Recently I have been too busy to work on the 2 books I have in progress. What I have been doing is updating older articles to reflect new developments and experiences as well as produce learning agreement examples for other instructors and shops. On top of writing and editing for SDI/TDI.
So what does this have to do with this thread? Quite simply a new article, and possibly a written checklist to use when conducting one of these refreshers is starting to take shape in my mind. One that would actually be filled out and given to the diver and a copy kept by the instructor to document the level of skill the diver has shown and any concerns the instructor may have.
I have a couple agency produced checklists for refreshers where you check off a skill as it is done. But there is no place for comments or notes that indicate the level of comfort or skill with which the diver completed them. You certainly can't hand over the slate to them at the end. You'd spend a fortune in slates.
It seems as well that putting the comments in writing and giving them to the student would be highly beneficial for them to review in the future. Depending on the level of the refresher there may be so much information circling around in their head that they promptly forget the verbal counseling or simply not hear it at the time. Being able to go back and see that "Jim told me I needed to work on x and that XX was a good way to practice doing that" could make a huge difference in how they approach the skill.
It could also cover your butt in the event that should they go on a dive and something bad happen. If it was due to a lack of knowledge or skill that you were supposed to have covered and said they "mastered" (dumb word) because it was checked off as having done it could pose a problem. However if it was indicated in writing that they did do the skill but they had some difficulty and were counseled to practice this more before attempting x dive, and you both had a signed copy of that evaluation, it might be a help. Going to have to call my insurance company and see if this is a viable option.
When I teach a tech class I keep a daily log of everything we did with comments about each student. We are already required to do that with most student folders as they progress through say the OW class. But beyond that it really is left up to the instructor as how to document further classes as to specific skills.
Might not be a bad idea to use this new list for every class. Gonna have to ponder that.
Just some thoughts. If I do it and get something together I'll put it in the files section of my facebook group. Log into Facebook | Facebook
So what does this have to do with this thread? Quite simply a new article, and possibly a written checklist to use when conducting one of these refreshers is starting to take shape in my mind. One that would actually be filled out and given to the diver and a copy kept by the instructor to document the level of skill the diver has shown and any concerns the instructor may have.
I have a couple agency produced checklists for refreshers where you check off a skill as it is done. But there is no place for comments or notes that indicate the level of comfort or skill with which the diver completed them. You certainly can't hand over the slate to them at the end. You'd spend a fortune in slates.
It seems as well that putting the comments in writing and giving them to the student would be highly beneficial for them to review in the future. Depending on the level of the refresher there may be so much information circling around in their head that they promptly forget the verbal counseling or simply not hear it at the time. Being able to go back and see that "Jim told me I needed to work on x and that XX was a good way to practice doing that" could make a huge difference in how they approach the skill.
It could also cover your butt in the event that should they go on a dive and something bad happen. If it was due to a lack of knowledge or skill that you were supposed to have covered and said they "mastered" (dumb word) because it was checked off as having done it could pose a problem. However if it was indicated in writing that they did do the skill but they had some difficulty and were counseled to practice this more before attempting x dive, and you both had a signed copy of that evaluation, it might be a help. Going to have to call my insurance company and see if this is a viable option.
When I teach a tech class I keep a daily log of everything we did with comments about each student. We are already required to do that with most student folders as they progress through say the OW class. But beyond that it really is left up to the instructor as how to document further classes as to specific skills.
Might not be a bad idea to use this new list for every class. Gonna have to ponder that.
Just some thoughts. If I do it and get something together I'll put it in the files section of my facebook group. Log into Facebook | Facebook