Some Questions to Ask When Choosing an Instructor

[Vanpuppy]

Interesting. It seems you prefer instructors who keep class size down, yet somehow are able certify lots of students. How do they accomplish this? Perhaps with a c-card mill - crank 'em out as fast as possible, cut corners and get 'em through?

I suspect total number of students certified is not a very good criteria for choosing an instructor, unless it's used to weed out those with large numbers (when considering the time they've been teaching).

Hmmm. . . I re-read my post a couple of times and don't believe that is the position presented in my post. But thanks for pointing out that some may take it that way. I still stand behind the question, but, would add your point of evaluating the numbers certified over the time they have been teaching.

No matter whether it's YMCA, NAUI, PADI, CMAS, SSI etc. you will find C-card mills and instructors that will crank em out and cut corners. Bottomline for this post is students need to go beyond the certification agency and ask questions to find an Instructor that works for them.

 

[Nomad]

I work with alot of different Instructors and I have seen some very different teaching styles.

I have watched Instructors give inaccurate and incorrect instructions, and I have had Instructors forbid me or any other "non-instructor" from giving ANY instruction to their students.

(I once "learned" from an Instructor that due to the Archimedes principle, a diver becomes more bouyant when they are horizontal in the water.)

I once watched an Instructors add pound after pound to a severly overweighted student who continued to overcompensate by overfilling his BCD. The Instructor told the student at the end of the day that he needed to invest in ankle weights to solve his "bouyancy problem."

On the other hand, I have seen students with panic in their eyes on their first open water descent, and I have watched an Instructor calm them and work with them until they become comfortable, and eventually fall in love with the sport.

Your best option, get a personal referral for an Instructor from somebody you know and trust.

If that isn't possible, spend time in the LDS talking to the potential Instructor. As Al Mialkovsky mentioned, observe the Instructor with a class, if possible. Talk to recent graduates about their experience. Additionally, (if possible) talk to graduates with more bottom time and try to learn if the Intructor REALLY gave them what they needed in order to get started.

There is no "magic phrase" that, once learned will make you a good diver. Similarly, there is no "magic question" that when answered will identify a good Instructor.

 

[Walter]

Hmmm. . . I re-read my post a couple of times and don't believe that is the position presented in my post. But thanks for pointing out that some may take it that way. I still stand behind the question, but, would add your point of evaluating the numbers certified over the time they have been teaching.

I'm quite sure that's not what you meant, but that's the result. There are three ways for instructors to certify vast numbers of students (combinations turn out even more).

1. Huge classes (In my opinion, this results in poor quality as no instructor can properly teach lots of folks at once)

2. Fast classes (Again, in my opinion, this results in poor quality as stdents don't have time to learn and practice necessary skills nor time to transfer learned skills from short term to long term memory)

3. Teach a long time. (This is no indication of good or poor quality)

 

[daniel f aleman]

Watch the instructor at work, and get opinions from divers of whom he/she has certified.

 

[freediver]

The difficulty with using word of mouth or referrals to suggest a quality instructor is that generally everyone thinks they have had the best instructor. They usually have nothing to compare that instructor to. Observing and comparing the teaching methods of instructors would seem to be okay if you observed a number of instructors to form a solid conclusion.
Knowing what I know now, if I were searching for an instructor, certainly I would want experience diving (outside the teaching realm). I would also want to know what type of instructional strategies are used by the instructor. I don't want to have to regurgitate info, I want someone who will challenge my critical thinking skills. I want the skills that I am learning to have real world application. Give me that unique instructor that will not teach me but rather help me discover.
If I have found someone that can do these things, I don't care about number of certs they can show. Give me quality over quantity any day of the week.....and twice on Sunday!

 

[Vanpuppy]

2. How many people has the instructor certified?
The number of students a person has certified isn't a definite indicator of their ability to teach, however, this information can help you determine whether this person is right for you. The more experienced instructors tend to have developed teaching styles that have been proven on a variety of students.

Well said free diver. Quantity can never substitute for quality. Those of you who are Instructors should be able to agree though that your teaching style and abilities have improved from the time you taught your first class till the last class you taught. That was where I was going at with this question.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

Perhaps "How many hours of teaching experience does the instructor have?" would have illustrated your point better.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[Scubagolf]

Walters thread is a good one.

I suggest students watch me teach, I'll let them observe me in the class for one session and in the pool once.

Al, my wife had her first PADI OW class tonight. There are 15 students with one instructor and an assistant, who I believe is a divemaster level diver who wants to be an instructor some day. Does 15 sound like an awful big class to you? :huh:

 

[vkalia]

My average class size is 2-4 students - so yes, 15 sounds huge to me. Practically speaking, the benefits are that the class is likely to be cheaper; the downside is that your wife is going to spend a lot of time waiting for other people to finish their exercises. And without meaning to cast any aspersions on her instructor, it is going to be harder for him/her to give a lot of individual attention to each individual student in such a large class.

Of course, 15 people in a classroom may not mean 15 people in the pool - and I hope to god it doesnt mean 15 people in OW.

The relevant standards, FYI, are: are 10 students per instructor for CW, with 4 additional students per DM. In OW, it is 8 students per instructor, with an additional 2 per DM, up to a max of 12.

Vandit

 

[SKBRDVR1]

You also need to check and see if the Instructor is insured especially if he/she is taking you on a trip. What are his/her liabilities if something happens? (Not just during diving, but on the trip). There is a local Instructor(sic) who is transporting people in a vehicle that is not insured. licensed, etc. for this type of service. If he has a wreck, his "customers" are out of luck....