How would you teach a 10yr old to use dive tables?

[psychocabbage]

Ohh.. we arent all over them and were the only parents dropping their kids off at class.. One of the parents went as far as to get in the water with full gear for all of his kids dives... That to me is a bit too much hand holding..

 

[don Francisco]

Make no assumptions about your daughter's ability to grasp the tables.

One of the reasons children have trouble with math concepts is that the adults around them project their negative expectations onto them and it becomes a self fulfilling prophesy.

Given the speed that children learn how to use computers, the various features of cell phones, and all manner of gadgets that adults struggle with, I would assume that they'd have an easier time learning the concepts behind the tables than many adults.

Take your time and work through the process step by step patiently and and let her absorb it at her own pace. Encourage her to ask questions and answer them as clearly as you know how. Most of all bring a positive attitude to the teaching process. If you think it's too hard for her it will be.

If she has problems consider that that the underlying cause might not be her limitations as a student, but yours as a teacher.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Ohh.. we arent all over them and were the only parents dropping their kids off at class.. One of the parents went as far as to get in the water with full gear for all of his kids dives... That to me is a bit too much hand holding..

YMCA and now SEI requires a parent to be present at all sessions. Classroom and pool.

 

[Walter]

YMCA and now SEI requires a parent to be present at all sessions. Classroom and pool.

Yes, but we know it's not a YMCA or SEI class because the child is 10 years old.

 

[24940]

There's a lot of different methods you could use. The most effective will depend on your kid. The first thing I teach kids is that they already use tables. Anyone who can follow a multiplication table can work the tables, which is the good news. The bad news is that a simple error can result in serious death.

Before teaching tables, they need to understand what they do. There are countless analogies which they can relate to, which will help with this. Once they understand what the tables do, it's much easier to teach their use.

Start small. Doppler limits are all they need to know if they're just doing one dive a day. Make sure they understand Doppler limits before moving on to group designations.

Once they can reliably determine group designations, introduce surface intervals. Once they can reliably obtain their group designation after a dive and a SI, move on to planning repetitive dives. They should realize by this point we absorb N2 while under pressure and release N2 as that pressure is reduced. Any N2 not released prior to a dive needs to be accounted for when planning that dive. RNT is simply an expression of residual N2 expressed in minutes required to achieve that level of saturation at the planned depth.

It's pretty simple stuff, but I've seen it botched by instructors who don't have as solid an understanding of the tables as they should. As a parent, the best you can do is develop a complete understanding of the tables yourself, then work with the kid at home... preferably after that session is taught by the instructor.

I've had probably 8 kids under 14 this year. Of the five questions on tables in the test, there has been only one question missed by anyone this year of those five questions. Pretty simple stuff.

 

[psychocabbage]

YMCA and now SEI requires a parent to be present at all sessions. Classroom and pool.

And we heard recently that YMCA is discontinueing its SCUBA program..


She is going to be like us.. NAUI..

 

[mksmith713]

Are you ready for this?????????
PADI now allows ERDP use in OW class and exam.

Kinda like that group that gives Nitrox certs for knowing how to use a computer.

I don't know folks....... electronics are prone to failure....... you really should know your tables.

 

[rstofer]

When I replied earlier re: how I would teach a 10 yr old the dive tables, it is important to note that I didn't say when and under what conditions I might do that. I just discussed what I consider a reasonable approach.

For the record, when my 10 year old grandson took the PADI Junior Open Water course a couple of months ago, I didn't do anything. The instructor is being paid to teach the course. Let them do the work. They know how to teach the material to a sufficient level to pass the exam.

Now, having said that, do I really think my grandson understands the tables? No. The new emphasis with PADI is on the eRDP - a calculator. The entire process of dive tables is condensed to one part of a single classroom session. Basically, it is discussed in enough depth to pass the test and buy a computer. But that's ok!

A Junior Open Water diver is restricted to diving with a certified parent/guardian or Dive Master/Instructor. More important, they are restricted to 40'. If you give them an aluminum 50, there is no way they can blow past the NDL and with just an hour of SIT they can keep diving all day long. They don't need to really understand the tables at this point. Their 'buddy' is responsible for getting it right. That's why they can't dive with the kid down the street!

Now, before everyone jumps up and down, how many adult OW students are really proficient with the tables - a week after the class is over? After they buy their computer? A year later? There's a reason PADI came out with the eRDP! For the most part, casual divers don't get the dive tables!

So, somewhere down the road, perhaps just in time for Junior Advanced Open Water (age 12), I would revisit the discussion re: dive tables. At that point they should be fully capable of learning and understanding the material. Maybe they have 100 dives or so. Perhaps the tables have been reintroduced over the years on a much more casual basis. Maybe one of the adults helps the young diver work it out when they log their dives.

I am a strong believer in the dive tables. They are far too important to be glossed over. But that a 10 year old isn't completely proficient doesn't concern me. There's plenty of time to get it done.

Richard

 

[rstofer]

I've had probably 8 kids under 14 this year. Of the five questions on tables in the test, there has been only one question missed by anyone this year of those five questions. Pretty simple stuff.

Oh, I know! It's the question about RNT - a value the eRDP doesn't provide.

Richard

 

[rstofer]

She is going to be like us.. NAUI..

Outstanding! NAUI doesn't have an eRDP (AFAIK). When I did the NAUI OW program way back when, we really had to KNOW the tables. We spent at least 4 hours over 2 sessions going over them. I have no idea what the current scheme teaches.

I will always prefer NAUI just because it's what I did. Unfortunately, they don't have much of a presence around my area.

Richard