Walter & Group............
David Diaz has sent a well thought out set of teaching questions as well as some cases for teachers which are thought provoking in terms of their solutions.
We'll start off with his questions and 2 which I've added (More at a later date) :-
1.) How do you determine the level of a student's casting prowess ?
Suggested approach: Make a list of 2 to 4 qualities about a casting student that could be used to place him as a BEGINNER, an INTERMEDIATE or an ADVANCED caster.
a. What are the qualities you would use (consider) ?
b. How do you weight them ?
2.) Understanding the components of casting mechanics is important for teaching. How useful is understanding them for learning ?
3.) How important is it for learning for students to know why ?
4.) Explain you answer to 3.)
My additional questions:-
5.) Some experienced teachers of fly casting feel that it is very important to classify students into these catagories (Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced.) Other equally experienced teachers feel that this is a useless exercise for which reason they don't do this in their schools.
How do you feel about this ?
6.) You have undertaken the teaching of fly casting to three female student in their thirties. They have hired you to help them improve their casting so they can do well on a fly fishing trip they've planned for trout on a famous river. You have no assistants, so your instructor/student ratio is 1:3. You have a full afternoon of 4 hours to accomplish your objectives.
One has never held a fly rod and has only observed anglers using one, so she wants to learn how to cast.
The second has barely mastered a basic cast. She can false cast and can shoot about 15' of line max. She doesn't haul. Her loops are often of medium size, though not consistently so. She gets an occasional tailing loop when trying for distance and doesn't handle wind well, at all.
The third casts with nice tight, well controlled loops. She can haul well and can shoot line out to make an 80' presentation. Her shorter casts are accurate and her application of power appropriate to the amount of line carried. She knows how to handle wind from different directions.
a.) What level would you ascribe to each ?
b.) What are your GOALS and OBJECTIVES for each ?
c.) How will you plan this important afternoon ?
(This is one of the, "homework" assignments which Floyd Franke gave me when he was helping me with my preparations for the MCCI exam, years ago.)
Gordy