90-minute train the trainer session plan
Groups of three. Times are from the start of the session.
| Start | Min | Segment | What each person does |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0:00 | 7 | Open and agree how to practise | Hears the purpose and the rules |
| 0:07 | 8 | The micro-lesson plan | Sees the four parts and the filled example |
| 0:15 | 10 | Prepare your micro-lesson | Fills in the plan with one objective |
| 0:25 | 27 | Cycle 1: teach and observe | Teaches once, learns once, observes once |
| 0:52 | 5 | Break | — |
| 0:57 | 6 | Revise the opening | Changes one thing in the first two minutes |
| 1:03 | 12 | Cycle 2: teach the revised opening | Teaches the opening again and gets feedback |
| 1:15 | 10 | Group debrief | Shares a change that worked |
| 1:25 | 5 | Plan the next real session and close | Writes one change and a date |
The five-minute micro-lesson
300 seconds in total. The learners do something before the half-way point.
| Part | Seconds | What the trainer does | What the learners do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open | 30 | Show why the topic matters with an example, a question or a problem. | Look, answer or guess. |
| Explain | 90 | Explain one idea with one example. Stop before a second idea. | Listen and note one thing. |
| Practise | 120 | Give a short task and time it. | Do the task on their own or in the chat. |
| Check | 60 | Ask each learner to show or say their result. Do not ask “Is that clear?” | Show the result or read it out. |
Filled example: micro-lesson plan
Topic: an email subject line that asks for action. A fictional lesson.
| Part | Seconds | What I do | What the learners do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open | 30 | Show two subject lines: “Update” and “Decision needed by Thu 12 Nov: venue for the away day”. Ask which one people open first, and why. | Say which one, and why. |
| Explain | 90 | A useful subject line has three parts: the action, the topic and the date. Point to each in the second example. | Find the three parts. |
| Practise | 120 | Paste two vague subject lines in the chat: “Question” and “Slides”. Learners rewrite both. | Rewrite both in the chat. |
| Check | 60 | Each learner reads one rewrite. The trainer checks the three parts aloud. | Read one rewrite. |
Filled example: observation notes
Cycle 1 notes and the result of the revised opening.
| What to record | Notes with times |
|---|---|
| The objective, said or shown | Not said. The trainer began by explaining the three parts. |
| The time the learners first did something | At 2:50, when the rewrite task started. |
| How learning was checked | “Is that clear?” One learner said yes, but their rewrite had no date. |
| Share of time the trainer talked | About 70%. |
| One moment that worked | The two example subject lines side by side. Both learners laughed at “Update”. |
| One change to try | Show the two subject lines first and ask the learners to find the difference, before you explain the three parts. |
| Cycle 2 result | The revised opening showed the examples in the first 20 seconds. The learners named the three parts themselves, and the task started at 1:40. |
Common changes after cycle 1
Pick one change per cycle. More than one change at a time is hard to see.
| What the observer saw | A change to try |
|---|---|
| The learners did nothing until minute three | Give the task earlier and explain after it. |
| The check was “Is that clear?” | Ask each learner to show or read their result. |
| Two or three ideas in five minutes | Cut to one idea. Put the rest in a handout. |
| The objective was not said | Say “By the end, you can…” in the first 30 seconds. |
| The example came at the end | Open with the example and let learners find the point. |
| The trainer talked most of the time | Replace one explanation with a question. |
What you'll leave with
By the end of 90 minutes each participant has taught a five-minute micro-lesson, has received written observation notes with times and exact words, has revised and re-taught the opening, and has written one change they will make in their next real session.
Before the session
- For learning and development teams, lead trainers and subject experts who are preparing new or occasional trainers, with 4–12 participants in groups of three. It does not certify anyone.
- Ask each participant a week before to choose a small topic they can teach in five minutes: a work task, a tool feature or a hobby skill. It must be something the learners can do or produce in two minutes, not only hear about.
- Send the micro-lesson plan and the filled example with the invitation. Plan groups of three. When the number does not divide by three, add one or two pairs, in which each person teaches the other and uses the observation sheet as a self-review.
- Prepare a timer that everyone can see or hear. Online, share the observation sheet as an editable document. Turn on captions and allow cameras off.
The run of show
Open and agree how to practise
Explain the purpose: “Each of you will teach twice. The second time is where the learning shows.” Agree three rules: the observer describes what happened with times, feedback is about the lesson and not the person, and anyone can pause. Show the timing of the two cycles.
The micro-lesson plan
Show the four parts of a five-minute lesson: open for 30 seconds, explain one idea for 90 seconds, practise for 120 seconds and check for 60 seconds. Show the filled example. Point out the two most common problems: the learners do nothing until minute three, and the check is “Is that clear?”
Prepare your micro-lesson
Each person fills in the micro-lesson plan and writes the objective as “By the end, you can…”. Walk round or visit the rooms and ask one question: “What will the learners do in the first two minutes?” Tell people to prepare any example for the chat now.
Cycle 1: teach and observe
In each group of three, each person has nine minutes: five to teach, four for feedback. Rotate: one teaches, one learns, one observes. Use the feedback order: the learner speaks for one minute on what they learned and where they were lost, the observer gives two minutes of notes with times, and the trainer takes one minute to say what they will change. Call the time for each change.
Break
Five minutes away from the screen. Observers hand their sheets to the person they observed.
Revise the opening
Each person reads their observation notes and changes one thing in the first two minutes of the lesson. Most changes are one of three: start with an example or a question, get the learners doing something sooner, or replace “Is that clear?” with a check that shows the result.
Cycle 2: teach the revised opening
In the same groups, each person teaches the first two minutes again and gets two minutes of feedback, with the same observer. The observer answers one question: “What changed, and what did it do for the learner?”
Group debrief
Bring everyone together. Ask for changes, not people: “Which change to an opening made the biggest difference?” and “What checks showed that the learners could do it?” Write the useful changes on a shared list that everyone keeps.
Plan the next real session and close
Each person writes one change they will make in their next real session and the date of that session. Ask each person to share it in one line, or to pass.
Participant worksheet
Copy this table into a document, or print the worksheet from the bundle. Share only what you choose.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Before the session | Your topic and your objective: “By the end, you can…” |
| Micro-lesson plan | Open 30 s, explain 90 s, practise 120 s, check 60 s |
| Observer | The objective, when learners first acted, the check and one change |
| Revision | The one change you make to the first two minutes |
| After the session | One change for your next real session, and its date |
Debrief questions
- Which change to an opening made the biggest difference for the learner?
- Which checks showed that the learners could do it, and which only asked whether they felt ready?
- What did you notice as a learner that you did not notice as the trainer?
- What will you change in your next real session, and who could observe it?
Adapt it for your group
- For 3 people, run one group. When the number does not divide by three, add one or two pairs: each person teaches the other, and cycle 1 takes 18 of the 27 minutes, which leaves time to rehearse.
- For 10-minute lessons, hold cycle 1 in one meeting and cycle 2 in the next.
- Online, use breakout rooms of three, a visible timer and the chat for the practice task. The observer shares the sheet in the room’s document. Learners may keep cameras off.
- For people who find teaching to peers stressful, let them choose a hobby topic, teach seated, and hear the feedback order before they start. Nobody is graded.
After the session
Ask each participant to make their one change in their next real session and to invite a colleague to observe the first ten minutes with the same sheet. Two weeks later, hold a 30-minute follow-up: each person reports what they changed and what the observer saw.
Questions people ask
What is a train the trainer session?
A session that prepares people to teach others: subject experts, new trainers or managers who run training. This kit covers one practical part of that preparation, a micro-teaching practice in which each person teaches, gets observed feedback and teaches again. It is not a certification course.
What is micro-teaching?
Teaching a very short lesson to a small group, then getting feedback and teaching again. Keeping the lesson to five minutes makes it safe to try and easy to observe, and the second attempt shows the effect of one change.
How long should each micro-lesson be?
Five minutes in this kit: 30 seconds to open, 90 to explain one idea, 120 to practise and 60 to check. With groups of three, that gives nine minutes per person in cycle 1, including feedback.
How should peers give feedback?
In a fixed order: the learner first says what they can do now and where they were lost, then the observer gives notes with times and exact words, then the trainer names one change. Feedback describes the lesson, not the person.
What is included in the free and editable files?
The open PDF has all the participant sheets, a filled example and the 90-minute facilitator plan. Subscribers also receive the editable Word file, an Excel workbook with a micro-lesson planner that adds up the seconds, and a CSV of the plan.
How to use the files
Print the PDF, edit the Word file in Word or Google Docs, or open the CSV or XLSX in a spreadsheet. Open files need no email.
Can I use this with paying clients?
Yes. Use and adapt this original Superglue kit in your own training, including paid client sessions. Please share this page rather than redistributing the unmodified kit. Read the full usage terms.