Instructor Training Course

[DNall]

So now you have to make up your own course to deliver locally or within the wing to prep instructors for SLS/CLC/TLC? Okay, I can see the value in such a course, but that answer is passing the buck big-time on their inability to field the course or get the CAPP altered accordingly. That's real weak.

Regarding TLC... we do it differently in TXWG. It's condensed to a small part of a much larger CP officer basic course (called Sr Trng & Ed Pgm) conducted over a two-day period. That course does a pretty good job, but "instructor" is not really one of the design objectives. We could probably make a couple adjustments & improvements that would fix that if we added that to the goals of our course.

[jimmydeanno]

I think you might have a hard time getting answers from the PD shop right now.  There isn't anyone working there...literally.

[arajca]

There is someone there now.

Greetings-

No, CAP doesn't have a curriculum for an Instructor Training Course at this time.  With that said, you may be able to ask teachers who are members or members who are trainers in their outside job to help you put a curriculum together for a 1 day course. As the new kid on the block, it's on my list.

Sincerely,

Bobbie-Jean Tourville
BOBBIE-JEAN TOURVILLE
Chief, Professional Development
phone: 877.227.9142 ext. 405  fax: 334-953-6891
bjtourville@capnhq.gov (effective 1 Sept)

Since National seems fixated on the one-day ITC, I am looking at a realistic program which includes a practical portion. Course length: 2 days plus a precourse assignment est 3 hours.

Additionally, I'm attaching my ideas for an Instructor track (which cadets can earn the Instructor rating, not merely the badge).

[swamprat86]

In 97-98 I took the Army Battlefield Instructor Training Course.  I wonder if I can use this as a substitution, not that I am going for a rating in PD but I might in the future.

[MSgt Van]

I wonder if they'd count any of my active duty instructor experience;
Air Force Technical Instructor course
Instructional Systems Designer course
Instructor Supervisor course
etc, etc.

*never mind*  I see the note about CAP not having an instructor rating in a previous post...

[arajca]

Latest from national...

After doing a little more research, I found that my predecessor allowed
the Instructor Course requirement to be waived because no standardized
course was adopted by CAP. This may help your people to get to Master a
little faster.

That said, I'm still interested in any instructor course you can put
together, because I do think it's a hole in our education and training
process.

Sincerely,


Bobbie-Jean Tourville
BOBBIE-JEAN TOURVILLE
Chief, Professional Development
phone: 877.227.9142 ext. 405  fax: 334-953-6891
bjtourville@capnhq.gov (effective 1 Sept)

I'd call this a fairly authoritative source.

edit - ffs strikes again

[EMT-83]

I would think that there are a good number of military, police, fire, EMS, etc. instructors out there that have the training and experience that exceed what could be presented in a one or two day ITC. Why not build equivalencies into the PD Master Rating? My fire service instructor certification class was 56 hours. I can't imagine condensing adult learning, methods of instruction, presenting lesson plans, evaluation, etc. into 8 hours.

[MSgt Van]

I'd think an 8-hour course wouldn't be much more than an intro to public speaking.

[arajca]

I would think that there are a good number of military, police, fire, EMS, etc. instructors out there that have the training and experience that exceed what could be presented in a one or two day ITC. Why not build equivalencies into the PD Master Rating? My fire service instructor certification class was 56 hours. I can't imagine condensing adult learning, methods of instruction, presenting lesson plans, evaluation, etc. into 8 hours.

The master PD rating doesn't say complete, it says Plan, coordinate, and implement. I have taken several instructional techniques and TTT courses (incl. ICS and CAPIP), but I haven't conducted one.

[EMT-83]

Poor editing on my part. I was thinking that if an experienced instructor has put similar programs together before, why not allow the equivalence? Also, there is a real need for an ITC, but 8 hours just isn't enough.

An Instructor Specialty Track is probably a good idea, might might be overkill for someone who will only instruct occasionally. Somewhere there needs to be a balance, an ITC of appropriate quality to teach the skills necessary to teach.

[SarDragon]

The Naval Air Reserve has a two day (16 hr) Instructor Training Course that just barely covers the knowledge material needed to become an instructor. I provided a copy of it to my wing PD folks so they could run it up the chain, but have heard nothing since.

As for an Instructor Training track, I would think the goal there would be Instructor Trainers. That's where we need the expertise the most.

[BillB]

And where would a State Teaching Certification fit in? As a certified teacher, would show several years of instructor training.

[arajca]

The Naval Air Reserve has a two day (16 hr) Instructor Training Course that just barely covers the knowledge material needed to become an instructor. I provided a copy of it to my wing PD folks so they could run it up the chain, but have heard nothing since.

I am using a estimate of 10 students per class. Practical portion would be 30 min per student demonstrating, 10 min critique, 5 min change over. That covers one full day, including a lunch break.

As for an Instructor Training track, I would think the goal there would be Instructor Trainers. That's where we need the expertise the most.

The ultimate goal is to have good-great instructors using well-developed standardized instructor-independent lesson plans. Part of the Senior Instructor rating is to train and evaluate Instructors.

As for the many options of instructor training available outside CAP, keep in mind this is only a draft and is only my thoughts about it. I can add an equivalency table as needed.

[swamprat86]

I still have all my materials from my Army BFITC.  The nice thing about this instructor course is that it is compatible with our ES training.  It explains how to take a task and teach it in a field environment.  The skill are also transferable to a classroom environment as well.

Let me find it and scan it to my computer.  Then I can send you a copy.

[arajca]

Thank you.

[tarheel gumby]

I also found the Red Cross Instructor Candidate training to be very good, at least how we did it when I went through it in 1993. It was four days and included practical skills for the instructor candidate.

[SarDragon]

The Naval Air Reserve has a two day (16 hr) Instructor Training Course that just barely covers the knowledge material needed to become an instructor. I provided a copy of it to my wing PD folks so they could run it up the chain, but have heard nothing since.

I am using a estimate of 10 students per class. Practical portion would be 30 min per student demonstrating, 10 min critique, 5 min change over. That covers one full day, including a lunch break.

Thirty minutes is way too long. The longest eval period I had in my four week school was twenty minutes, and that was the final exam. Most eval periods were ten or fifteen minutes, and the one eval period in the USNR course is only ten minutes.

As for an Instructor Training track, I would think the goal there would be Instructor Trainers. That's where we need the expertise the most.

The ultimate goal is to have good-great instructors using well-developed standardized instructor-independent lesson plans. Part of the Senior Instructor rating is to train and evaluate Instructors.

As for the many options of instructor training available outside CAP, keep in mind this is only a draft and is only my thoughts about it. I can add an equivalency table as needed.

Sadly, one of the big problems CAP has is the lack of well-developed standardized instructor-independent lesson plans. It's getting better, but, IMHO, even some of the newest stuff has a long way to go.

[tarheel gumby]

Sadly, one of the big problems CAP has is the lack of well-developed standardized instructor-independent lesson plans. It's getting better, but, IMHO, even some of the newest stuff has a long way to go.
[/quote]

I quite agree.

[arajca]

Sadly, one of the big problems CAP has is the lack of well-developed standardized instructor-independent lesson plans. It's getting better, but, IMHO, even some of the newest stuff has a long way to go.

One requirement is for the Senior level to develop lesson plans for 1-hr long classes. The master rating develops a 2-day course. Also, development of a centralized repository of these lesson plans is listed as an additional need. The idea is for CAP instructors to be able to download a complete lesson plan (IG, SM, visuals, handouts) print off as needed and go.

[SarDragon]

OK, now the hard question - where is a volunteer, with a full time job, going to find the time to do this?

I'm not trying to be a defeatist here, but just pointing out the practicalities.

A couple of other points:

1. Most members do not have the entire box full of talent to develop the entire package you imagine (IG, SM, visuals, handouts). I worked in the business for about 13 years, and each course that went out the door had a minimum of four people involved - a Subject Matter Expert (SME), a graphic artist, an Instructional Systems Developer (ISD), and a QA person. It's great if your SME can do graphics, and the ISD can do the QA, but that's spreading things really thin.

2. IIRC, the last two day course I worked on took four months and over 300 man-days to complete. That was a full-time effort for most of the players.

YMMV.