Question for instructors!

[HamTrainChickenLaser]

I am only a week away from my open water course in Mexico. If you think back over the students that you've taught, is there a type of student the got more out of the class than others? I don't mean motivated or fully engaged- those things are a given for me. I'm very outgoing and don't mind asking for clarification if I don't understand something. My instructor has taught scuba for over four decades so he has a ton of knowledge. Any tips for getting the most out of this experience?

Of course if you are not an instructor but have some thoughts on this please do share!!!

 

[grantmac]

Can you clear a mask in a pool? Because that can take a lot of time to learn and absolutely can be done ahead of time.

 

[Edward3c]

Just because you instructor has been around for a long time doesn’t mean their teaching modern thinking, i.e. skills done with horizontal trim, not on knees.

 

[HamTrainChickenLaser]

Can you clear a mask in a pool? Because that can take a lot of time to learn and absolutely can be done ahead of time.

Yes indeed!! I did that in my "try scuba" class- from a partial flood, full flood, and did the full mask removal and replace plus clearing.

 

[HamTrainChickenLaser]

Just because you instructor has been around for a long time doesn’t mean their teaching modern thinking, i.e. skills done with horizontal trim, not on knees.

Let's assume that he's a neanderthal of dive instructors. How would I get the most that I possibly can out of this course?

 

[Allen-1]

Let's assume that he's a neanderthal of dive instructors. How would I get the most that I possibly can out of this course?

Define clearly the tasks you want to achieve in each session. Write them down beforehand and check them off as completed.

At the end of each session, review the outstanding ones and see if you need to add or modify.

 

[boulderjohn]

Ask the instructor if the skills will be taught while you are kneeling on the floor while negatively buoyant or horizontal and neutrally buoyant. The difference in the kind of diver you will be at the end of the pool sessions is huge. If taught while neutrally buoyant, you will look and act like a seasoned diver when you are certified.

 

[tursiops]

Ask the instructor if the skills will be taught while you are kneeling on the floor while negatively buoyant or horizontal and neutrally buoyant. The difference in the kind of diver you will be at the end of the pool sessions is huge. If taught while neutrally buoyant, you will look and act like a seasoned diver when you are certified.

This, and listen, don't talk. Sure, ask a question, but YOU are not the center of focus. Do not assume you already know something...there is mote than one way to do most things, so learn, don't show off.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I think you are over thinking this.
Just go do the class. The instructor will teach it the way he teaches it. IMO asking or mentioning about neutral buoyancy off the bottom etc. will either go well and he teaches that way or he doesn't. You should have investigated that before. An instructor teaching for 40 years on the knees to all of a sudden change to neutral because a student read it on scubaboard isn't going to come off well, all that's going to do is muck it up.
Just do the class, do what you're told, get your cert, and figure it out later with mentors, buddies, fundies, whatever.
Have fun.

 

[HamTrainChickenLaser]

I think you are over thinking this.
Just go do the class. The instructor will teach it the way he teaches it. IMO asking or mentioning about neutral buoyancy off the bottom etc. will either go well and he teaches that way or he doesn't. You should have investigated that before. An instructor teaching for 40 years on the knees to all of a sudden change to neutral because a student read it on scubaboard isn't going to come off well, all that's going to do is muck it up.
Just do the class, do what you're told, get your cert, and figure it out later with mentors, buddies, fundies, whatever.
Have fun.

Definitely I should have investigated the instructor in a different way than I did, but I didn't know what I didn't know. I'd never heard of scubaboard.com and if you asked me at that time what "trim" or "buoyancy control" meant in relationship to diving I wouldn't have had a clue. I looked at every review I could possibly find on the guy and read them all and it sounded good. Maybe that is par for the course for non-divers signing up for their first course; I'm not sure about that.

Guilty as charged to over-thinking! LOL. Roger that on going with the flow.