Walter & Group.........
(Note my attachment from the past on a brief lesson plans without times from the Wulff School of Fly casting on one subject: Teaching the Basic Cast.)
Some valuable comments on lesson plans from Jim Valle:-
Gordy
and Group
Lesson
plans,
I
also struggled with this in the early
stages.
I
have inserted my thoughts in Gordy's text below.
Jim V
Mike....
You have asked a key question the answer to
which all MCCI candidates must have !
Can’t
emphasize this enough… read some of the archived
One of my CBOG mentors, years ago, when I
studied for the exam was Floyd Franke. He first taught me to form and use
practical lesson plans for formal courses in fly casting. It, then, became
obvious that even though I'd been teaching fly casting for 27 years before that,
that I could become much better organized and therefore
more effective by constructing at the very least an outline form of lesson plan
for every teaching scenario. This included things like a brief lesson plan
for a 1 hr. session with only one student, one for a 10 minute lesson streamside
for someone who had never fly fished, etc., etc.
This is in contrast with the, "Winging-it"
and, "seat of the pants" kind of instruction of years gone by. Of course,
one must have a certain amount of flexibility, but it can be within the context
of a well organized plan.
Flexibility
comes from a strong foundation of well organized lesson plans… And they must be
your Own! That is what makes them work!
Floyd would send me practice "assignments"
and I would respond with lesson plans which he'd critique. My, "final
exam" was a real quinella ! He had me come up with a detailed lesson
plan for 21 senior citizens who had never fly fished before. This was to
be a 2 day course complete with descriptions of venue, and everything from
initial pre-course planning, objectives, scope, goals, instructor/student
ratios, bathroom facilities, equipment, teaching aides, fly tackle, luncheon
plan, rest periods, safety gear, emergency plan, and every detail as to
what was being taught in logical order.
Don’t
forget other safety items, Hydration, site safety, first aid kit, sun screen,
bug spray where’s the nearest medical facility and what’s your plan should the
need arise. Quick story when I did the 2 day Spey Clinic in NJ with Al Buhr
(CBOG) I had spent days searching for alternative sites… on Al’s arrival we
toured each, The check list Gordy mentions above was just about exactly what Al
was considering, I had considered facilities and was perfectly happy to have the
students “Wiz” in the woods…. Al thought a Porta-John would be better… there is
a lot to planning a lesson.
I did it all. And
FLUNKED.
You see, I'd neglected to include the time
schedule with the exact time of start and finish of each teaching session .....
the time slots for the teaching of each task or group of tasks. This could
well lead to not covering important points as the time ran
out.
Great
lesson plans can fall apart when you start adding time frames. They can be just
impossible and now you have to start making decisions. When it is done though
you really have something that will work… and this will give you confidence and
more importantly give your students what they paid for! You have to deliver what
you advertised… and it takes real discipline to get there!
At one point, I advised MCCI candidates to
come to the exam with neatly typed detailed lesson plans for brief and extended
courses.
I
did this. It is Absolutely NOT a requirement of the MCCI testing. I had
laid out numerous scenarios from an individual task to one of which was a 5
week, 15 hour Beginner/ Intermediate Fly Casting College Course (which I taught
for a couple of years). I went to my Masters test with it and although it was
politely received it was set aside. MCI examiners are not interested in what a
candidate can write or plan but rather in how you can put a lesson together with
all the considerations on the spot and then with some added special twists…
because it is going to happen to you … Guaranteed! For me having really worked
at this I was simply… better prepared, and not so much for the test but for
instructing students in actual situations.
Most examiners, however, have not been
asking for that. What is more often done during the exam, is having the
candidate take a paper and pencil and outline, briefly, a typical teaching
event. It might be as simple as an outline for what he/she would
come up with for a 5 minute quick course for a beginner at stream side. I
have noted, over the years, that the examiner will usually come up with a
request for an outline for whatever the candidate didn't
bring all typed out. That way, the examiners know that the
candidate is able to formulate a logical plan on the spot. (It also avoided
an unlikely situation where the candidate may have borrowed someone else's
outline to, "submit".)
Again
I will say the Masters is about “Understanding” A Master must be able to come up
with his/her own lesson plan … Really!
Often, I'll ask the candidate to come up
with a lesson plan that he or she has actually used in
practice.
Your examiners will likely want to know the
reasons
for some of your choices on your lesson
plan.
And
thus they must be your own. That being the case, you will have no problem with
the reasons why.
Example I: Some prefer to teach
the roll cast as one of the first events. Others prefer to wait until the
student has mastered the basic overhead straight line cast.
My
choice for the first is a bit of style and basic overhead combined, see my most
recent Spring Loop article “Line Control – Feeling It”, rather than repeat it
all here. Regardless of whether you agree or not it is food for thought in
developing your own “Teaching Style”. I will also add that I change when faced
with a new caster on stream with hooks … I start with the roll cast… much safer
for the student and me!... and less time in the bushes and branches behind, gets
to fishing quicker. ( I am not a fan of first time lessons on the water with
flies)
The
Most Important point in my mind is to find that first
success!
Example II:
Bill
Gammel likes to have the student develop a style of his/her own, early.
I
like the idea of finding a student’s natural style however with new casters I
have tended to start with the vertical as a starting point and see what
develops. There have been circumstances where I was forced to change.
There is one trap to avoid: Be
careful to have the fly rod in your student's hand most of the time.... not
yours....if asked to demonstrate your lesson plan. (Your examiner might
possibly ask you to be the teacher while he plays the part of a new student and
asks you to spend a few minutes teaching him.)
Can’t
emphasize this enough and also make sure you cast with a student’s rod and line
… you will be surprised now and then… like you couldn’t
imagine!
As a more direct answer to your question,
Mike, I'll say that any MCCI candidate will profit greatly from actually
spending time working with an experienced instructor (say a Master or CBOG) to
become intimately acquainted with the process of forming and following
a working lesson plan in the real world. One of the things I did, was
to take
Gordy
knows how strongly I believe in the mentoring process. There is so much more to
learn! Much of it is not in the books.
Attend
Conclaves, take classes, and seek the education wherever you can. I
continue to schedule myself with CBOG’s, other Masters, CI’s and even
those outside the Federation. There is a wealth of information out there and I
always learn something that causes me to re-think, adjust or just learn.
I don't know of any book or DVD which has
this information.
I
think you can find guidance if you look for it. No one has specifically laid out
lesson plans however if you look at Joan’s books and vides or for that matter
any books and videos take a look at the table of contents, with enough thought
you will find a logical lesson lay out. Maybe it will fit for you maybe not… but
if you look at enough of them you will soon find the parts and reasons for you
to buy into a logical progression that works for you. Again this must be your
own or else it is nothing but repetition and your students will gain nothing
from you! Turn the tables… what would you want to learn form this particular
lesson or series of lessons?
This scenario goes a long way to having
your examiners know how much actual teaching you have done. One of the
most common reasons for not passing is that the candidate simply has not had a
lot of experience in actual teaching. Putting it another way, there is NO
SUBSTUTE for having many hours of actual teaching under your belt before taking
this exam. PERIOD.
“Understanding”
comes from knowledge and experience combined.
I'D LIKE TO SOLICIT COMMENTS
ON THIS SUBJECT FROM MASTERS AND CBOGS IN THE GROUP ON THIS
SUBJECT.
Gordy
Hope
I didn’t bore anyone. This is important stuff to
me.
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Attachment:
Basic Cast - Wulff School of Fly Fishing.doc
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