Dennis Grant's critique / Second set of questions

Walter & Group...

Dennis Grant sends his critique :

Hi All

 

There have been a number of very well thought out answers and I commend those who have taken the time to search out the details. As my friend Rod McGarry, MCI, says " the devil is in the details" and Rod is an expert at preplanning !

 

It would be great just to ask all 6 CI's to come for the day and have a casting party but the question specifically says you have determined that you need 2 (for whatever reason).

 

Lets look a bit beyond the logistics ( Latrines, food, weather, equipment, etc.) If we are already familiar with the CI's the task becomes easier, if we don?t know one another the pre class meeting over a coffee is very important. I personally prefer at least a day or two prior to the class over a beer.

 

All instructors need to be clear on what the goals are, and sometimes we need to be very flexible. Are the students coming to learn to fish, cast, are they here with a friend who didn't want to come alone, with a family member,  SURPRISE: For some students it may not be to catch a fish ! We wont ultimately know this until class day but some instructors have a hard time dealing with INDIVIDUAL goals. (we are going to explore this in the next question). Maybe our goal is to make sure than everyone can roll and straight line cast to 40 feet.  A little homework on the make up of the class will help you determine the goal. When students register for a class we ask them if they currently own a fly rod ? If the answer is 'no', then that's a clue ! 

 

Who has the ultimate responsibility for the 2 days: YOU DO.

 

Who is responsible for each task ?:

 

Share it out based on the topic the CI knows the BEST. This is not a learning experience for CI's (although they will learn) this is TEACHING !

 

Approach each task with a common goal. If the first task is to learn a roll cast then all instructors must be teaching the roll cast. If some students learn quicker than others, or already know how, then a few minutes of practice wont hurt them.

 

We (not necessarily correctly) teach groups as a group. One of the 3 will demonstrate then following that begin to divide the group up, not necessarily based on ability. We encourage our instructors to teach using their own STYLE, as long as we all maintain the same PRINCIPLES. This, at first, may confuse some students but if we are clear on how our individual style fits the principles  then the student can find a comfort level quicker then relax and learn quicker.

 

A most important  part of our goal is to make sure that the student enjoys the experience. No 'off color' words, no insults. Lots of praise.

 

Dennis

 

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                                                             SECOND SET OF QUESTIONS

 

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PART 2

 

CLASS DAY:

 

When we assess the class we find there are different reasons for coming:

 

8 people have no gear at all. They saw 'A River runs through it' and loved the way Brad Pitt cast and want to learn everything about fly fishing. (actually it was Jason Borger an FFF MCI) 

 

3 people have been fishing for 5 years or more, have their own equipment, one person has a shooting head set up on a 10 weight rod.

 

2 teens are at the class because their father sent them. One of them has his grandfather's 3 piece fiberglass rod from the 50's (yikes I remember those very well)

 

2 women are there with the husband's fishing equipment, the husbands have tried to teach them but have given up and sent them to class !!

 

Our CI's are here and ready to go:

 

1. What now ? 

 

2. Any change in our goals ? Is there a common goal ?

 

3. How will we start the day ?

 

4. Will we (you and the CI's) approach responsibilities differently ? If so, how ?

 

Dennis

 

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Group:  

 

 These kinds of questions deserve a lot of thought.   No substitute for actual experience.  Real "in the trenches" experiences, here. 

 

Of course, if your examiners ask these questions during an exam, you have to think on your feet.  This kind of questioning is what separates the "sheep from the goats" as far as determining the level of teaching experience a candidate may have.

 

One of my mentors as I studied for the MCCI exam was Floyd Franke.  Over the course of about 2 years, he sent me many questions of this type.  His critique of my answers was sometimes brutal ...... but I learned a great deal.  Before going to test, I actually used the information when teaching.

 

Gordy

 

 

 

 

 

 

From: Gordy Hill

Sent: Saturday, November 14, 2009 11:49 AM

To: Dennis Grant