Ber needs help with ITC material too!

[Ber Rabbit]

OK, I'm doing my first graded lecture tomorrow morning at 9am. I need a good attention getter for a dive table lecture. The first step in one of these lectures is to gain the students attention, any and all ideas about how to do this using something relevant to the topic are welcome!
Unlike NetDoc's latest experience I have to give a 2 hour lecture to an actual class of 9 OW students plus whoever is there to evaluate me. Luckily I'm familiar with the students, I did my practice lecture (equipment) on them. My instructor's words of advice were "get this done in 2 hours, don't go over while you're being graded."
I am SOOO nervous!
Thanks for your help!
Ber

 

[WreckWriter]

First off, relax. Do you know the material? I assume you do or you wouldn't be at this level. A good night's sleep will get you farther than preparing all night for a simple lecture on material you know backwards and forwards.

As for "getting attention" I always just stress the importance of the subject and the fact that they will be tested and will use this throughout their diving lives. Avoid scare based attention getters at all costs but don't under-emphasize the possible downside of not learning the material. Encourage questions several times during the presentation.

Relax, it's easy

Tom

 

[MikeFerrara]

Just the first thing that popped into my head: Ask your class if they ever used a road map to plan a trip prior to departing. Ask if the map works best when used to plan th rout or after you are lost. Then explain that dive tables are key in dive planning and go from there. I think contacts are best when related to something the student has experience with.

 

[DivingGal]

Originally posted by MikeFerrara
Just the first thing that popped into my head: Ask your class if they ever used a road map to plan a trip prior to departing. Ask if the map works best when used to plan th rout or after you are lost. Then explain that dive tables are key in dive planning and go from there. I think contacts are best when related to something the student has experience with.

Excellent analogy!

 

[jbd]

I start my assistant instructor class next Tuesday and the attention getter is kind of hard to come up with. I am thinking that Mike is correct in suggesting asking a question. The student would be kind of forced to pay attention since a question indicates an anticipated performance from them i.e. an answer.

My first lecture is on Boyle's Law.

 

[WreckWriter]

Originally posted by jbd
I start my assistant instructor class next Tuesday

You know, in PADI at least, Assistant Instructor is NOT a required course (unless things have changed since 85). I went direct from DM to OWSI. If you're not PADI this may not apply but if you are, it is, in my opinion, a waste of time and money.

Please don't take that wrong, just trying to save you.

Tom

 

[jbd]

Hi Tom,

I had 3 choices assistant instructor, divemaster or the instructor prep course. I didn't want to be a divemaster and the prep course and the AI course were the same price. The other deciding factor was tht I could start now & locally with the AI course while the prep course was going to be awhile off and possibly out of state.

This is a NAUI course.

jbd

 

[The Chairman]

a training aid!

I use two 2 liter soda bottles as a training aid to DEMONSTRATE residual nitrogen. Take one and make parrallel lines around it. Mark the bottom one "0", the next one "33", the next one "66" and the top one "99". Fill the other bottle with blue colored water, and then pour it into the other bottle until it reaches the "0" mark. Drill an 1/8" hole in one of the caps (the other will let you transport the entire shooting match without a leak).

The blue water represents nitrogen in your body... we have some in our tissues even at sea level (1 atm).

When we dive the pressure of Nitrogen in our air increases, and our body starts to absorb some (small stream from full bottle into partially filled bottle). Our bodies will keep absorbing the nitrogen until it reaches equilibrium with the air we are breathing.

If we dive even deeper our body absorbs Nitrogen faster (squeeze the bottle hard).

When we surface, our body stops absorbing Nitrogen and starts to get rid of it. (switch the cap to the other bottle and start squeezing gently) The longer we stay out of the water the more nitrogen leaves our body.

Unfortunately... when we get ready to go back in we still have some extra Nitrogen!!! (show bottle with blue still way above the "0" mark) This extra Nitrogen is called RESIDUAL Nitrogen. Well we can't see it, and its real exspensive to test for it, so we have to go by tables that were developed to help us track it.

You get the picture, the training aid is SOOOOOOOOOOO cheap and easy to make. It only took me a second to think of it when the instructor I am helping told me to come up with something to illustrate residual Nitrogen. He was amazed at how simple and EFFECTIVE it was... he is now using it in his classes. I will be using it sometime during my ITC, so don't let it get out too far!!! :tease: I used it constantly during the tables, to illustrate just what we were trying to calculate!

Good LUCK!!!

 

[jbd]

Hey NetDoc!! Excellent training aid!! Can we plagerize(sp?) you or do we have to wait for the dive manufactures to sell us the kit?

 

[WreckWriter]

I'm not familiar with NAUI programs. Glad to hear you didn't get ripped though.

Tom

Originally posted by jbd
Hi Tom,

I had 3 choices assistant instructor, divemaster or the instructor prep course. I didn't want to be a divemaster and the prep course and the AI course were the same price. The other deciding factor was tht I could start now & locally with the AI course while the prep course was going to be awhile off and possibly out of state.

This is a NAUI course.

jbd