booked the course

[steve-k]

just booked myself on the foundation weekend
hoopefully i will be instructing befour long

any pointers or advice would be apreciated

also in your opinions what makes a good instructor?

steve-k

[lynn Jackson]

just booked myself on the foundation weekend
hoopefully i will be instructing befour long

any pointers or advice would be apreciated

also in your opinions what makes a good instructor?

steve-k

Any pointers for the day? Be prepared to learn and enjoy! I am a professional trainer and I was able use some of the tips from the course in my work. Don't worry if you've never trained before - this is where it all begins...

My opinion as to what makes a good instructor? Realise that you are also learning about diving, you just happen to be further down the road than the people you instruct.

Respect your trainees, listen to them and watch them. Techniques that work for you might not work for them. Provided you train them to be safe and efficient underwater what does it matter how they put on that mask? Be flexible and have a ?can-do? attitude in your training approach.

Never forget why YOU learnt to dive, and why you continue to dive. Pass this enthusiasm on to your trainees, remembering this will help you both when challenges appear too big to get around (or the pool gets too tedious :-) ).

HTH

[Darren Woodward]

:=just booked myself on the foundation weekend
:=hoopefully i will be instructing befour long
:=
:=any pointers or advice would be apreciated
:=
:=also in your opinions what makes a good instructor?
:=
:=steve-k


Remember that for those two days your the trainee. You will learn how to teach so dont worry too much about what you do and how you do it. In the usual BSAC SDC tradition have an open mind and a sense of humor and enjoy the weekend, it will be hard work but good fun as well.

The only pointer I could give you, is along with all you regular scuba kit take a dive slate, any type will do, but it really helps to be able to write down all you lesson plans on the slate to refere to during a dive, its not cheating, your not expected to remember everything, only to do everything safely and correctly.

Have fun

Darren

[matt]

just booked myself on the foundation weekend
hoopefully i will be instructing befour long

any pointers or advice would be apreciated

As far as the IFC is concerned. Go with an open mind and forget any preconceptions you may have about what is the 'correct' way to teach diving.

also in your opinions what makes a good instructor?

1. Someone that is a good diver. WARNING; I completely disagree with the notion that a good diver can only teach after taking a course. It is amazing how much students learn simply by watching and copying (err which the IFC sort of emphasises). On the other hand crap divers who happen to be instructors just teach people to be crap divers very efficiently.

2. Someone that remembers what it was like to be a trainee. After a summers offshore diving I try to teach a Sports or DL lesson before unleashing myself on an OD. It is not fair on the OD otherwise as I am likely to be too demanding.

3. Somone that realises that we train people so they can go diving safely, not so they can put ticks in the assessment boxes...and that courses are not the be all and end all of learning to dive.

You asked for my opinion right?

Have a good time on the course
Regards
Matt

[steve-k]

thx for the replys, getting geared up for it now
ordered the instructor manual

was a bit supprised that you dont get the pack (for the course) untill 2 weeks befour the course, suppose im just a bit keen :)

[John Kendall]

also in your opinions what makes a good instructor?

A few things that I think make a good instructor:

A Passion for Diving

They need to have a well rounded knowledge of as much of the diving sphere as possible.

Patience

And a willingness to fail someone if they have not yet got a skill right, but also a willingness to keep helping that person until they master it.

There are many more things, I hope you enjoy your course.

John

[Paul Oliver]

Steve

Enjoy the course, all the above tips are top stuff, in fact i have been taking notes on some of them myself.

When i started teaching in the Army i was taught the qualities of a good instructor and i have used them when instructing ever since, they have stood me in good stead on 15 Instructor qualifications in a huge variety of skills since then, and as an Instructor trainer (not diving). All of the National Instructors i have seen in action have applied these very well. I also use them in Managment as well, just adapted to suit the roll/job.

C - Confidence (Through knowledge and preperation)
M - Manner (To suit the level and lesson)
A - Attitude
D - Dilligence
E - Enthusiasum

Enjoy the course

Paul

[lynn Jackson]

And a willingness to fail someone if they have not yet got a skill right, but also a willingness to keep helping that person until they master it.


As a one-time NVQ asessor, I make it a point that no-one 'fails' - they just haven't yet reached a standard to be signed off "so let's practice that one more time..." ;-)