquiry-based learning, this framework is designed to promote active participation, critical thinking, and real-world relevance. 1. Aim🎯 Every meaningful lesson begins with a clear goal. The "Aim" defines what students should understand or be able to do by the end of the session. It answers the essential question: ➤ What do I want my students to learn? 2. Action🧪 Instead of passively receiving information, students are invited to explore, interact, or engage with the topic. This phase encourages curiosity and participation. ➤ What will they do to discover the concept? 3. Analysis 💬 Learning deepens when students pause to reflect. In this step, they make sense of their experiences, share observations, and begin to connect the dots. ➤ Why did we do it? What did we observe or find out? 4. Application 📝 To make learning stick, students are encouraged to transfer their understanding to new situations. This nurtures adaptability and problem-solving skills. ➤ Where else can we use this learning? 5. Assessment ✅ Finally, the teacher checks whether the learning objective was achieved. This could be done through discussions, written tasks, or practical demonstrations. ➤ Did they meet the learning goal? The Five A’s model goes beyond delivering content; it creates an ecosystem of discovery, dialogue, and deeper understanding. It’s especially powerful in progressive education environments that focus on 21st-century competencies like creativity, communication, collaboration, and critical thinking. Whether you're a seasoned educator or a new teacher, this approach can transform how you plan, teach, and inspire. #LessonPlanning #TeachingStrategies #ExperientialLearning #InquiryBasedLearning #ActiveLearning #EducationLeadership #21stCenturySkills #TeacherTips #ProfessionalDevelopment #TeachersOfLinkedIn

I knew Kafka. I knew Spark. I knew Snowflake. I still failed the system design interview. Not because I lacked knowledge. Because I had ZERO structure. "Design a real-time pipeline." I jumped to drawing boxes. Talked for 45 minutes. Covered architecture and nothing else. Feedback: "Knows tools but couldn't structure a coherent design." Candidates with a framework pass at 2-3x the rate of those who wing it. Here's the 7-step framework 👇 1️⃣ Requirements → What are we building? Latency? Volume? 2️⃣ Sources & Volume → Batch or streaming? How much data? 3️⃣ Architecture → NOW draw the boxes. Justify every choice. 4️⃣ Data Model → Facts, dimensions, grain. The step most skip. 5️⃣ Pipeline Design → Orchestration, retries, idempotency. 6️⃣ Deep Dives → Scaling, failures, late data. Senior-level stuff. 7️⃣ Monitoring & SLAs → The step interviewers LOVE seeing unprompted. The power move: Start your interview with: "I'll walk through 7 steps — requirements, sources, architecture, data model, pipeline, deep dives, and monitoring." Instant confidence signal. Without structure → you cover 2-3 evaluation dimensions. With this framework → you cover all 6. I wrote the full deep-dive with examples (junior → staff+), and a complete walkthrough. 🔗 Read it for free: https://lnkd.in/gqBnTcmn What's the hardest DE design question you've been asked? 👇 ♻️ Repost if someone in your network needs this before their next interview!

Want to ace finance interviews? Learn to master behavioural & fit questions. Technical skills will get you through the door, but behavioural & fit questions determine whether you get the offer. Banks want smart, resilient, and commercially aware candidates who can handle pressure and work well in a team. Here’s how to prepare: 🎤 "Walk Me Through Your Resume" – Crafting a Compelling Story Structure matters → Present your journey in 3 parts: I. Background – Education & early experiences. II. Pivotal Moment & Relevant Experience – What changed/happened? Finance-related internships, leadership roles. III. Why banking? – Connect your story to banking. End with why you're sitting in this interview today. 💡 "Why Investment Banking?" – Show genuine motivation. I. NOT "I like finance and making money." II. INSTEAD → "I enjoy fast-paced, high-stakes environments where I can combine financial analysis with strategic thinking." III. Use specific experiences (internships, case studies, market research) to show this isn’t a random choice. 🏦 "Why Our Bank?" – Be specific. I. Talk about:Deals the bank has done that interest you. II. Firm culture (flat structure, industry focus). III. Conversations with employees (reference any networking chats). 🛠 Strengths & Weaknesses – Be Honest but Strategic I. Strengths – Pick something IB-relevant (analytical skills, attention to detail, resilience). II. Weaknesses – Choose a real one, but show how you're improving (e.g., delegating better, refining communication skills). 🤝 Leadership & Teamwork Examples I. Have at least two stories that show you can lead, collaborate, and solve problems under pressure. II. Use STAR Format → Situation, Task, Action, Result. 💼 Handling Difficult Clients or Deal Teams I. Show professionalism & adaptability. Example: A client pushing for an unrealistic valuation—how do you balance their expectations with market realities? ⏳ Dealing with Tight Deadlines & Pressure I. Investment banking = long hours + urgent deliverables. II. Show how you prioritise tasks, stay organised, and keep composure. ⚖ Ethical Dilemmas in Investment Banking I. Banks want people with strong integrity. Example: Being asked to tweak financials—how do you push back diplomatically while protecting ethical standards? 📊 Showing Commercial Awareness in Interviews I. Be prepared to discuss recent deals, market trends, and macroeconomic factors impacting IB. II. Follow Bloomberg, WSJ, FT and be able to talk about M&A, IPOs, Fed policy, and industry trends. Behavioural questions are predictable—if you prepare structured, compelling answers, you’ll stand out. Which behavioural question do you find hardest to answer? Follow me, Afzal Hussein, to break into finance faster. #Careers #Finance #Students

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.

The updated Framework for Mentally Healthy Workplaces model presents a comprehensive overview of strategies designed to enhance mental wellbeing, minimise harm, and facilitate recovery. Creating a workplace that prioritises #mentalhealth goes beyond just addressing issues as they arise - it’s about a taking a proactive, integrated approach. The integrated model underpins all the work we do at FlourishDx. It involves considering workplace mental health as a population health issue and having systems to Protect, Respond and Promote. 🛡️ Protect: The Protect pillar focuses on identifying psychosocial hazards and managing their risks before they lead to harm. By embedding systems and policies that target potential hazards - such as work overload, poor communication, or inadequate support - organisations can create a safer environment for employees. Key strategies include enhancing job control, improving organisational communication, and building strong social support systems. 🩺 Respond: When psychosocial risks do materialize, having a robust Response system is crucial. This involves clear procedures for managing incidents, supporting affected employees, and ensuring a quick recovery. Effective response strategies often include providing access to Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), investigating complaints, applying bullying and harassment policies, and directing to professional support to those experiencing mental ill-health. 🌱 Promote: Going beyond prevention and response, the Promote pillar is about fostering an environment that actively enhances employee wellbeing. This could involve considering job design to increase autonomy and satisfaction, promoting flexible work arrangements, and offering mental wellbeing programs to build self-care skills and habits. By integrating these three elements - Protect, Respond, and Promote - organisations can create a sustainable workforce that not only manages risks but flourishes in a supportive, mentally healthy environment. Check out the full open-access article here: https://lnkd.in/g_R_Wa9E #psychosocialriskmanagement #psychhealthandsafety #iso45003 #workplacementalhealth

Building a Strong Risk Management Framework: Below are core risk management principles that guide a robust risk framework. 🔵 Integrated with Business Strategy Risk management should directly support strategic objectives, ensuring risks are identified and managed as part of decision making; not as a standalone compliance activity. 🔵 Structured and Comprehensive A consistent, systematic approach ensures all risks(strategic, operational, financial, and compliance)are identified, assessed, treated, and monitored across the organization. 🔵 Customized to the Organization Risk frameworks must reflect the organization’s size, industry, complexity, and risk appetite, rather than applying a one-size-fits-all model. 🔵 Inclusive and People-Driven Effective risk management engages stakeholders at all levels, fostering ownership, accountability, and a strong risk-aware culture. 🔵 Dynamic and Continuously Improving Risks evolve. Frameworks should be adaptive, data-driven, and regularly reviewed to respond to emerging threats, opportunities, and changes in the operating environment

In the past, lesson plans focused mainly on what to teach — pages to finish or topics to cover. But modern educators are shifting toward designing purposeful learning experiences. 🎯 Bloom’s Taxonomy helps us focus not just on content, but on how students think and learn — promoting deeper understanding, creativity, and real-world skills. 🔄 Then vs Now: Topic-based ➡️ Outcome-based Teacher-led ➡️ Student-centered Worksheets ➡️ Engaging, open-ended tasks Same for all ➡️ Differentiated for all learners 💡 Example with Addition: Old goal: Teach 2-digit addition. New approach: Build from recalling facts to solving, analyzing strategies, creating stories, and reflecting on learning. 💬 “If we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow.” – John Dewey Let’s shift from delivering content to inspiring thinking and lifelong learning. 🌱 #LessonPlanning #BloomsTaxonomy #ModernTeaching #EducationTransformation #InquiryBasedLearning #EducatorLife #21stCenturySkills

Most lesson planning advice still follows the “predict-and-control” model: set outcomes, hit them, measure them. Neat, but we know language learning is rarely neat. Learners notice things we didn’t plan, take conversations in unexpected directions, and learn despite our plans. I revisited Jason Anderson’s article on affordance-based lesson planning the other day while preparing a course for teachers, and it struck me how refreshing and practical it still is. Instead of planning as a rigid checklist to chase outcomes, Jason reframes it as preparing ourselves to spot and build on opportunities(affordances)that emerge in real time. It’s the way experienced teachers naturally teach, but this perspective can transform planning for all of us, giving us permission to teach the learners, not just the plan. I remember back in the day planning a “tight” grammar lesson on conditionals, feeling proud of my precise objectives and timings. 10 minutes in, a student asked, “why do we say If I were instead of If I was?” That one question sparked a lively debate, linking to songs they knew and stories of regrets they wanted to share. We spent half the lesson exploring real-life uses and common chunks, far beyond my plan. I left the classroom thinking, “Was that a failure?” Looking back, it was one of the richest learning moments my students had. They noticed, they questioned, they connected. And I realised: A good plan gives us the courage to leave it. Lesson planning isn’t just about predicting learning. It’s about preparing ourselves to notice, respond, and support the learning that actually happens. Here are a few ways this mindset can reshape your planning: * Instead of writing “By the end of the lesson, learners will…” try: “During the lesson, learners may notice…, may develop…, may question…” This shift recognises that learners are active agents, not passive recipients. * Instead of listing “anticipated problems” in your plan, note “possible occurrences.” These can be positive, neutral, or unexpected learner questions, tangents, or noticing moments you might scaffold. * Replace fixed “timings” with “time frames.” example, “discussion: 7–12 min” allows flexibility when a conversation sparks deeper interest. * Plan optional stages. Got a challenging listening? Plan an optional repeat with the transcript if learners need it, or a vocabulary noticing task if interest emerges. * Post-lesson reflection matters. Instead of “Did I hit my outcomes?” ask: - What learning actually occurred, and for whom? - What unplanned opportunities arose, and how did I respond? - What might I do differently next time to facilitate emergent learning? This approach transforms the plan from a contract with an observer into a tool to nurture dynamic, responsive teaching. It also takes the pressure off the “perfect lesson” and replaces it with the real lesson...one where you respond to your learners in real time, using your plan as a flexible guide rather than a script.

🔍 We need to toss out old ideas like "sustainable high performance" and the belief that people can be consistently going "above and beyond" or always be "exceeding expectations" in their roles. This is especially important for #Neurodivergent folks, whose natural rhythms and energy cycles may fluctuate and change more often. Research from Culture Amp that found only 2% of people sustain “high performance” across review cycles, highlighting the fact that performance is rarely linear and consistent. If we want people to be able to consistently perform at their best, we need to acknowledge that "best" is going to fluctuate, human rhythms are not going to be the same, all the time. AND - we need to acknowledge the role the work environment plays in facilitating and supporting people in showing up at their best. 6️⃣ Ways Leaders, Managers, HR folks, and everyone can make workplaces conducive to people showing up at their best: 1. Design Roles for Clarity & Alignment During onboarding, make sure people really understand their role, why it matters, and how it aligns with company goals. Ask for feedback early: what’s confusing? What assumptions were made that didn’t land? Use that to improve role design. 2. Set Outcome-Based Goals Ludmila Praslova, Ph.D., SHRM-SCP, Âû calls this “outcome focus,” and it supports flexibility. Co-create goals with team members, especially those with neurodivergent perspectives, so they can work in ways that match their strengths. 3. Build a Robust Feedback Culture Encourage regular feedback, not just once a quarter. High-performing teams give and receive feedback much more frequently. Train managers on how to deliver feedback that’s specific, actionable, and psychologically safe. 4. Center Psychological Safety Create spaces (1-on-1s, team check-ins) where people feel safe speaking up, disagreeing, and owning mistakes. Make your feedback loops two-way: not just “tell me what I need to fix,” but “how are we doing? Where do I fall short as a leader?” 5. Enable Flexible, Justice-Oriented Work Design Drawing on Praslova’s “Canary Code” principles: Participation: Involve employees — especially neurodivergent folks — in designing how they work. Ask them what supports them. Flexibility: Let people choose when and how they work. If someone is more productive working 25-minute sprints or late at night, let them do it. Organizational Justice: Promote transparency, dismantle arbitrary rewards, and build checks for fairness. 6. Redesign Recruitment & Performance Systems Use work-sample tests instead of (or alongside) traditional interviews. Let people demonstrate the actual tasks they’ll be doing — not just how they present themselves in an interview. Build systems that account for “peaks and valleys" and don't expect people to consistently exceed expectations across review cycles. 💥Bottom line: Let’s lead not by finding exceptional people, but by designing exceptional environments. 💥#Neuroinclusion

Your 20-hour training program has 12% completion rates. And you're trying to figure out what went wrong with the content. Actually, NOTHING went wrong with the content. You just designed an engineering curriculum for people who aren't engineers. :) Salespeople are not precept learners. They don't want three hours of foundational knowledge so they can access the thing they actually need in week four. They're just-in-time learners. They need the answer now. When the deal is stalling. When the prospect asks a question they can't answer. THAT'S when they learn. In the moment. Under pressure. With immediate application. But enablement keeps designing programs like we're teaching computer science. Module 1 builds to Module 2. Module 2 unlocks Module 3. Precept upon precept. Which works great for marketing teams. For engineers. For finance people. But salespeople? Most of them weren't straight-A students. I know for damned sure that I wasn't. 🕺 They didn't get technical degrees. They're not carving out three hours over the next 45 days to absorb information they might need eventually. They'll memorize enough to pass your assessment. Get their 80% completion certificate. And by Monday, they've forgotten everything because it was never presented in the context of actual need. I've seen companies require 22 hours of training after an acquisition. Everyone passes. Everyone gets certified. Three months later, nobody can actually sell the new product. Because they learned it the way you wanted to teach it, NOT the way they actually learn. Just-in-time content works instead. Searchable. Bite-sized. Delivered at the moment of need. - Stuck at discovery? Three questions that unstick it. - Pushback on price? The objection handling framework. - Need to explain a technical feature? Two-minute explainer. Not a 90-minute course on discovery methodology. Not a full certification program. The specific thing they need right now to move the deal forward. Your LMS should work like Google, not like graduate school. Low adoption rates might just mean you're asking folks to learn the way you learn instead of the way they actually work.