Teaching vs. Learning

[BIGUN 1,062]

In another thread, jojo69 stated:

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Women tend to learn differently then men (we use landmarks, they use the compass). We also tend to step back when intimidated and men tend to step forward.

To me, this was a very profound statement. There is a big difference in how people learn based on race, nationality, gender, age. As I watch FJC's at different DZ's, one can see a trend towards a teaching factory based on time rather than ensuring everyone in the class gets it. Teaching skydiving is not like teaching academia, where we throw the information out there and _hope_ they get it. This is performance-oriented training where we need to ensure that knowledge is placed in each students hand and the _definately_ get it. The FJC is not based on a factor of time, but on a factor of knowledge transfer ( I once had a Course Director tell methat if you spend more than 3 hours teaching the FJC, you're taking too long). The skydiving FJC is not an off-the-shelf training package. Instructors must identify and modify their training methodology accordingly. Once upon a time, the USPA required everyone to go through a BIC course before embarking on their path of becoming an Instructor. It was an abbreviated class based on the military's Instructor's Training Course (ITC). It taught those who were technically proficient how to teach so that others may learn and in my opinion made a difference. Personally, I'd like to see the BIC course come back. There is a new generation of Instructors coming up in the ranks and understanding the receptors of the learning process is an important component of being a good Instructor. Have we lost something by doing away with the BIC?

Opening the the floor for discussion...

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[riggerrob 558]

Funny!
The key concept - that I got from a CSPA Skydive School Instructor Course - was the concept of "confirming of learning."

In other words, it does not matter how many times an instructor repeated something.
In the long run, it only mattered if the student grasped the material ... and could repeat it during a skydive.

While my brightest student may have grasped the (IAD) first jump course in 2.5 hours, most of FJC's run four or five hours, or until the slowest student consistently answers my questions.

[BIGUN 1,062]

or until the slowest student consistently answers my questions demonstrates proficiency?

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[livendive 8]

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or until the slowest student consistently answers my questions demonstrates proficiency?

Dude, you're hardcore! How many times does it usually take for them to demonstrate a proper tree landing?

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[AFFI 0]

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How many times does it usually take for them to demonstrate a proper tree landing?

Just one, if they walk away from it eh???

Tree landings - that is damn good accuracy…

Mykel AFF-I10
Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

[BIGUN 1,062]

No... but I do take them out to the knee high bush and have them demonstrate.
Just as I took them over to the pool and/or pond with a training harness on and have them demonstrate,
Just as I walk them up to the building and have them demostrate a side of the building PLF
Just as we go over to the power lines and have them stand in front of them and rehearse it for me.

Yeah, I'm a prick when it comes to training. But here again, it's why my classes have pre-class studies, start on Thursday evenings, have homework and carry over to most of Saturday and if need be, run on till Sunday. You should see the PLF and parachute packing classes.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[dgw 8]

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Just as I walk them up to the building and have them demostrate a side of the building PLF

BIGUN, I'd be obliged if you could elaborate on what this type of PLF comprises?? Thanks.

[BIGUN 1,062]

Bad question to answer on the Internet.
Good question for the oldest crustiest Instructor at your DZ. Have them take you out and show you.
While you're at it, have them review a sloping and/or flat rooftop landing with you.

Not putting you off for any reason other than it's performance-oriented and best demonstrated with an Instructor in front of you.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[AFFI 0]

Short answer(s), which may not e terribly short:

Everyone learns differently, a good instructor will adapt to fit the mold of those being taught, and even a good teacher cannot fit every mold, so I try to guide, and allow them to mold themselves. Empower them…
Tell em, tell em what ya told em, have them tell you what you told em, have them demonstrate what you told em. Keep it simple…
After a few training sessions, the empowered student will be influenced to take it upon themselves to learn more by their own initiative. We are training skydivers to go out and never stop training themselves and to be a positive and safe influence to the skydiving community.

Length of a FJC can be varying certainly, and AFF and Tandem progression FJC’s are not exactly the same animal, especially when the tandems are actually working and structured with the solo progression in mind. A well trained tandem student, prepared for solo jumping is light years ahead of tandems that were taught nothing and just taken for rides or AFF.
Regardless of the method, there will be a point when the students attention will be lost, and that is different for individuals as well, so it is important to decide what is important, making that decision is the tricky part so they can be taught what is the most important stuff in order to build habits that will influence them to learn how to survive any conceivable scenario which is something we cannot possibly do, so it is important to teach them the importance of continued training an good decision making. Good decision making comes from empowering them to make decisions on their own, with limited guidance.
For example, is it more likely that they will hit the side of a building or some other landing hazard or have to CORRECTLY deal with a partial malfunction that is potentially fixable (like line twists), or further, decide when corrective action needs to be taken. Is it more important to spend a lot of time on freefall dive flow until they get it perfect, or spend the majority of the available time learning EP’s and canopy flight?

Personally I believe we should concentrate on building habits that lead to survival, and concentrate on what survival skills they are most likely to need in their bag of tricks as students, keeping in mind that we are also encouraging them to continue to learn the finer portions of any aspects of survival that they were not able to reach a perfect understanding of as students. We have a finite amount of time to have their attention and maximize our effectiveness as teachers.

I could go into much more detail concerning my methods and philosophies which would require hours, days or perhaps weeks of typing and many hours of reading, it is very difficult to explain in depth in a forum to read.
It would be much easier to visit the DZ I work at and spend a long weekend shadowing me if it is believed that it would assist in becoming a better instructor or even more so - Learning what not to do in order to make a better instructor because I am far from having much of anything figured out.

I once read that if one desires to become proficient at something, then find and expert, stand beneath them and catch their drippings (sounds kinda erotic, or nasty, but you get the idea). And I am not a self-proclaimed expert, but I try to teach my DZO's students thoroughly, to the very best of my ability with what I have to offer at that particular moment in time...

-

Mykel AFF-I10
Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

[jimjumper 25]

The BIC was was originally formatted to incorporate basic jump instructional training for people wanting to get into tandem instruction. Most tandem manufactuers were requiring a jumpmaster rating of some kind for a tandem rating. USPA came up with the BIC so that people wouldn't have to get a rating they weren't going to use just to do tandems. When I went through the the BIC (1997) I was actually assigned by the course evaluator to teach the proper way to do backloops as part of my teaching evaluation!! I asked why I would ever teach a tandem student how to do a backloop and was told that I might want to get another rating later and should be able to teach any subject as an instructor. When I went for my AFF rating 5 years later I certainly did a refresher on teaching backloops!!

[riggerrob 558]

USPA's BIC (circa 1999) was a great introduction to methods of instruction and the basics of coaching theory, skills needed to teach/coach in any skydiving discipline.