It's a shame you found the Encyclopedia dry . . . I actually read it for pleasure, long before I did my DM, and found it interesting and full of a good deal of useful information (although, as with ALL PADI materials, the tone is hard to swallow).
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It's a shame you found the Encyclopedia dry . . . I actually read it for pleasure, long before I did my DM, and found it interesting and full of a good deal of useful information (although, as with ALL PADI materials, the tone is hard to swallow).
Jim,
Not everyone wants to sit in a room getting spoon fed. True, for many this is optimal. I personally consider most class time to be close to "death by instruction."
Now, given that little rant, my personally preferred method is to go over the key aspects, let them study a bit, hand out a practice quiz, go over it to discuss where they may want to refine their approach, then rinse and repeat as necessary.
But straight lecture is almost always painful for me. I've found that in any traditionally taught class (my instructional past is a bit broader than scuba), 30% are bored to tears, 30% are not able to keep up, 30% are taking a mental vacation whether or not they can afford it, and 10% find the pace/approach perfect for learning.
It's like mass-producing custom clothes. "One-size-rarely-fits-anyone-correctly"
If you are teaching yourself, how much are you paying yourself to do that. Or did you get a significant discount? ...... If you are paying for a course why is the instructor not teaching the material and using self study for reinforcement?