Walter & Group...........
Molly Semenik sends a reply to Jim Liang with respect to his questions on the "shotgun" teaching event. I have highlighted one important statement in italics G. :-
An
idea for Jim Laing.
When
I am asked to instruct a group of students, let’s say 12, with three volunteer
instructors I do the following. I will first have a mini meeting with the
volunteers and thank them for coming. Then I review the 45 minute lesson
with them. I explain the issue of too many instructors with too many
different words and how it can impede the learning process. So I explain
to the volunteers that I will explain and demonstrate each task to
the entire group. Once the demo. Is over, we break into groups and
practice the demonstration I gave. This would allow each volunteer to have
three students. If there are more volunteers it could end up being
1/1. I make sure my eyes are open to all that is going on with the
groups. I usually have a group as well. This method is often
comforting for the volunteers because they may be concerned about their
instructing ability. I also tell the instructors that there are many ways
to teach but we need, for the students sake, to stay uniform in our
approach. By my demonstrating to the group they can observe my style and
technique. I point out the benefits of watching others teach and how it
can add to our own bag of tricks and that I hope I can give them a few new
ideas. One more point, after each task I rotate the volunteer instructors
so the students get to experience different styles (but the content is the
same). I have often heard from a student “it really clicked when so and so
said “flick the paint brush”. Rotation can be very good as
long as it has some order or oversight.
After
the practice session we gather back as a group, I ask the students if they have
any questions on the particular task covered. I also ask the volunteer
instructors if they have anything they would like to add. This give them a
chance to take a lead. I find this to be a good approach from the students
perspective I also find it to be respectful of the volunteers. And
sometimes I may have a volunteer that really wants to teach a particular task
(they may even be a CCI candidate) this gives them a great opportunity to
practice their wording and demo.
When
the class if over I always take the time to thank the volunteers and discuss the
class with them, what worked, what may have been handled differently, any
students that needed extra attention etc.. I have found this method to be
organized but flexible enough for all of us to learn.
Molly
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On target comment on teaching by Peter Minnick:
Gordy... the self discovery time is golden....I've found that it's the most important time in the lesson and always plan on allowing a student time to make the cast his/her own...Peter
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Peter ... Well said. That's when lightning strikes and solutions become clear. Epiphanies !
This is one of the many things I really liked about Al Kyte's book: ORVIS GUIDE TO BETTER FLY CASTING a problem solving approach. In Chapter 12, pp138-146, he poses 11 different frequently encountered casting problems.
He, then, encourages the caster to try to solve each one on his/her own before reading his solutions.
I see this as a great teaching maneuver.... because it leads the student into action to try to solve problems.
As we advance with our own fly casting we use the technique of using what we've gained by reading and learning from others TO TEACH OURSELVES AS WE PRACTICE.
Gordy
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Suggestion from Tim Lawson:
Gordy,
Another important point
about taking the rod from a student, especially if it’s the student’s rod, is
making sure all the rod sections are firmly fitted together before you rip off a
roll cast and snap the rod. Also a good opportunity to check that all the
guides are aligned properly.
Tim
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COMMENT: Tim is right. One prime way of breaking a fly rod is to cast with the sections having come a bit loose !
I remember the time Tom White was lead examiner on a Master's exam. He asked the candidate for the rod in order to demo a task. He then made a cast and broke the candidates rod. (In recent years, examiners refrain from doing any coaching or casting during an MCCI exam unless it turns into a teaching session when obvious that the candidate hasn't passed.) Bad scene ! (That candidate re-tested and did just fine a year later. Now she is one of our very best and most active Masters.)
At another level, our students sometimes have malaligned rod sections, loose ferrules, or have literally missed a snake guide when string up. Often they don't recognize the problem .... only that their casts are poor.
Gordy
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Sam Doyle asks about video cameras for use when teaching: