Teaching the National Keelboat
Scheme Instructor Course
Overview
• Objectives
• To Assess your sailing
• To instruct you how to teach sailing
• To instruct you how to teach this Scheme
• Emphasis on instruction, ‘soft’ skills and enjoyment over
advanced sailing skills
Learning a New Sport
• When did you last do this?
• What was important to you in terms of :
• A) your enjoyment?
• B) your progress?
• What, in your experience makes a ‘bad’ instructor and a
‘good’ instructor?
How do people learn?
• The difference between:
• Learning ‘theory’ knowledge
• Learning practical skills
Learning Practical Skills
• All senses:
1.Hearing
2.Sight
3.Touch/feel
• Wide variance with :
1. Age (Adults – Kids)
2. Attitude
3. Confidence.
• Understanding?
• Doing
• Reinforcing
Types of Instruction
1. Experiential
• Instructor teaches principles then ‘lets student get on with it’
• Student is responsible for the route taken
• Time consuming
• Difficult to apply constraints
• Can be difficult for the instructor to ‘pull it all together’
Types of Instruction
2. Dictatorial
• ‘Sailing by numbers’ -Do this, then do that and this will
happen
• Does not teach principles
• Does not let the student understand what they are doing
• Removes any ‘exploration’ in the task
• Inflexible - parrot learning
• Doesn’t teach student to make their own decisions based
on assessment of situation
EDICT- the combined
Approach
• Explanation- the Principles
• Demonstration
• Imitation
• Correction
• Training (practice)
• EDICT
Explanation
• Clear
• Concise (short)- ‘Bullet points’- Don’t be
verbose
• Be Relevant- avoid going off on tangents
• Pictures tell a thousand words
• Use the boat!
• Audible / visible- have you got everyone’s
attention?
• Understood- test by asking questions
Demonstration
• Clear
• Concise
• Matches explanation
• Can be seen
Imitation
• Students attempt to ‘copy’ instructors demo
• Instructor observes students, making notes if necessary
• Instructor only intervenes if safety is compromised
Correction
• Feedback model
• Praise/corrective feedback/praise
• Identify fault(s)-no more than 3
• Try to get students to do that
• If they can’t, instructor must do it
• Once identified, suggest solution
• Try to give opportunity to apply solution
Debrief
• Sunglasses – remove
• Wind direction
• Sun
• Eye contact / level
• Physical position
• Pitfalls…..
Training (practice)
• Allow practice of ‘good’ things, too
• This will reinforce good practice.
• More feedback can be given as necessary
‘Layering’
• Dissemble a manoeuvre into individual tasks
• Teach one principle (task) at a time
• Practice
• Add components together
• Do not attempt to ‘bake the cake’ until you have
assembled all the ingredients
Lesson Plan
• The plan should include……….
• Wind
• Tide
• Briefing of the crew
• The manoeuvre itself
• Obstructions
• Other water users
Sign or Defer?
• Logbook
• Instructor not Examiner
• Do they understand the principles?
• i.e. Does the Student need:
1. more Practice or
2. more tuition
Don’t sign if they haven’t got it…
Pitfalls
• Don’t let the awkward / needy student dominate
• Rotate students
• Give your time equally
Time and Location
Management
• Planning
• Syllabus
• Student Mix
• Exercise…
Working with Children
• Blue Card
• Centre must have child protection policy in place
• www.yachting.org.au
The National Keelboat
Scheme
Try Sailing
• Non Certificate Course
• Must be run by a qualified Instructor at a recognised
Centre
• Aim is to enthuse and get them back on Keelboat Crew
Keelboat Crew
• For Complete Beginners
• Emphasis on Safety and Enjoyment
• Should ‘Understand’ how to do a manoeuvre as helm
rather than being fully competent
• Forms a solid basis for Keelboat Helm
Keelboat Helm
• Building on Keelboat Crew
• Allow for lots of practice time
• Students should be competent in helming and have good
wind awareness
Keelboat Spinnaker
• Dedicated course to teach skills and techniques for
Asymmetric and Symmetrical spinnakers
• I day for each type of Spinnaker
• Essential pre-requisite for Racing Crew course
Keelboat Racing Crew
• To give the necessary skills and knowledge to turn out
competent CREW for racing yachts
Keelboat Seamanship
• Most Advanced level
• Basic navigation
• More complex manoeuvres
• Good prep for Yacht Training Scheme
This Course
• Mixture of Instruction and Assessment
• 2 days learning the Scheme and how to teach it
• 1 day teaching ‘live’ students
• Debrief after each session
Programme
• See Joining instructions
Any Questions?