PADI course for idiots?

[delray.piper]

And never forget that 50 percent of the population is below average. And I suspect that the average isn't very high.

 

[Searcaigh]

HOW to pack a dive bag... .

Surprised PADI has not made that a speciality yet!

 

[iluvtheocean]

the books may be written for the average 10-year old to understand -- i would rather see the manual written in simpler terms than see a chld die because it was too hard to understand. And adults should be able to process the information quicker due to the simpler format. THEN it's up to the instructor to teach the course based on the student(s). He or she, if a good teacher will instruct in the appropriate manner based on who is in the class. If it's filled with 10yr olds it's going to flow differently than college educated adults. Look at the manual for your cellphone -- it's written as simply as possible to reach the broadest audience with only certain parts in legalese (ex. the FCC Disclaimer).

 

[Zen Diving Inc.]

I have had both 10 year old students and college professors sitting in the same class.
Tell me how you would write a course that would meet the needs of both of them.

I dont know if you need to write a course. I don't teach OW from the book. Yeah I will have them read it before hand, then I'll fill in the blanks and emphasize what they need to know and then some... I tailor the class to the student/s. I suppose not everyone can do that, or even allowed to by their agency.

My wife is just in the process of getting her OW certification and I was having a flick through her course book. It appears to be written for school children, honestly are people so stupid that they need to be told what order to pack their equipment bag? For the first time in my life I am scared to dive, because apparently there are people out there who are diving and need a book to teach them basic life skills.

The OW book (regardless of agency) is merely a tool, hopefully 1 of many that a good instructor has to teach a class. Sometimes you need a finish nailer, others its a jack hammer.

you write different books and you don't mix apples and oranges in the same class, same as you don't have university students in grade 2 and vice versa

Wow, thats seems like a daunting task for little or no reason. I must be missing something, do certain agencies require you to teach directly from the book? If not, why not just teach from your own knowledge and leave them the book for reference.

 

[boulderjohn]

I dont know if you need to write a course. I don't teach OW from the book. Yeah I will have them read it before hand, then I'll fill in the blanks and emphasize what they need to know and then some... I tailor the class to the student/s. I suppose not everyone can do that, or even allowed to by their agency.

...

Wow, thats seems like a daunting task for little or no reason. I must be missing something, do certain agencies require you to teach directly from the book? If not, why not just teach from your own knowledge and leave them the book for reference.

It's called self study, which you seemed to endorse in the first part of your quote but seem unaware of in the last part. The student reads the book ahead of time, goes through the check quizzes and the knowledge reviews, and then comes to the classroom, where the instructor checks for understanding and adds additional information and personal touches. It's been done that way for a very long time. All 4 agencies through which I have certifications use that technique.

If the book is written at a level above the ability of the student to read, it makes the ability of the student to learn through self study a problem. When that happens, the nstructor has to spend a lot of additional time in the classroom teaching the background information that the student should have learned ahead of time, and that wastes everyone's time.

 

[Zen Diving Inc.]

It's called self study, which you seemed to endorse in the first part of your quote but seem unaware of in the last part. The student reads the book ahead of time, goes through the check quizzes and the knowledge reviews, and then comes to the classroom, where the instructor checks for understanding and adds additional information and personal touches. It's been done that way for a very long time. All 4 agencies through which I have certifications use that technique.

If the book is written at a level above the ability of the student to read, it makes the ability of the student to learn through self study a problem. When that happens, the nstructor has to spend a lot of additional time in the classroom teaching the background information that the student should have learned ahead of time, and that wastes everyone's time.

Well obviously I endorse it... Im only unaware of other agencies practices. I can only make assumptions based off what I hear. Which seems to change depending who's talking. Thats why I asked directly and included you since I know you could answer at a min on 1 other agencies behalf. Thx for clarifying that in a manner in which, I guess I pretty much expected. I completely agree with you, even though your first sentence in your reply was a bit cheeky.

 

[Diver0001]

You can add IANTD to the list. It's shocking a times.

Yeah. I know people complain about the GUE materials but they would have to work really REALLY hard to make them any worse than the IANTD materials.... at least the older versions. I hear they've updated some of it but their older stuff came across to me as a 1/2 drunken meandering-stream-of-consciousness-wall-of-text. It was hard, even when I was trying my best, to distinguish opinions from facts. Actually, now that I mention it, it's kind of like scubaboard.

Good in-water training but by far the worst books about diving I've ever seen.

R..

 

[chillyinCanada]

I find it very exciting that AussiPro launched fully formed from the water at his inception as a diver!

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Depending on who he trained with it's possible that he was a fully prepared, competent, rescue trained diver from the time he was handed his card. At one time nearly all divers were. They did not require the services of a DM or guide, planned every detail of their own dives, knew how to properly weight themselves, and could progressively do more complicated dives with no further training if they did not want it. Just built on the skills and knowledge they gained in their open water class. Kinda like divers today who train with a few agencies that still include all of that in the basic class.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

 

[chillyinCanada]

That was my point Jim. Someone, somewhere along the line, taught him a few things, which most likely included how to care for and pack his gear.