Instructors should take some advanced training as well. Yea or Nay? Does it matter?

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Jim Lapenta

Contributor
Scuba Instructor
Divemaster
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Location
Canonsburg, Pa
# of dives
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I am putting this in the Advanced Forum so that everyone can access it and see the discussion. I don't want this moved to the instructor forum. The goal is to see how important it is to new and newer divers, as well as not so new ones, for their instructors to keep up their own education.

It has always been my personal philosophy and practice to take some kind of training every year for myself. If I am going to set an example for my own students how can I not do that? If I am going to tell you that you, the average diver, should take some form of training beyond Open Water (once you are ready for it of course) should I not be doing the same?

For those of you considering some form of advanced training, be it AOW, Rescue, a specialty, etc., how important is it that the instructor you choose set an example by adding to their own knowledge and skills? Be it a tech course, specialty in an area they are interested in, it might not even be directly related to diving. For example I am waiting for the next workshop at my local hospital on diabetes and exercise to take place. I once assisted with a student who was diabetic and obtained clearance to dive even though he wore an insulin pump. It may never happen again. But then again it might so I want to be prepared.

Three years ago I took the SDI Solo course, the year after that Doppler's Disaster Scenario Workshop, then did the SDI/TDI crossover which included several SDI and TDI on line courses as prep for that plus the crossover course itself. Last year SDI OW Sidemount, and this year I just sent in a deposit for my TDI Advanced Wreck Instructor class with Steve at the end of May.

Yes some of this is in order to increase my course offerings and as such my instructor income. But what also happens is that all of this knowledge gets distributed in every course I teach from my YMCA snorkeling and skin diver programs, through the similar program I offer for the Girl Scouts, on through OW to the other tech and pro classes I can teach.

I have seen other instructors who become OWSI and don't take a class after that. I get some of their students to train and the lack of additional educational training is sometimes apparent. I've always felt that my students are a direct reflection on my skills, knowledge, and abilities. So I had better work to continually update those.

I know it's important for me to do this. How important is it for you that I, or any other instructor, take the time to invest in our education to serve you?
 
It really depends on the instructor and their goals in the industry. To me it is most important that they are experienced and skilled at the courses they are teaching and that their personal scuba and related skills are up to date. I expect my accountant to stay up to speed on tax laws, but whether or not he/she takes a pottery class is not relevant.
 
I take courses because of the type of diving I want to do ... when I wanted to start doing deep dives I went through the Adv Nitrox/Deco, then Trimix I then Trimix II to gain knowledge for doing successively deeper dives. Same for wreck penetration and cave diving ... diving in those environments requires not just specific techniques, but some adjustments to your mindset in terms of how you approach your dive plan and execution.

I've found that whatever the class, there is some point at which what I'll call an "ah ha" moment takes place ... sometimes more than once during the class. That's the moment when something I thought I already knew acquires a new level of understanding ... and perhaps ties into something else that I thought I knew. It often helps me better explain to students what a certain "rule" means, not just as it applies to the class they're taking, but as it applies to their continued development as divers. This does fill in some gaps ... particularly on those subjects where "the book" (at whatever level you're teaching or taking a class) does a good job of explaining what you should do, but not such a good job of covering how or why you should do it.

I'll continue taking classes ... often in the form of workshops ... probably for as long as I dive. There's plenty of people out there that know things I don't know who I can learn from. And I'm reaching a point where some of them are people I've either taught classes to or mentored in the past. Karma sometimes has a nice way of returning the favor ... :D

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
 
It really depends on the instructor and their goals in the industry. To me it is most important that they are experienced and skilled at the courses they are teaching and that their personal scuba and related skills are up to date. I expect my accountant to stay up to speed on tax laws, but whether or not he/she takes a pottery class is not relevant.

I kind of agree. It depends on what you are currently teaching. All knowledge is somewhat valuable, but may not be relevant to what you do. I probably used 25% of all the knowledge I learned toward my two music teaching degrees in the actual classes I taught. In NY state a teacher must get a Masters within 5 years--doesn't matter in what subject (I don't think). But in Canada (and maybe other states) teachers must only attend inservices to improve their teaching. With diving, you can pick up a lot by just diving and conversing with those who are in the know. Obviously if you're teaching the UW photography course, you should be an expert UW photog, and photog in general. Other non diving photography courses may be in order. If you only teach OW classes taking a rebreather course would seem irrelevant, though it improves your knowledge. And of course you could answer students' questions on this. I have to admit I have no plans to take any more courses, but I do read a lot and do some of the PADI webinars, etc. And you have to have the money for courses as well.
 
In light of some recent threads, I feel it not only necessary to keep up on your training, its also necessary to keep up on new equipment.

I recently learned that many people here have no idea how to operate an i3 BCD, and that IMHO is inexcusable.

Like it or not, they are gaining popularity,and people are buying and using them, so it behooves you to know how it works
 
As a pilot I had to do recurrent training and testing, as a Physician Assistant I have to do CME (continuing medical education). Whether or not it is a requirement for a diving instructor to do some sort of continuing education, continuing education - whether formal or informal - increases knowledge and/or skills. This should, with few exceptions, benefit the students.

So to answer the question: all else being equal I would choose the instructor who cares about their knowledge and skills enough to continue to improve on them. Is this the most important factor? Probably not, but neither is it the least important one either.
 
I can only speak for NAUI here, but I suspect that other agencies have something similar, we are supposed to earn 1.0 CEU credits per year in topic(s) that relate to scuba, business or professionalism. You get .1 hour of credit for each hour. Attending workshops in diving, equipment repair, Powerpoint, etc., would all count and there are even quizzes to take. I wish it was policed more than it is.

Personally, like many here, I do take a scuba related courses, about 1 per year, but I do that for me. But, that is different from doing the things that an instructor should do on a yearly basis in order to stay current. Diving for their own personal enjoyment, teaching a bit every year and attending scuba related events like trade shows, updates, etc.
 
Personally, I insist on taking at least one course a year. It usually ends up being 3 or 4...but 1 is the minimum. I've even re-taken courses that I am already qualified to teach.
It's not just about gaining more information relevant to areas you currently teach, although this is a large part of it. It is also just about learning other teaching methods. Not all students learn the same, and not all instructors teach the same, the more I know about both sides the better for me and my students.
 
Jim as usual, I agree with you. In our area, Instructors get very big heads, as do our Public Safety personnel, being my badge is shinier than yours (instructors say my rating is better than yours), and it truly is amazing the level of education these types of instructors try to give their students, when all they have is an Open Water Instructor Rating. In the end, the students suffer in my opinion, because to most of the instructors around here it is all about the quantity of students they train, not the quality of students. Now on the flip side, we have several other shops, my direct competition, that have awesome instructors, some that I still take courses from. I think that at some point we all, myself included, either get complacent or get a GOD complex about them, and we think that we are the best of the best. It is when we can admit that there will always be somebody better than us, then we have reached a level of maturity that our students deserve from an instructor. I recently completed an ICE Diver course and the ICE diver Instructor Course in New York both through PDIC / SEI. Like you I did it so that I could offer this class to my students, but more importantly, I did it to fulfill a lifelong dream of diving under the ice. During the class, my Instructor asked me why I was taking the class, meaning (you are an Instructor Trainer why are you taking the class). I responded, the title implies that I train other divers on how to become an Instructor. This means that continuing education is a part of ever Instructors responsibility. Now the Instructor teaching the class, already knew why I was taking the class, but he wanted the other classmates to hear my response. The other classmates were my Divemasters (Assistant Instructor Candidates), both being very impressionable and fairly new divers (less than 5 years). They both needed to see that no matter what level of training you have, there is still so much more to learn. One of my mentors, (PADI IDC Staff Instructor) use to tell me that he had an student that he taught all the way from Open Water Diver to Assistant Instructor, then that student went on to become a PADI Course Director. Now that Course Director is my mentor's mentor. I too have a very similar story. A retired Instructor from the 70's, quit diving for a long time, and only recently got back into diving about 6 years ago. Being that he had been out for over 2 decades, came to me and started over fresh, and he took an Open Water Course all the way to Master Scuba Diver. Now the whole time I was teaching him, I realized the humility he showed by allowing me to teach him, being that he was a retired Instructor. He would tell me from time to time, how much diving had changed since he taught students and how much more he learned from going all the way back to the basics. One day I hope that I too can show that level of maturity, the same way he did.
 
I, too, take a lot of classes. In some of them, I learn stuff that will help me as an open water instructor. In other classes, not so much. My last two certifications, earned within the last year, were for side mount diving in the overhead environment and Dive propulsion vehicle (DPV) diving in an overhead environment. If I ever get someone to take a DPV class, maybe one of them will help, but I assure you that getting someone in Colorado to take a DPV class is no easy feat.

I think one of the benefits to my more advanced training lies in my ability to be a better role model for my students. When I am working with brand new students in the pool, I can do all my demonstrations and work with them on their skills while hovering in horizontal trim. I couldn't do that when I was a new instructor,and it was not expected that I could. When I am done with one student and want to move on to the next or get back into position to demonstrate a new skill, I can back up and pivot to a new position without going out of horizontal trim and without touching the floor. I could not do that when I as a new instructor, and it was not expected that I could.

My continuing education has also helped me explode a lot of the myths that get passed on at the beginning level, like the possibility that a zealous DM will leap to your rescue if you rest your mask on your forehead. I have eliminated a lot of stuff like that which was originally passed on to me by well-meaning instructors. I can also speak with greater depth of knowledge when it comes to things like nitrox.

Where I see the greatest benefit is in teaching the divemaster course. I think I do a much better job with that and add much more of value to the course then I would have as a new instructor.

I think my technical diving experience does make me a better instructor, but I don't believe it is necessary.
 
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