Teaching SDC

[SABenson]

Hi,

Can any one advise. When are you quailifed to teach SDC. I am an advanced Dive with my OWI. I have been told by my training officer that I can not teach the Nitrox course because I am not quailifed (I am a Nitrox Diver) How can you develop your skills and move up the training ladder if you can not do the lectures??

Regards

Steve

[Richard D]

Hi,

Can any one advise. When are you quailifed to teach SDC. I am an advanced Dive with my OWI. I have been told by my training officer that I can not teach the Nitrox course because I am not quailifed (I am a Nitrox Diver) How can you develop your skills and move up the training ladder if you can not do the lectures??

Regards

Steve

Steve

Have a look at

http://www.bsac.org/page/248/sdc-requirement-matrix.htm

should answer your question.

[judithbodkin]

Hi,

Can any one advise. When are you quailifed to teach SDC. I am an advanced Dive with my OWI. I have been told by my training officer that I can not teach the Nitrox course because I am not quailifed (I am a Nitrox Diver) How can you develop your skills and move up the training ladder if you can not do the lectures??

Regards

Steve

Hi Steve

It will be worth having a word with your Area Coach or Regional Coach to
see if you can Observe on a Regional Nitrox Course. You need to Observe
twice before you become a Nitrox Instructor. I believe it's the same for all
of the SDC's.

It's round about now when the Instructors get to hear which SDC's they
have given. Last month my Area Coach sent out a programme of events
for next year asking who was available etc.

Also our Regional sent out an email asking for new OWI that were interested in helping on the SDC's to contact him.

What area are you from?

:D :D

[Dave Sydenham]

Hi Steve

It will be worth having a word with your Area Coach or Regional Coach to
see if you can Observe on a Regional Nitrox Course. You need to Observe
twice before you become a Nitrox Instructor. I believe it's the same for all
of the SDC's.

It's round about now when the Instructors get to hear which SDC's they
have given. Last month my Area Coach sent out a programme of events
for next year asking who was available etc.

Also our Regional sent out an email asking for new OWI that were interested in helping on the SDC's to contact him.

What area are you from?

:D :D

Hi Steve,

As Judith has said your Regional Coaching Team is the place! :D

As well as 'getting the ticket' to teach these courses you can improve and develop your instructing skills by teaching on courses with other experienced instructors who can help bring you on as an instructor.

The Coaching Teams are always looking for new blood and you will be amazed not only how much you learn but also by how much fun it is. When you take your new found skills back to your branch you will see how much you have progressed and what you have to offer your branch. It makes you a very valuable commodity!

I speak from personal experience, having been involved with the North Scotland Coaching Team for quite a few years now, I know I would not have progressed as much as an instructor and also as a diver had I not gotten involved. Whether or not you are interested at this stage in considering Advanced Instructor or First Class Diver there is certainly plenty to be gained. I have had a ball along the way so my advice would be to call up your Regional or Area Coach and ask how you can get involved. I'm not sure whether you come under East or West Midlands, however you can find contact details for your local team here http://www.bsac.org/page/10/regional-coaching-service.htm

Cheers!

Dave
:)

[tony J]

You need to Observe
twice before you become a Nitrox Instructor. I believe it's the same for all
of the SDC's.
:
Where is the requirement to observer twice.
I thought it was to assist once to the satfaction of the Boss (http://www.bsac.org/page/502/approved-sdc-instructor.htm)

Tony

[PeteM]

Where is the requirement to observer twice.
I thought it was to assist once to the satfaction of the Boss (http://www.bsac.org/page/502/approved-sdc-instructor.htm)

Tony

I think you have to have done the course within the past two or three years (can not find the reference at present), if you have not then you need an observe to refresh the knowledge, then an assist to confirm you can teach it. If you have done the course recently then you can go straight to an assist

[tony J]

I think you have to have done the course within the past two or three years (can not find the reference at present), if you have not then you need an observe to refresh the knowledge, then an assist to confirm you can teach it. If you have done the course recently then you can go straight to an assist
I kind of remember that somewhere (I did a workshop for mine I think). We do seem to be relaxing criteria as courses become more mainstream, so perhaps this was relaxed.
So the OP may only have to do an assist (I use my words wisely, I think we removed the word observe a few years ago when we said that Assistants must play an active role - as this is the only was the chief examiner can asses them)

Tony

[SABenson]

Thanks for all the info, I will speak with the West Midlands team.

Steve

[judithbodkin]

Where is the requirement to observer twice.
I thought it was to assist once to the satfaction of the Boss (http://www.bsac.org/page/502/approved-sdc-instructor.htm)

Tony
Hi Tony

When I starting helping on the SDC's 2 years ago we were told that
were to observe on 2 before we would have the qualification as the
Instructor for that course.

Again this could have changed but I was unaware of it.:D

[Graham_Pettett]

I think the advice was more like 'to obtain approval, once you have met the prerequisites you need to serve actively and effectively as an assistant instructor on one or more courses, and thus obtain the recommendation of the course boss. Typically on the region for newer instructors this may take at least two assists, but more experienced instructors can achieve the required level in one. The exact requirements vary form course to course, particularly now the more advanced technical ones’.

Hope that clarifies things.

Graham

[Monster]

I may be wrong (Am probably am as im sure alot o instructors will point out!) but i thought as long as you are an Advance Nitrox Dive4rf then to be able to teach (if you have not taken a course in teachingg it)( then you need to have done the course and also to have takewn a course with an Advance Nitox diver teacher overviewing what you teach and hgow you teach, but as every 9ne has said speak to the Coaches that are available in your area :D

[Nick Kay]

From my perspective, with the Nitrox course, I'd like the prospective Instructor to:

First course:
- deliver a "simple" lecture
- observe in water & carry out the student tasks as if a student

Second course:
- deliver an "advanced" lecture
- run a group of 2 students in water whilst being observed by a qualified Nitrox Instructor

Why???
1. I may never have seen the Instructor teach in-water before and I'm not sure of their skills
2. I've seen too many prospective Instructors not have the actual diving skills (how did they manage to qualify as a Nitrox diver in the first place)
3. I want to make sure taht they know how to TEACH the skills and are able to TRANSFER the skills - as opposed to be able to demonstrate them
4. The course is about the STUDENTS getting high quality instruction from Instructors whose skills they can respect - as opposed to paying, turning up & passing - its an AWARD not an attendance

[awaits flame posts, screams of "you can't force that", etc etc]

[Ed Howarth]

From my perspective, with the Nitrox course, I'd like the prospective Instructor to:

First course:
- deliver a "simple" lecture
- observe in water & carry out the student tasks as if a student

Second course:
- deliver an "advanced" lecture
- run a group of 2 students in water whilst being observed by a qualified Nitrox Instructor

[awaits flame posts, screams of "you can't force that", etc etc]

Not at all. That's how it was with me and I felt that I was slowly absorbed into the system and able to deliver proper instruction of the correct quality, rather than being thrown in at the deep end :D and wondering whether I was doing it right.

Ed

[tony J]

Second course:
- deliver an "advanced" lecture
- run a group of 2 students in water whilst being observed by a qualified Nitrox Instructor

Flames coming,

fFor me it is far too prescriptive.

I'd do anything between one assist and never recommend.

One has to look at the needs and skills of the potential instructor and then decide what to do. One assist if often enough, I have no reason to make others jump through unnecessary hoops

We are not examing them on their diving skills or their instructing skills, I assume they have these until proved overwise. In the same way as I would expect to be treated.

So my way would asked them to do any lecture straight away (lecturing is not hard, and you can help with prep if they needed it). Get them to observe the first dive (or even run the first dive) and run the second dive, the first dive gives you enough time to decide if they are up to running the second.

Advanced Nitrox is not techy diving, its just a bit of buoyancy control and reg switching, have I messed something ?

Tony

[PeteM]

2. I've seen too many prospective Instructors not have the actual diving skills (how did they manage to qualify as a Nitrox diver in the first place)

Seen this as well - had one guy who did an assist with me who I told that had he been a student doing the mid water DSMB I would have failed him

[Dave Sydenham]

Seen this as well - had one guy who did an assist with me who I told that had he been a student doing the mid water DSMB I would have failed him

Indeed! The key phrase from the requirements to qualify as an Approved Instructor for the various courses that requre this route is; "Serve as an Assistant Instructor to the satisfaction of the Course Chief Instructor and as a result, obtain the written recommendation of the Chief Instructor on the Application Form."

As on the Nitrox Course, attendance is not sufficient to gain the ticket, the required standards must be met. If not, then the Chief Instructor should give appropriate feedback and encourage the prospective instructor to work on the weak areas and come back and have another go in order to satisfy the Chief Instructor that they are fully competent at that level.

As Instructors we all have a duty of care to our students to ensure that they reach the required standards on the courses/examinations and similarly we have a duty of care to ensure our prospective Instructors are up to the task also.

This is particularly important for skills such as buoyancy control which is often lacking on Nitrox Courses. Allowing a student to pass when they can't safely hold a stop on a rich nitrox mix could have potentially dire consequences.

We must strive to maintain the high standards that are expected from BSAC Instructors and courses.

Cheers!

Dave
:)

[JamesW]

So if you are a FAW Instructor, RYA First Aid Instructor, EFR Instructor, you still have to assist on a course before you can teach the First Aid for Divers course. If so I would run a EFR course which can be crossed over via a salt and it can be used as a appointed persons at a place of work.
Thanks

[Fraser (aka Scallop)]

I
This is particularly important for skills such as buoyancy control which is often lacking on Nitrox Courses. Allowing a student to pass when they can't safely hold a stop on a rich nitrox mix could have potentially dire consequences.


:)

So the mud cleareth as to why I had to do DSMB mid level.........:confused: