Kids & SCUBA Materials ????

[ElectricZombie]

rstone - I guess I was looking at it from a NAUI standpoint...they do in fact require that the student be able to competently perform a rescue. However, they will issue a Junior Scuba Diver card at 12, something that I don't necesarially agree with.

I think that it might be possible for a kid to be a decent diver but, it would really have to be an exceptional kid. Most adults can't dive properly so, I would expect most kids to be just as bad or worse.

 

[AquaTec]

I wonder what other sports you figure kids can not do just because they are kids.

how about;

Rock Climbing
Snow Skiing
Snow Boarding
Water Skiing
Wake Boarding
Surfing
Mt. Biking
Ice Climbing
Wind Surfing
Football


All of these sports are potentualy life threatening to both adults and children if not properly trained or suppervised durring training, or if they do not perform their sports within their level of training and comfort level.

all of these sports need to start out with baby steps and then advance based on the partisapents abilty to perform and comprehend what they are doing.

interesting enough no other sport requires a certification prior to doing the sport. is this a marketing thing, it sure isn't a liscensing thing as it is run by private interprise.

when i get ski lessons i pay for the lessons and then use sound judgement as to knowing my own limits. it is up to the instructor to determain if i pass the course.

this may be a whole nother subject not related to this thread but it is interesting to think about.

don't get me wrong I am all for the current methods of training that happens in this sport. I just think that maybe people think that just because they have a diving license then they should be able to perform the dives that license certifies them for no matter what the enviroment or conditions are saying.

with any age diver there still needs to be common since in your diving, you don't ski black diamond runs at any mountain just because you made it down a black diamond run on your local mountain. you asses each and every run before pointing down
the hill. and you understand that **** can still happen

the same goes for kids and diving, baby steps, assesments on each dive, good supervision, and yes **** can still happen. that is the nature of the sport.

 

[rstone]

AquaTec once bubbled...
don't get me wrong I am all for the current methods of training that happens in this sport. I just think that maybe people think that just because they have a diving license then they should be able to perform the dives that license certifies them for no matter what the enviroment or conditions are saying.

That is a problem, divers seem to think that getting a o/w card certifies them to dive to 130ft, which is incorrect. If I take someone diving to 30ft in clear water with 100 vis, that is what they are certified to do. You are certified for the conditions that exisited when you were certified and you should dive within the limits of your training as in that case you were only trainined to goto 30ft in 100 vis conditions.

Does that mean you cant goto 31ft? or 60ft? and you need some new certification to do so? NO, but it does mean you should go with a experience diver or professional if you choose to go beyond your limits and venture into new territory.

Back to the orinigal question.. should the books words be changed for kids? Sure why not, as long as the meaning isnt changed. You say tomato and I say tomoto, as long as we both are on the same page and the meaning is clear. By no means should the seriousness of the content be dressed down, if its just a matter using a different word that means the same thing, I'm all for it.

Ryan Stone
IDCS

 

[wch]

They should not simplify the text for children. They should have the cognitive ability to understand the current text if they are allowed to dive.
Bill

 

[rstone]

wch once bubbled...
They should not simplify the text for children. They should have the cognitive ability to understand the current text if they are allowed to dive.
Bill

Does it really matter if the word is, EQUALIBRIUM - a state of balance between opposing forces or actions that is either static or dynamic OR BALANCE - weight or force of one side in excess of another.

Either way it does nothing to the text to use one of two or more words or expressions of the same language that have the same or nearly the same meaning in some or all senses of the word.

We arnt talking about playing down the seriousless of the language, just making the words more understandable. I would rather have a child who understands what the word balance means then have a child who has no idea what equalibrium means and therefore misses the implications of what hes reading. Also on a side note, I know their are some adults out their that still have to look that word up in the dictionary. This sport is not limited to those who were fortunate enough like me and many other to have a college education.

Ryan Stone
IDCS

 

[wch]

rstone once bubbled...

I would rather have a child who understands what the word balance means then have a child who has no idea what equalibrium means and therefore misses the implications of what hes reading. Also on a side note, I know their are some adults out their that still have to look that word up in the dictionary. This sport is not limited to those who were fortunate enough like me and many other to have a college education.

Ryan Stone
IDCS

That is my point, in order to be certified the student should know what the word equalibrium means and how it applies to scuba. The student should be responsible enough to learn the vocabulary, and the instructor should be responsible enough to ensure their student knows the vocabulary/concepts before the student is allowed to progress.

The problem is a slipper slope of playing to the lowest common denominator. I see this in the school system all the time.

Students in scuba lessons of any age should take the time to learn the vocabulary and the concepts that go along with it. I feel that instead of simplifying the language to try and accommodate limited vocabulary, the instructor should take a little extra time defining the vocabulary and the concepts, and the student should be motivated enough to learn the vocabulary/concepts.

If this means that some students (children or adults) are unable to complete the course because they do not have the cognitive ability to grasp both the terminology and its associated meaning so be it.
My son, who is 11, completed his junior certification at the beginning of the summer. Part of the deal we made to allow him to certify was that he would be diligent in his studying of the material and show mastery of the concepts.

This may all seem like splitting hairs, but the bottom line is that scuba has inherent life threatening risks and if anything the bar should be raised not lowered when it comes to certification. It should not be limited to those who have a college education, but it should be limited to those who KNOW and UNDERSTAND those concepts that pertain to the activity.

Whew!
Longwinded Bill

 

[sdexcalibur]

It should matter if you reword it as long as they get the idea. When you go to the doctors they don't say your esophagus is inflammed. they say you throat is swollen. or something to that effect.
I know it's two different thing be in a way the same. As long as they get it it doesn't matter the wording