Disturbing trend in diving?

[The Chairman]

That doesn't work when each group is supposed to have a dive flag.

So, pull your own flag.

 

[NothingClever]

And which part of that is not split into bite-sized chunks with "goals and objectives" up front and a quiz at the end of each chunk, just like the "mastery learning" ordered?

I think breaking down the curriculum into digestible components is just the first step. Execution and objective organizational assessments are where successful outcomes are determined.

From the link @boulderjohn provided (underscoring is mine):

By focusing on the mastery of specific skills and knowledge, this approach aims to ensure that every student reaches their full potential. It prioritizes depth of understanding over simply covering a large amount of material, promoting a more thorough and meaningful learning experience for students.​

By emphasizing the importance of ensuring mastery of prerequisite knowledge, Bloom's work has had a lasting impact on how educators approach teaching and learning. This approach aims to support all students in achieving a deep understanding of the material, rather than simply moving them along at the same pace.​

Historically, competency-based education has evolved from a need to ensure that students are truly proficient in required skills and knowledge.​

In the mastery learning approach, students are expected to achieve a high level of mastery in the specified learning outcomes. This means that they are not just aiming for a passing grade, but rather a deep understanding and proficiency in the subject matter.​

With that out of the way, here are my thoughts.

For me there are three graduated levels of understanding:

1) Familiarization - I've seen something enough to proximally describe it and have enough understanding to attempt to conduct a skill albeit in a rudimentary manner. I may not be able to recall or complete a skill without assistance.​

​

2) Competency - I am familiar enough with the knowledge to accurately describe it although perhaps in a limited manner. I can perform a task adequately although I may lack consistency in repetition and performance of the task may erode under realistic and/or varying conditions.​

​

3) Proficiency - I can skillfully share information with others, routinely use the information to solve actual problems and adapt my knowledge to different applications. I can perform multiple skills on demand without inordinate degradation in performance under a variety of conditions to include challenging ones. Many skill-based instructional organizations require their instructors applicants to first demonstrate proficiency before accepting them as candidates.​

In looking at the first two levels of understanding, do those achieve the mastery learning principles?

I don't think so.

What about the third?

Yes, I definitely think so.

Even if the PADI instructor's guide emphasizes mastery learning, that doesn't seem to manifest in the outcomes. The more dominant manifestation of PADI’s organizational culture isn’t pedagogical expertise, which would be evidenced by legions of skilled divers (and not ones that just survive their dive), but rather the dismal cumulative outcomes (1) showcased in BDI surveys and (2) evidenced by the steady stream of new PADI divers who come to ScubaBoard seeking answers to the training they were expecting.

I recognize that my complaining about PADI isn't going to fix anything. And, in fact, I absolutely LOVE a dive shop and charter operation that is PADI through-and-through and I'm entirely confident I'll find more PADI divers and dive shops that easily earn my effusive praise and promotion. So, I didn't come here to bash PADI or PADI divers.

However, I do feel compelled to speak up when we make an assertion about PADI as an organization inculcating their instruction and instructors with advanced pedagogical concepts. For me, the proof just isn't there.

Advanced marketing concepts? PADI wins hands down. They're like a 1000 mile wide Hoover vacuum cleaner sucking up 1000s of new divers everyday thereby keeping the overall SCUBA industry aloft. From a very personal outlook, I recognize that without PADI cranking out scores of divers who were expecting more, the technical diving community would have a drastically smaller pool from which to draw.

Hopefully you haven't dropped your phone on your face as I put you to sleep with this tome.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Do any of you log your dives? I’ve been going over my dive logs from the 1970s and 1980s while writing a book, and they have been invaluable. Mine are written, but in the last 20 years I’ve been logging my dives on a log that I developed that is computerized. But, I’ve lost a few of those files, but haven’t lost my hand-written dive logs. The hand-written ones seem to be less prone to being lost.

SeaRat

I haven't logged dives in years but I'm thinking of starting back up. Mostly to track our work, track the data of take and info about the volunteers, who was there, shore support, suggestions to improve the operation, and to write data down on the progress we see in the environment. Not so much for exposure protection, weights, mix, NDL, etc.

 

[boulderjohn]

So, pull your own flag.

Try to follow along. Remember the no solo diving rule?

 

[LI-er]

the DM, knowing dull well that I am an advanced diver, asked an instructor and young (early teens) diver to take me as a buddy. What am I going to say? "I don't want to dive with them?"

I do say exactly that. I don't want a ruined dive that I paid good money and traveled quite a distance for, and even worse accept liability for a stranger. In the US divers have been sued following an accident involving a random assigned buddy.

The crew may say you must take this person as your buddy but it can't hurt to argue the point even to the point of refusing to dive and demanding a refund.

 

[NothingClever]

I haven't had anybody blink an eye when I've dived solo on the Atlantic Coast.

Now, I'm drifting in the same general direction as everybody else (probably ahead) and I proactively send up a DSMB to make it easy for the dry DM and Captain to track me so it's not like I'm headed off in an unpredictable direction or waiting until just before surfacing to mark my position. Also, on a recreational boat I don't push my luck trying to squeeze out another 10 minutes even if I have the gas to do it.

Well, OK...unless a school of HHs come cruising by....no, wait, I mean a Mola Mola...OK, maybe a couple of Mantas. I'd happily take a Catholic nun whack across the knuckles from the Captain for going over on time for those creatures.

 

[dmaziuk]

In looking at the first two levels of understanding, do those achieve the mastery learning principles?

I don't think so.

What about the third?

Yes, I definitely think so.

So basically you want students with reading comprehension skills, and you are blaming PADI for stupid people. QED.

 

[The Chairman]

Try to follow along. Remember the no solo diving rule?

John, I guess I'm just popular. I always have a buddy to dive with. I'm sure I could recruit someone on the boat if needed, but I've never needed to. I like my dives to be fun!

 

[boulderjohn]

So basically you want students with reading comprehension skills, and you are blaming PADI for stupid people. QED.

I am not sure what I read in the post, but it seems to me that he applied his personal definition of mastery to Bloom's use of the term and found it lacking. That is pretty much what everyone who is not familiar with the concept does.

 

[The Chairman]

Even if the PADI instructor's guide

It's not about the agency. A class is only as good as the instructor. We're charging the same for classes as we did 20 years ago. E-learning has helped take some of the onus off of the instructor, but we have to pay for that too. Many instructors have to cut corners just to make ends meet. Those of us who teach as a hobby, have the luxury to spend the time necessary, since we have other income streams. Dive shops and full-time instructors are stuck between a rock and a hard place.