Instructor to instructor communication

[MikeFerrara]

Actually before our GUE members get beat up too bad and run off I would enjoy a thread that deals more with training methods. One thing I see as really lacking in the industry is instructor to instructor communication. Agencies talk to instructors and instructors talk to students but instructors talking to instructors is less common. I do think that instructors can sway agencies and the equipment manufacturers can't have the ill effects I accuse them of without the help of instructors. But it's about time for me to sign off for the evening.

Mike

Good idea! Consider it done. -Spectre

 

[willanz]

Mike,

This is very nice. I had set something like this up with my graduating class from Pro Dive. There were 23 of us and I kept in touch with about 5 that stayed local but everyone went off into their own adventure and we lost touch.

Where should we start?

I got some excellent advice once from an instructor that has stuck with me for some time.

It started along the lines of, "Chief, when you clear your mask do you drop on your knees and then do it?...Then why would you teach your students to do that?"

I had always been stickler for following the rules even if I didn't like them. Every diver I trained, I made them wear a snorkel on their mask. I wore my snorkel on my mask, too. I stopped doing this because on my dives it would get in the way. I then started training them to put in a pocket or slide it all the way back on the weight belt harness out of the way.

I'm sticking to the rules of having the gear just configuring it in a way that makes better sense. I did that a couple of times and finally gave up. I train divers how to snorkel and free dive as part of their swim test and then leave them in the bag for the dives. I tell them up front what the skills are required and that it is their choice to do them or not.

Will this get me in trouble?
Probably so. I have my resignation letter to my training agency ready for the day I get a call.

I recently spoke with another instructor that was having similar conflicts and I gave him my version.

It's easier to preach what you practice...then the other way around.

I pretty much gave up teaching because of these conflicts.

I moved down to South Florida and looked around at what is going on here with other instructors.

Having a snorkel on their head is about the only thing you can count on down here...

I decided that someone in the area has to set an example. So far I have given up on 2 dive shops and started a dive club. There seems to be more of a response when you show up with a dozen people and a dozen credit cards.

 

[Divesherpa]

The story from Will sounds very familiar.

I have had very similar interactions with the local shops in Cave Country. In Alaska, we were the only shop. In Gainesville, the market is watered down with $99 OW classes with a 90+% attrition rate. Why?
I'll leave that to you guys to decide.

I would absolutely support and hopefully gain some valuable tips from other instructors. What is the suggested method of communication?

Cheers,
Sherpa


P.S. I spoke with one or two of your students, Will. They were well prepared for the select environment.

 

[chiara]

Though only a DM possibly on her way to AI in spring I am very interested in listening :mean:

Keep the good work going Mike!

 

[XtremeSea1]

willanz once bubbled...
I got some excellent advice once from an instructor that has stuck with me for some time.

It started along the lines of, "Chief, when you clear your mask do you drop on your knees and then do it?...Then why would you teach your students to do that?"

I've never viewed this as "teaching" your students to do it this way. It has way more to do with class control. In order for an instructor to have positive control over his students, this is the ideal way to begin. By the last cert dive, a student should be able to clear his/her mask no matter what position they are in.

 

[wb416]

MikeFerrara once bubbled...
One thing I see as really lacking in the industry is instructor to instructor communication.

I think an attempt is being made to address facets of this issue on an instructor forum.
http://diverlink.com/training/forum/index.html

But to make a general comment on your post, to communicate at the peer level you have to be willing to make yourself vulnerable by exposing your methods to criticism (constructive or otherwise).

wb

 

[PA/NJdiver]

Mike,

I think you have a great idea. I even suggested this to my boss that we have bi-weekly meetings with the staff to discuss what's going on in the shop and training techniques. This way we can bounce ideas off of each other and discuss what works and what doesn't, etc. So far it hasn't happened, but I keep pushing for it.

 

[chickdiver]

about how much you want to teach diving. Then you need to either A: teach to the standards of the agency that you certify through, or B: become certified to teach through an agency whose standards meet your idea of how equipment should be configured. To the best of my knowledge there is NO OW cert. agency that does not require a snorkel during training, both on the instructor and the students. I realize that not wearing a snorkel is unlikely to cause a fatality. HOWEVER, failing to adhere to ANY standard opens you to a great deal of liability. In the event that anything ever happened to any of your past students, failure to adhere to any one (even minor) standard leaves you very vulnerable in an inquiry. As I see it, failure to follow standards is an industry wide problem among instructors. If we disagree with the standards then we need to change them. I do not know how other agencies work, but with the agency I teach for, the instructors actually have input.

Thats my .02$ worth.

 

[MikeFerrara]

I'll start...

First off myself and several other instructors and DM's and non-pros? (some on the board and some not) have discussed a organization of sorts. The purpose would be to (in a constructive way) address what we see as problem areas of dive training. No details have really been worked out but for the time being have decided to communicate by e-mail so anyone interested can PM me with an e=mail address (which will be kept private to the group)

In the course of my diving and teaching I see some real sights so documenting issues and proposing solutions shouldn't be hard. Workshops are a possibility as is communication with the variouse agencies and the public. Again the purpose is to address the "they don't know what they don't know" syndrom.

gedunk is going to start a thread on this soon and I may have jumped the gun but it seemed a good time to mention it.

 

[MikeFerrara]

Teaching methods...

A little back ground...We have had many threads on the subject of standards and training methods and those who have been around a while are aware of some of what I do.

In the beginning I like others dived the way I was tought then I tought the way I was tought. As I continued my own training and gained diving experience I came to realize that divers didn't dive all that well. I also realized that instructors and DM's didn't look to hot in the water either. Sudenly the connection betwen the way we teach and the way divers dive was clear. we started to take a close look at things like standards and what was really required and what we were just doing out of habit. We changed the way we teach and we aren't through changing yet. We have discused this on the board before but I recap for our new members. Other instructors on the board have put some of these techniques into use with great results.

I have been interupted but when I get back I'll list a few of the changes we have made and hopefully other instreuctors especially the GUE folke will step in and comment.

In a while