Teaching challenges / Dyslexia - a special challenge

Walter & Group...

Gary Kell responds to our comments on his "King Kong Teaching Challenge" (One brief comment by me in his text in italics:

Hi Gordy,

 

Dave made some great comments. I like his approach to the Adventure Camp, he has a plan with goals and objectives, a specific lesson plan with topics and time schedules, good preparation with tools and techniques that will help the students achieve the objectives.  No doubt his program is successful.  I may have approached it differently but that is OK.  One thing we must remember is that there more than one way to skin a cat!!  The most important thing is to plan, prepare and then make sure to execute the plan . Oh, yes there are always last minute changes or surprises and you need to be ready to adapt but don't make that an excuse for not planning. 

 

I totally agree with you and Dave.... in situations with young students especially, don't talk theory and concepts of casting.   They learn from "play" -- and as  Dave points out, they emulate well too.  So I believe it does not hurt to show or demo often..... I like to carry a rod in hand when teaching kids so I don't have to take the rod from them.  Sometimes I will cast beside them (standing on right handers castng side I will cast left handed). They can then emulate the motions.  Like, play the game of  "follow me"!  At indoor sessions kids love the Fly O it's more forgiving, in that you dont' have the tangles etc that you do with strung rods. 

 

I like the "mature statement" idea and it is good advice to bring the most important point up first, especially when you know time is limited. 

 

As in any age group .... appropriate humor and even more importantly enthusiasm pays big dividends in making learning fun!!

 

Not sure what your question was Gordy about the rods, but I have accumulated 12 "school rods" I use for all my classes.  They are a variety of low end 8 to 9 foot 5 & 6 weight moderate to med fast actions.  Right now I match line weights but am considering moving up one line weight to achieve the feeling of the load quicker.  If one is going to be "ready" to teach schools .... particularly beginner schools, then providing rods is important.  Besides the fact that you save time by having them ready before class starts it enables beginning students to learn about the equipment and what actions they like before purchasing their own.  I urge my students not to buy before class.

 

That was my queston, Gary.     G.

 

One rule I have set up for my schools is that when I offer an Introduction to Fly Fishing school where the goal is to "learn to fly fish", I limit the age to 14 and above unless accompanied by a mentor.  I believe youth 13 and under are a little immature and not likely to carry through with the knowledge gained on their own.  Sharing this learning experience with an adult mentor can have a lot of social benefits anyway.   It is also very hard to plan a class for a mix of youth and adults.  Obviously I would structure the two much differently. 

 

Thanks for the comments Dave & Gordy

 

Gary 

 

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                                  SUGGESTIONS RE. STEVE WHITE'S TEACHING PROBLEM

 

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From Frank Harford:

 

Two methods that I have used to induce an upright stop :

1 - Have the student stop the rod in front of his or her nose .If

the rod does not stop in the upright position they will get a whack in

the head. After some muscle memory is induced , move the hand to the

normal more lateral position

2 - Stand behind the student and prevent the rod from arcing

backward with your hand .

Frank Harford

P S Does anyone have a sample liability release form ?

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Comments:  

Frank has come up with two of many ways of handling the problem of the rod in improper position as the loop starts to form.

Let's augment his with other approaches from your "bags of tricks".

 

 

Liability release forms are percieved (and in some cases actual) protection for instructors.  Our attorneys have told us that this protection is relative at best.  The level of protection, we have been advised, depends on many factors among which are the laws which apply in various countries, states, provinces, etc.

The wording of such forms should be carefully drafted by knowledgable attorneys in the area of application.

Gordy

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Another solution from Gary Davison :

Gordy,

 

I really like the method that Pete used with the demo regarding loading of the rod associated with casting distance.  I will use this in my future teaching as well!  Very nicely put. 

 

Gordy having the privilege of learning and teaching with Al Crise, I have learned the following:

 

I have found that teaching the stop in the horizontal position out in front of the caster is the best way to demo the importance of a good stop in loop formation., I like to have the student make loops on both the back cast and the forward cast by holding the rod (horizontal) straight in front of them,  I like to have them administer very short strokes with roughly 20 to 25' of line.  This gives the student plenty of control of the rod and line, plus provides immediate visual feed back on their loop formation. They can easily see everything that is happening right in front of them.  They can see the non loop, the wide loop, and the narrow loop, as they improve the application of their stops on both front and back cast.  

 

This to me is the fastest way to have your student identify the importance of stopping the rod to make a good loop.  Making a cast in the vertical position with a student that does not know how to stop the rod, will not allow the student to see what type of loop formation they have creating.  Plus make for a frustrating situation for the instructor.  It is very difficult to visualize the loop formation in that position.  Too much going on over head for the student. If you the instructor have them watch the over head cast to watch the loop, then you may have added another problem to the equation which is bad tracking.  Put it all out in front them, so they can see what is happen with every movement or better yet non movement (the stopping) of the rod.   

 

Note:  This also is the easiest way to get your students to learn how to false cast at the same time.  By slowly making forward cast and then the back cast comfortably at their own pace horizontally. When they feel up to it they can then slowly speed up at their own pace.   After a short while they will be keeping the line in the air false casting making good loops on both the forward and back cast at their own pace.  

 

Once they have the line in the air false casting.  Then they can begin moving from horizontal to vertical  position with comfort and confidence.  Hopefully your student will identify his or her own style of casting in this process from horizontal to vertical. They will find their casting comfort zone.

 

If they have a breakdown on the movement from horizontal to vertical.  Start the process over again until they master the task, by making good loops in all the casting positions from horizontal to vertical. 

 

 

    

All the best

 

Gary Davison

Gulf Coast Spey

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Gary...   Using the ground casting method over a line or between two lines can not only help teach the STOP, but can give the student the concept of when and where to make this stop in order to :   1. Form a controlled loop,     2. Place the unrolling loop and ultimately the fly on, near, or between the lines.  I first learned that method from Lefty Kreh years ago.

 

Gordy

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From Misako Ishimura :

Hi Gordy,

 

I hope you had a happy thanksgiving, too.  

 

In the Trout Classroom, we, Theodore Gordon Fly Fishers, taught children fly fishing, too.  Almost the same with David, except we add water ecology and environmental issues surrounding of the fish. We hiked in the Catskill mountains from the source of the creek to the down stream where the trout live. And we show them their habitat and also show them where New York city drinking water comes from.  The Cornell student joined us to show the water cycle including the pin pointing pollutions. 

When I teach fly fishing and casting, I mention about some fly fishers are very keen to the environmental issues.  And I add sometime catch and release practice and the fly fishing technique which you can hook the fish by the lip in fly fishing so that you don?t harm deadly by not hooking its inside throat.

 

At the beginning of my casting lesson, I try to explain about the rod as a tool to cast line so that the student will not move his or her rod hand as if shaping the line movement.  After explaining about the loading rod and the casting loop with rod tip movements, I teach them first how to hold the rod, before assembling the rod.

 

I show my students how little movement of your rod hand effects to the rod tip by squeezing my rod hand. Then I ask them to hold the rod softly first. Sometime the student holds the rod so tight even I told to hold it softly. Especially in this case, I ask him or her to hold my finger as if holing the rod to perform ?squeeze? and ?release.? 

Tight lines,
Misako Ishimura  

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Misako...

Good suggestions.  This also speaks to one of several HANDS ON methods of teaching the casting stroke including the stroke .... or as you so well stated, "the squeeze and release".  Another method which Steve White may consider to solve his problem.

 Reminds me of Floyd Franke teaching the concept of "squeeze-to-a-stop".

Gordy 

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 I CAN THINK OF SEVERAL ADDITIONAL WAYS OF HANDLING THIS PROBLEM.  I'LL SUMMARIZE THEM ONCE I HAVE RECEIVED MORE SOLUTIONS FROM THE GROUP.

Gordy

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                                    TEACHING WITH THE CHALLENGE OF DYSLEXIA

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Jim Gill introduces the challenge of and some solutions to teaching when faced with dyslexic students :

Gordy, I have recently embarked on a Certificate in Tutoring Sport - principally it is coaching the coaches (1st 4 Sport Level 1 and Level 2 UK Coaching Certificate - specifically for all angling disciplines). The UKCCs are pretty intensive programmes and the study days move at quite a pace. The problem encountered is with guys who are dyslexic; workbooks have to be completed to a precise schedule. In order to "de-stress" the situation we use pictorial displays and deliberately go out of our way to remove any feeling of the "classroom". A part of the course is Health & Safety that involve risk assessments (form filling) - one of our student coaches used his mobile phone camera for this exercise. This has now become a shared practice for all coaches to ensure they have evidence that an appropriate risk assessment has been carried out - a must do.

 

The displays we use are quite simple - some in cartoon form - plenty of them- and all students benefit as different learning styles kick in. I should add that we can get dispensation from 1st4Sport so that they can nominate a "scribe" if their dyslexia is a real disability.  The important thing to note is that once this barrier is removed they throw themselves into the practicals and begin to "perform" and not hide behind their disability - eventually this just becomes a minor irritant not an embarrassment.

 

Regards, Jim.
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Jim...

 

This is a challenge which many of us have faced as we teach.  A couple of years ago, we hosted several sessions on the various means of teaching dyslexic children.  Group members gave us valuable input from personal experience when teaching in other disciplines.  Some gave us valuable insight based upon their own family experiences.

 

Dyslexia can appear in many different forms and widely varying gravities.  It can be a challenge when teaching youngsters and adults as well.

 

All levels of teaching can be involved....  from beginner casting to experts.

 

One prime example of the latter comes to mind ....  that of a bright young man who had a particular dyslexic problem of gaining information from the printed word.  He became a superb caster and fly fisherman.  An extremely successful fishing guide and CCI.  In preparing for his MCCI exams, he had no trouble whatsoever with the casting tasks.  Rather than reading books, he studied orally with others and gained information in many other ways to the point that he became more knowledgable than most candidates.  

 

 I know this because I was one who studied with him.  He passed his MCCI exam confidently and easily several years ago.  He gives some of the very best casting presentations I've yet seen.      Now he is writing a fly fishing book !

 

Gordy

 

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