Preparation tips for cruising instructor course

[Jojo swift]

Hello all
I have many NM under my belt. I have just completed the yachtmaster and I am going to do the cruising instructor this spring.
I like to be prepared.
Any advice, ideas, would be appreciated.
I would really like to talk to someone who has recently passed, to get an idea of what happens during the week.
Thanks in advance
Jojo

[Flagman101]

Originally Posted by Jojo swift

Hello all
I have many NM under my belt. I have just completed the yachtmaster and I am going to do the cruising instructor this spring.
I like to be prepared.
Any advice, ideas, would be appreciated.
I would really like to talk to someone who has recently passed, to get an idea of what happens during the week.
Thanks in advance
Jojo

Wich school? ASA, CYA, RYA, IYT?
Wich level? Basic Keel boat, Bareboat?

[Jojo swift]

Yes sorry RYA cruising instructor sail!

[jackdale]

Learn to break down your skills into steps.

[Flagman101]

Teaching is a whole different set of knowledge then sailing.
A good sailor might be a terrible teacher.

I am a CYA IYT instructor in Canada.
Do learn the syllabus.
A structured course syllabus is the way to bring new students into sailing.
Start with the base and go up.
No point in teaching how to gybe before they know what a sheet is.
So if you are already affiliated to a school, ask for the syllabus and learn it.
If not trying find one maybe from a RYA school.

I love teaching sailing and am always proud when I see my student progress.

Good luck

Good luck

[jackdale]

As mention you need to know the standard well.

I have used two techniques to study:

1) The low tech method. Using index cards I write each item as a question on one side of the card and write the answer on the other. For example, I will draw and outline of a boat and label all of the standing rigging. On another card I will label running rigging. On another I will show directions on a boat: forward, aft, astern, ahead, abeam, athwartships, etc.. These flashcards are good way to study. Writing them out yourself is crucial; you can buy flashcards bit making your own is more instructive.

2) The high tech method. When I was doing my ASA catamaran instructors course I prepared a PowerPoint presentation of the standard. (I have let my Sail Canada and ASA qualification lapse to focus on the standards for which I was getting the most work) https://www.slideshare.net/JackDale/asa-114-catamaran

I also have some teaching aids I use onboard.
1) The small plastic boats that came with older versions of Paul Elvstrom Explains the Racing Rules of Sailing
2) The Weather Cycler (available from the Amercian meteorological Society https://www.ametsoc.org/ams/index.cf...ion-materials/)

[jackdale]

Know your students.

1) Learning styles. There are different styles of learning: auditory, visual, kinesthetic. Be able to provide learning opportunities for each.

2) Competence and and Consciousness Levels

• Unconscious Incompetence - they do not know what they do not know.
• Conscious Incompetence - they know what they do not know.
• Conscious Competence - they know what they know
• Unconscious Competence - they do not know what they know; everything is natural.

Some they will never have been on a boat, others will have some experience.

Many instructors with lots of experience are at the unconscious competence level; the skills and knowledge are so embedded in them, that everything is quit easy. Instructors need to be at different level which some call reflective competence; you know how to analyze what you know and be able to impart it to others. That is the key to any form of teaching.

I have been teaching sailing for nearly 30 years and still love doing it. You get to meet some interesting folks and sometimes form a bond.

[CodySymons]

wow, interesting answers, I'm new to this, I think it might help me

[muttnik]

There's some good general advice on teaching above but I think Jojo swift was asking for specific advice on the content of the RYA cruising instructor course. Having been considering taking this earlier this year Before All Of This, I also couldn't find much detail about course content and things like what the split is between teaching how to teach, assessing your sailing ability and ultimately assessing your teaching ability