Teaching GES to young cadets

[CAP4117]

I'm giving part one of a GES class tomorrow night (everything until bloodborne pathogens) and most of our cadets are in the 12-13 age range. Some of the material seems like it will be difficult to explain so that it's understandable and (at least marginally) interesting to them. Any advice? Thanks!

[CavScout]

Make sure you go at an appropraite pace, don't just knock tasks out fast to be able to sign them off, give breaks, keep them drinking water, and maybe even have them take notes.

I train to crawl-walk-run, making sure to get a practical exercise in before the next topic. Like going through all the search line ops stuff, then getting outside to actually practice it. It's funner and sticks better.

I guess I'll leave it at what I already said. Good luck!

[Eclipse]

With something as unfamiliar as GES to newer cadets, if they aren't asking question, they either aren't interested or aren't listening.

If you're doing BBP, make sure you have enough gloves for everyone, and that someone well-versed in safe glove removal does the instruction.
I've seen it done incorrectly far too many times.

[docbiochem33]

I make everything very interactive.  I taught a class about how to do a search in a vehicle.  I explained all the positions and their functions.  Then I would make the Senior Member "drive" and then people would perform their functions.  I made the senior cadet (and the one with the most training) act as the GTL.  I would say if they picked up and E.S. signal, I would have the person in the back say they saw something.
It makes it fun because you are teaching a group that is very active by the nature of their youth and then making them "perform" their job.  Plus, a class makes it boring to some while if you do the teaching followed up by doing it follows the old saying, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day.  Teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime."  You are teaching them to do the job not showing them.

[CAP4117]

I appreciate the advice, everyone. So far, I have done the first two parts of GES, and it seems to be going pretty well. Eclipse, thanks for mentioning that about the gloves. I think they had a good time with that because we covered the gloves in soapy water so they could tell if they did it wrong (if their hands got wet).

The only thing left is the ICS portion. I was going to do an activity that would demonstrate how the lines of command work in ICS by assigning them to different roles during a mock incident, but I don't know if that will work. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make that better? Thanks!

[Eclipse]

You could have small groups that echo the ICS chain, each with a specific function of some sort (pick up a glass and put it somewhere, walk ten paces and sit down, etc.), pass orders to the "IC" who would then distribute them to the "section" depending on the order given.

Do it once "wrong", with ambigous directives, (pick up a cup from a group of many colors and shapes, but don't specify. etc.) people intercepting and re-interpreting orders, "helping" other teams outside their role, etc., etc., as much of a Charlie Foxtrot as some missions can be, then do it once correctly with people being given "SMART" objectives only from the top down, just doing their own jobs, etc.

Perhaps find a way to mix some down-up intel that changes things, etc.  But basically designed to impart "do >your< job, and >only< your job, and only take directions from "x", and only give directions to "y".