Walter & Group....
The first of 3 attachments (the one on an outline of lesson plans from Nial Logan) was difficult for many of you to open. I am re-attaching it in a different format. ..... as a standard pdf file.
When I first read it, I missed the point that this is a PLAN FOR MAKING LESSON PLANS .... Not a, "lesson plan". This invalidates some of the criticism of it which I sent. As such, I think it is very good.
Gordy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From Jim Valle on TEACHING .... Advice to a CCI :
Gordy,
Below is an edited
transcript of an email exchange I had recently with a CI. Personally, as we have
discussed many times, my preference is to teach new CI’s how to teach rather
than focus on testing. I believe we need to do more in the teaching techniques
area. I thought this could be an interesting area of discussion for the group.
Jim
PS I think this also points
out the other teaching responsibilities of the Masters Certification.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
-----Original
Message-----
Hi
Jim,
> I had emailed you a
while
> ago and you gave me
some helpful advice.
>
> If you don't mind I
have a question to put before you?
>
> I have been teaching
and reading mostly about fly casting topics.
>
> I started to focus on
the "Teaching" questions and aspect of being a
>
MCI.
>
> In searching the web
for "teaching" info I realized that there is just
> as much info on that
subject as there is on fly casting!
> >
> My question is do you
recommend reading any material on the subject of
> teaching? Just reading
all the different info on teaching methods is
> giving me a
headache!
>
> Is there a way to
filter out the useless and focus on what matters?
> >
> Going to a conclave is
out for this year; perhaps next year.
> >
> Hope you are doing well
and getting in some fishing.
>
>
> Tight
Lines
From:
Sent: Monday, July 09, 2007
10:05 AM
Subject: Re: advice on
teaching
Hi
,
You are right, that's
another big area to learn about.
Mostly my knowledge comes
from having at one time been a ski instructor, the ski industry made some
tremendous strides years ago re teaching which could be one source. Secondly
there have been some books written specifically about teaching golf which might
be helpful. Author Harvey Penick,(I think it was called a Little Red
Book).
VERY S
L O W pantomime in
teaching.
Avoiding negatives
when the student's moves don't go well.
Taking a complicated
maneuver and simplifying it for his student.
I guess any form of sporting
instruction can give you a better or at least new
perspective.
I personally think if you
keep the student's situation in mind you will derive your own teaching style
that works for you. I just wrote an article for the
Teaching comes from
experience and the more you teach the more you will adjust, adapt and improve
your methods.
Right now I am working on
the Project Healing Waters and Casting For Recovery programs and that is raising
some very interesting questions, mostly about adaptive fly casting instruction.
I am sure you will be hearing and reading more about this
soon.
The fact that you have asked
the question means you are on the right track!
I guess the best advice I
can give you is to be sensitive to your students.... watch their eyes and you
will see if you need to improve a method or demonstration. Read as much as you
can from folks like Mel and Joan ... Mac Lord's book on casting is great both
for your students and you... Mac does a course for instructors as does
I would also tell you to
attend and take classes from any more experienced casting instructors, I still
do and I never fail to come back with something new I can
try.
Hope that
helps,
Jim V
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jim... One problem is that while there is a lot in the internet on, TEACHING, and a great deal there and in the fly casting literature on, FLYCASTING, there is not a good text or compilation of text material on, TEACHING FLY CASTING. This stands in contrast to the fact that there are great teaching texts, outlines, and course formats for golf (Harvey Pennick's, LITTLE RED BOOK among them) and skiing.
Gordy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From Jim Valle on the PICKUP (My comment in bold red italics in the body of his text ..... Gordy) :-
Gordy &
Group,
One point I would like
to add to the pick up/stroke issue.
Over-rotation of the rod (from whatever cause wristing, too large an arc etc) on the back cast or forward cast will cause the fly leg to raise on the next stroke.
aahhhh, yes. Any time you start either back cast or forward cast with increase in rod arc at the start, you have made a convex path for the rod tip at that point which will make the fly leg of your loop stand up high. This is one technique which is sometimes used to help, "kite" the line with the wind. If you selectively place the convexity of rod tip path at the conclusion of the stroke, your fly leg will be straight (horizontal) while your rod leg will be low and your loop large. This is a way of purposely making a well controlled large loop such as when casting weighted nymphs. ..........Gordy
(e.g. over-rotate the
backcast and the ensuing forward cast loop will open at the top… the fly leg…
will stand straight up!)
The reason is that the
first portion of this forward stroke is a circular path of the rod tip, even if
it eventually leads to a straight line path of the tip. The Line Still Goes
Where the Rod Tip Goes!
The same is true of the
over-rotation of the forward cast stroke…!
Thus, if a student
picks up low and fails to lift vertically to some point OR make a direct
diagonal (and the lift and stroke must be smooth and combined)
THEN the rod tip will
at the beginning of the stroke be traveling in a circular motion and the top leg
of the backcast loop will Open!
Ever had a student
whose backcasts look terrible and has no “drive” , force or direction or looks
like something you can’t describe… Look at the Forward Cast Stop position! It
likely is over-rotated!
You may also see that
power is being added too soon or unevenly in the stroke and in a circular or
even vertical direction. The resulting loop will be large and if the stroke is
not fairly smooth the loop will be deformed in any manner of shapes and waves.
That’s why “start slow
and finish fast” works ….the rod gets into position for a SLP and then
most of the acceleration is applied yielding a SLP …
Note: I find that with
very new students getting them to reach forward to pick up is a bit too much to
handle, so I have them lift more vertically first and then smoothly into a
backcast, eventually they blend the two into a diagonal
automatically.
When Tom White was teaching me to pick up very long lines he would make me reach out and extend as far as I could with a tight line then into a smooth diagonal pick up/stroke all in one motion to the backcast stop. Tom could do the whole line, In one shot! I am still working on that!!
Jim
V
Attachment:
Lesson Outline Plan.pdf
Description: Adobe PDF document