Divemaster Skill Evaluation

[falcos]

In a couple of weeks I'll be going to do my 20 basic skills @ demonstration quality for the Padi divemaster course.

Aside from just performing the skill properly, does anyone have any extra tips that could be helpful in getting a higher score for each?

Thanks.

 

[Drew Sailbum]

just doing the skill properly will get you a score of 3.

Doing the skill smoothly, properly, with emphasis on key points gets you a 4.

Making it look easy gets you a 5.


When performing a skill for demonstration, slow it down a bunch. Draw emphasis to key points (like blowing bubbles when reg is out of your mouth). Make it look easy - smile a bit when reg is out of your mouth; open your eyes when you remove your mask. Use body language to convey that the skill really isn't difficult.

 

[DivemasterSteve]

Drew Sailbum once bubbled...
just doing the skill properly will get you a score of 3.

Doing the skill smoothly, properly, with emphasis on key points gets you a 4.

Making it look easy gets you a 5.


When performing a skill for demonstration, slow it down a bunch. Draw emphasis to key points (like blowing bubbles when reg is out of your mouth). Make it look easy - smile a bit when reg is out of your mouth; open your eyes when you remove your mask. Use body language to convey that the skill really isn't difficult.

LOL and if all that dont work, buy your instructor a bottle of what he likes to drink.

seriously, take your time, do them slow and precise, remember this is how you would have to do them in front of students so that they will be able to see exactly how to do it. good luck and have fun.

steve

 

[Phish-phood]

Emphasise!!!!

That's what my instructor tells me, slow things down and be very clear about things and emphasise what you are doing The students need to be in no doubt as to what is expected of them after a demonstration and I have seen people fail some skills not because they ouldn't do them but because they do them to quickly and efficiently and people cannot pick up on what they did.

 

[Diver0001]

falcos once bubbled...
In a couple of weeks I'll be going to do my 20 basic skills @ demonstration quality for the Padi divemaster course.

Aside from just performing the skill properly, does anyone have any extra tips that could be helpful in getting a higher score for each?

Thanks.

Here are some tips:

Every skill can be broken down into critical steps (PADI calls them critical attributes). YOu know what they are already because you can perform the skill. However, to demonstrate it you need to sort of "unlearn" the skill again and break it down clearly into it's component steps.

It's -- like -- slowly -- and -- carefully -- reading -- every -- word -- in -- a -- sentence -- .

To get a better score:

- Get the sequence right. Sounds obvious but there are some skills (like buddy check) with a lot of steps that could theoretically be done in a different order and the sequence is important to getting even a 3.

- Go slower than you think you should. Pretend that you're the 6-million dollar man or something (I'm probably dating myself with this ) This is important for the course but even more important when you're teaching. Going slow is teaching fast.

- Make movements more pronounced than you think they should be. For example, when demonstrating kit-removal it's common for students to overlook you using your hand to push the tank up from the bottom. But if you wave your hand at them before you reach for the tank then you focus their attention on that hand. If you then make a long slow sweeping movement as you move your hand into position then they don't overlook it and probably won't forget it either.

- Pause briefly between steps. Make it fit in your tempo but give a little pause so the student can see that this step is over and now we're going to the next step. You can even count with your fingers as you go to push the message home.

- Make it look easy. Get a certain flow and tempo going and keep it going through the whole demonstration. Look relaxed and look at the students (or you instructor) as you do the demo. Nothing makes a skill look sloppy and unpracticed more than looking like you're so absorbed in doing the skill that you appear to forget about the students. For example, (again using kit removal), if you can take it all off an put it all back on again with a nice slow even tempo, good emphais on critical attributes, without fumbing without frowning or looking like you're putting a lot of thinking into it and without ever taking your eyes off the students (without making it look like a staring contest) then you'll do better.

Hope that gives you some ideas.

R..

P.S. Which skills are you learning? I only recall 19 skills.

 

[SubMariner]

20 Basic Scuba Skills for Skill Evaluation:


1. Equipment assembly, adjustment, preparation, donning and disassembly
2. Predive safety check (BWRAF)
3. Deep water entry
4. Buoyancy check at surface
5. Five point descent
6. Remove and replace weight system
7. Fin pivot (neutral buoyancy)
8. Five point ascent
9. Snorkel-regulator/regulator snorkel exchange
10. Remove and replace scuba unit underwater
11. Hovering motionless
12. Buddy breathing stationary, donor and receiver
13. Buddy breathing while swimming, donor
14. Mask removal, replacement and clearing
15. Buddy breathing while swimming, receiver
16. Alternate Air Source (AAS) stationary.
17. Freeflow regulator breathing
18. Controlled Emergency Swimming Ascent (CESA)
19. Underwater swim without a mask
20. Air depletion exercise

FYI, in the last couple of years the u/w swim without the mask & the air depletion exercise were added to the "original" 18 skills.

P.S. great suggestions on demo-ing skills!

 

[falcos]

Damn - you guys are good!!!!

You've provided some great tips that I will apply.

Thanks so much.

Diver0001, again, thanks for the detailed post - much appreciated. And to answer your question, here's my list of 20 in very abbreviated format:

1 equip assem,adju,prep,donning,disasm
2 bwraf
3 deepwaterentry
4 buoy check at surf
5 5pointdescent
6 rem/replac weight
7 fin pivot
8 5 point ascent
9 snork/reg exchange
10 rem/replace scuba unit underwater
11 hovering
12 buddy breathing stationary
13 buddy breathing swimming, donor
14 mask rem/rep/clearing
15 buddy breathing swimming, receiver
16 AltAirSource stationary (AAS)
17 CESA
18 free flow reg breathing
19 underwater swim no mask
and.....drum roll please...
20 aiir depletion excercise.

:appls:
Thanks.

:appls:

 

[Diver0001]

SubMariner once bubbled...
20 Basic Scuba Skills for Skill Evaluation:


<snip>
19. Underwater swim without a mask
20. Air depletion exercise

Right. These ones weren't on the original list. I recognise them all but I guess I just can't count.

You can add to that regulator-recovery, which isn't on the list either.

That makes 21 in total then.

R..

 

[paulwlee]

Great points by Diver0001.

To add to that...
Sometimes you forget to keep it slow and start speeding up. To keep the flow and tempo, the instructor who trained me as DM, taught us to hum the waltz 'The Blue Donau' at a slow tempo while demonstrating. This really worked great.

 

[SubMariner]

You can add to that regulator-recovery, which isn't on the list either.
That makes 21 in total then.

To my knowledge Reg Recovery IS NOT on the list for the PADI Skill Circuit. I copied the list directly from my Digital Instructor Manual and just pasted it right into my msg.

BTW, here is the relevant info from our IDC Confined Water Presentation Evaluation Slate for Skills Demonstrations:

DEMONSTRATION CRITERIA
1.Candidate did not or was unable to perform exercise.
2. Exercise performed with significant difficulty, error or in a manner that could not be seen by some students.
3. Exercise performed correctly, though too quickly to adequately exhibit details of skill.
4. Exercise performed correctly and slowly enough to adequately exhibit details of skill.
5.Exercise performed correctly, slowly and with exaggerated movement (appeared “easy ”)

These are the SAME criteria we use to evaluate DMs on the Skill Circuit. Needless to say, if you "Ace" a skill, you've gotten a 1 and failed.

Gawd, I love these tools!