CFI Blog 7
Expectations Talk
Upon receiving a new private pilot student, I would sit down and talk to them about what I expect from them as a student, and what they can expect from me as an instructor. Primarily i would expect the student should be on time and prepared.
Student should be prepared for each lesson, bing all material and equipment needed, including student certificate, or license for pilots, and medical. The student should have their airport badge, and foggles if needed. I would expect the student to be dressed appropriately for the flight they are doing whether it is a cross country, or summer, or winter flight, and to be hygienic.
I would also expect the student to put in study time outside of lessons, to do worksheets, and any other assignments given to them. The student should be able to prepare themselves for the lesson.
In addition I expect the student to be fit for flight. They should not show up sick, stressed out, or upset. Should the student be unable to follow these expectations I would expect the student to let me know ahead of time so that I could cancel the lesson. Should the lesson be canceled, I would expect the student to make an effort to reschedule so that they do not get behind on their completion timeline.
Things the student should expect for me to should include a professional attitude and appearance. The student should expect me to be prepared for the lesson, and to cancel the flight if I become sick. For the most part I think the student should expect from me the same things that I expect from them. In addition the student should expect me to make every effort within reason to get them finished with their lessons in a timely manner, and to find them another instructor if I am unavailable.
Over all I think these expectations are very reasonable, and many should be common sense if not just common courtesy. Though many of these things are simple they should be discussed with the student so that we both know what we are expected to do and there is no concussion about who should be doing what.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
CFI Blog # 6 Transfering Student
Accepting a new student from another instructor
Picking up a new student from another instructor, I would look for information in the students folder that would indicate what the student is having trouble with and what the student is doing good on. I would look over what lessons the student has completed, and how well the previous instructor has rated the student on individual maneuvers. If the instructor was rating ground reference maneuvers as 4 and 5 while giving landings 2s and 1s I would have a good idea what I will most likely need to focus on. I cups also review any worksheets the student has completed to figure out where their weak points are and their strong points.
I would ask the previous instructor what they think the student has had trouble on and what needs more emphasis. I would also ask what the previous instructor has tried to teach the student these trouble areas. I would also ask the student what they have had trouble with to see what they think are their problem areas. This would give a good indication what they think they are understanding and what the student focus on.
To figure out where the student is on ground instruction I would also ask the student and the instructor what they think but I would also go a ground lesson to cover many major areas of discussion such as aerodynamics, systems, aeromedical factors, regulations, and other areas. By discussing these I can determine where the student lacks knowledge and where the student shows interest. When doing this I can get a feel for how the student answers and retains information, whether they prefer to use drawings or describe the answer. I would also be able to determine what areas the student is proficient in and probably do not need to continue discussion in that area and can move on to something else.
Picking up a new student from another instructor, I would look for information in the students folder that would indicate what the student is having trouble with and what the student is doing good on. I would look over what lessons the student has completed, and how well the previous instructor has rated the student on individual maneuvers. If the instructor was rating ground reference maneuvers as 4 and 5 while giving landings 2s and 1s I would have a good idea what I will most likely need to focus on. I cups also review any worksheets the student has completed to figure out where their weak points are and their strong points.
I would ask the previous instructor what they think the student has had trouble on and what needs more emphasis. I would also ask what the previous instructor has tried to teach the student these trouble areas. I would also ask the student what they have had trouble with to see what they think are their problem areas. This would give a good indication what they think they are understanding and what the student focus on.
To figure out where the student is on ground instruction I would also ask the student and the instructor what they think but I would also go a ground lesson to cover many major areas of discussion such as aerodynamics, systems, aeromedical factors, regulations, and other areas. By discussing these I can determine where the student lacks knowledge and where the student shows interest. When doing this I can get a feel for how the student answers and retains information, whether they prefer to use drawings or describe the answer. I would also be able to determine what areas the student is proficient in and probably do not need to continue discussion in that area and can move on to something else.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
CFI Blog # 5 Landing Trouble
Student on a Learning Plateau
Having a student who is having trouble with landings and only have one lesson before their stage one check, there are a variety of techniques that I might try to help them get over their learning plateau. The first thing I would likely try is to find an more experienced instructor to help them on this lesson. i currently have a low level of teaching experience, and the student needs more than I can give them. I am not giving up, but I have a responsibility to make sure the student is progressing and that i am not wasting their money. In my training experience there were times when I would have trouble with a maneuver and as hard as my instructor tried, I never made much progress. my instructor sent me flying with another instructor who was able to explain what I was doing wring in a different way. This new explanation just clicked in my head, and I was able to do the maneuver, the other instructor and I then explained what happened to my normal instructor, and gave him new teaching ideas.
Other ideas I might try are breaking down each step of the landing, or having the student study the standardization manual until they can explain what is going on en each step. These are both techniques that I used when having trouble with maneuvers. Review flights and sim training would also be a way to try to get the student over this plateau, however I would not want to waist the students money, and would not do more than four or five review flights. In the event that the student had to have the "aviation is not your you" talk I would want a second or even third opinion. Though I would be much more willing to tell them that we are not compatible and they should try a different, more experienced instructor. I think it is important to give the student every available chance to learn before going down that road.
Having a student who is having trouble with landings and only have one lesson before their stage one check, there are a variety of techniques that I might try to help them get over their learning plateau. The first thing I would likely try is to find an more experienced instructor to help them on this lesson. i currently have a low level of teaching experience, and the student needs more than I can give them. I am not giving up, but I have a responsibility to make sure the student is progressing and that i am not wasting their money. In my training experience there were times when I would have trouble with a maneuver and as hard as my instructor tried, I never made much progress. my instructor sent me flying with another instructor who was able to explain what I was doing wring in a different way. This new explanation just clicked in my head, and I was able to do the maneuver, the other instructor and I then explained what happened to my normal instructor, and gave him new teaching ideas.
Other ideas I might try are breaking down each step of the landing, or having the student study the standardization manual until they can explain what is going on en each step. These are both techniques that I used when having trouble with maneuvers. Review flights and sim training would also be a way to try to get the student over this plateau, however I would not want to waist the students money, and would not do more than four or five review flights. In the event that the student had to have the "aviation is not your you" talk I would want a second or even third opinion. Though I would be much more willing to tell them that we are not compatible and they should try a different, more experienced instructor. I think it is important to give the student every available chance to learn before going down that road.
Monday, February 7, 2011
CFI Blog # 4 Visualization, Mastering the Landing, Training Future Captains
Visualization
My favorite part of this article is wen is says that out bodies can not tell the difference between real experiences and vivid imagination. remembering this will encourage me to have my students chair fly. it can save them time and money, and allows them to practice all the time. this can help students develop the visual pictures they need to fly.
Mastering the Landing
I think the most important thing i took away from this lesson is that landings are one of the things that comes with practice. Reminding my students this can ensure them that they will eventually get the handle on landings. They can take a lot of practice and some students take longer than others, reminding them that it will eventually click can keep them from getting discouraged.
Training Future Captains
I liked the part that said pilots should be trained to be captions from the beginning. It puts an emphasis on good decision making and management skills. I also like when it said that captains are not there to teach the copilot and that the copilot is a qualified professional. I think it would be hard for a new copilot not to view the captain as a teacher because the captain would have a lot more experience.
My favorite part of this article is wen is says that out bodies can not tell the difference between real experiences and vivid imagination. remembering this will encourage me to have my students chair fly. it can save them time and money, and allows them to practice all the time. this can help students develop the visual pictures they need to fly.
Mastering the Landing
I think the most important thing i took away from this lesson is that landings are one of the things that comes with practice. Reminding my students this can ensure them that they will eventually get the handle on landings. They can take a lot of practice and some students take longer than others, reminding them that it will eventually click can keep them from getting discouraged.
Training Future Captains
I liked the part that said pilots should be trained to be captions from the beginning. It puts an emphasis on good decision making and management skills. I also like when it said that captains are not there to teach the copilot and that the copilot is a qualified professional. I think it would be hard for a new copilot not to view the captain as a teacher because the captain would have a lot more experience.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
CFI Blog #3 Assessment
Assessment
Assessments are used to figure out how well a student is learning the information. there are two types of assessments, formative and summative. Formative assessments are used during the education process to see if the student is learning what needs to be learned. then based on the outcome of the assessment the student and teacher can figure out what needs to be changed to make the learning more effective. Summative assessments are at the end of a learning program and sum up what the student has learned. this is like a final exam for a class.
It is also important to be aware of how the assessments are interpreted. according to the article there are three ways to do this. the first is Criterion are evaluations where students are required to know specific information that experts say all people in the industry should know. these are like the written exams that we take at the end of ground school. the next are Norm evaluations where there are no specific answers and and students are assessed on well a student knows the material compared to the rest of the class. Self Referenced interpretation is the third type. This is where the learner assesses them self, and decides if what they learned during the class was enough. It seems to me that in aviation criterion is the most used assessment because it is the most measurable, and students must have a set level of knowledge, not just compared to their class or more than they expected.
Self directed learning is someone who can form their own ideas and solve problems on their own, and want feedback on how well they have don, but also assess themselves. i think it is important for all students to try to be like this. rather than expecting instructors to download knowledge to their brains, they take responsibility for their education and gain the deepest understanding they can get through analyzing information on their own.
Assessments are used to figure out how well a student is learning the information. there are two types of assessments, formative and summative. Formative assessments are used during the education process to see if the student is learning what needs to be learned. then based on the outcome of the assessment the student and teacher can figure out what needs to be changed to make the learning more effective. Summative assessments are at the end of a learning program and sum up what the student has learned. this is like a final exam for a class.
It is also important to be aware of how the assessments are interpreted. according to the article there are three ways to do this. the first is Criterion are evaluations where students are required to know specific information that experts say all people in the industry should know. these are like the written exams that we take at the end of ground school. the next are Norm evaluations where there are no specific answers and and students are assessed on well a student knows the material compared to the rest of the class. Self Referenced interpretation is the third type. This is where the learner assesses them self, and decides if what they learned during the class was enough. It seems to me that in aviation criterion is the most used assessment because it is the most measurable, and students must have a set level of knowledge, not just compared to their class or more than they expected.
Self directed learning is someone who can form their own ideas and solve problems on their own, and want feedback on how well they have don, but also assess themselves. i think it is important for all students to try to be like this. rather than expecting instructors to download knowledge to their brains, they take responsibility for their education and gain the deepest understanding they can get through analyzing information on their own.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
CFI Blog #2 Selecting Methods
Selecting Methods
There are four categories of instruction. Instructor centered - usually lecture or demonstration where the instructor does most of the educating while the student listens. this is good to lat a foundation of knowledge. Interactive Methods - include discussions, group projects and peer teaching where the student takes a more active part in the learning than just listening. Individualized Learning - is where the student studies on their own or takes a self paced course. Experimental learning is when the student learns through role playing, drills, games, or experiments. learning in this area is very uncontrolled because the outcomes can be different depending on what they experiment with or who they play a game with.
Roll playing is part of the Experimental Learning method. A good place where role playing could be used is when trying to teach a student about Crew Resource Management. The student could be the captain and the instructor could be the co pilot, together they could divide the tasks to show how a real flight crew works together. A discussion group is part of the Interactive method, a good place to do this is when you are instructing two or more students at a time. this allows the students to combine their knowledge to come up with the correct answer. I enjoyed doing this when talking about aerodynamics and how different forces affect the airplane.
The context of what is being learned is always a major consideration when selecting the method of instruction. You can talk about lazy eights all day, but until you demonstrate it to the student, and allow them to practice the maneuver they will never learn to do it.
Characteristics of Adult Learners
Many adults who wish to continue their education do so with an end goal in mind. they know what they want and they work toward it. an adults goals should be discussed early in the class so the instructor can know what they want. Adults also develop ideas and beliefs that must be respected. adults are often more self disciplined and can direct their studies on their own. Adults often have experience from their lives that can help or hinder their education or bring a new perspective to the class. This would affect my teaching because I would have to be aware of these things and acknowledge that their mind is not quite the fresh slate that a younger student may be.
There are four categories of instruction. Instructor centered - usually lecture or demonstration where the instructor does most of the educating while the student listens. this is good to lat a foundation of knowledge. Interactive Methods - include discussions, group projects and peer teaching where the student takes a more active part in the learning than just listening. Individualized Learning - is where the student studies on their own or takes a self paced course. Experimental learning is when the student learns through role playing, drills, games, or experiments. learning in this area is very uncontrolled because the outcomes can be different depending on what they experiment with or who they play a game with.
Roll playing is part of the Experimental Learning method. A good place where role playing could be used is when trying to teach a student about Crew Resource Management. The student could be the captain and the instructor could be the co pilot, together they could divide the tasks to show how a real flight crew works together. A discussion group is part of the Interactive method, a good place to do this is when you are instructing two or more students at a time. this allows the students to combine their knowledge to come up with the correct answer. I enjoyed doing this when talking about aerodynamics and how different forces affect the airplane.
The context of what is being learned is always a major consideration when selecting the method of instruction. You can talk about lazy eights all day, but until you demonstrate it to the student, and allow them to practice the maneuver they will never learn to do it.
Characteristics of Adult Learners
Many adults who wish to continue their education do so with an end goal in mind. they know what they want and they work toward it. an adults goals should be discussed early in the class so the instructor can know what they want. Adults also develop ideas and beliefs that must be respected. adults are often more self disciplined and can direct their studies on their own. Adults often have experience from their lives that can help or hinder their education or bring a new perspective to the class. This would affect my teaching because I would have to be aware of these things and acknowledge that their mind is not quite the fresh slate that a younger student may be.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
CFI Blog #1 Epistemology
Constructivist vs Positivist
Epistemology is the theory of knowledge. it is understanding how people gain knowledge, how they use knowledge, and how they can prove they know something. the article i read describes two types of epistemology, constructivist and positivist. Constructivist is more focused on understanding a concept for yourself, rather than being told what something means and memorizing the definition. positivist seems more like it is focused on knowing a specific answer, memorizing and regurgitating it when asked, whether you understand the concept at its core or not. I think I tend to learn better as a constructivist. If I understand something completely then i can answer questions about it in better detail and if i forget it then i only need a refresher rather than to completely re-memorize it. there are somethings that i prefer to learn as a positivist, these are things like air speeds, where they are different for each aircraft because of the way it is designed.
Visual Auditory and Kinesthetic Learners
I prefer to learn in the kinesthetic modality. I feel like I remember more and get a better understanding if I can do something myself. doing math problems, i was never able to watch the teacher and learn. I had to do problems myself and figure them out like a puzzle.the two biggest things that I learned form this article were that it is more important to teach in the modality that best fits the subject not the student. I know that I usually learn better by doing things, but sometimes I prefer to watch or listen or read. The second is that "different representations are more or less effective for storing different types of information." the book uses the example of a picture of a car on the hill. you do not know if the car is going up or down the hill, but if you were told the car is driving up the hill you would have a better understanding of what is going on. i would kike to keep these tow points in mind when teaching so that I know I am teaching as effectivly as possible.
Epistemology is the theory of knowledge. it is understanding how people gain knowledge, how they use knowledge, and how they can prove they know something. the article i read describes two types of epistemology, constructivist and positivist. Constructivist is more focused on understanding a concept for yourself, rather than being told what something means and memorizing the definition. positivist seems more like it is focused on knowing a specific answer, memorizing and regurgitating it when asked, whether you understand the concept at its core or not. I think I tend to learn better as a constructivist. If I understand something completely then i can answer questions about it in better detail and if i forget it then i only need a refresher rather than to completely re-memorize it. there are somethings that i prefer to learn as a positivist, these are things like air speeds, where they are different for each aircraft because of the way it is designed.
Visual Auditory and Kinesthetic Learners
I prefer to learn in the kinesthetic modality. I feel like I remember more and get a better understanding if I can do something myself. doing math problems, i was never able to watch the teacher and learn. I had to do problems myself and figure them out like a puzzle.the two biggest things that I learned form this article were that it is more important to teach in the modality that best fits the subject not the student. I know that I usually learn better by doing things, but sometimes I prefer to watch or listen or read. The second is that "different representations are more or less effective for storing different types of information." the book uses the example of a picture of a car on the hill. you do not know if the car is going up or down the hill, but if you were told the car is driving up the hill you would have a better understanding of what is going on. i would kike to keep these tow points in mind when teaching so that I know I am teaching as effectivly as possible.
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