Suggestions needed...

[Donnie]

To All,

I have been diving since 1989... and my oldest son has been "Chomping at the Bit" to learn how to dive himself.

Watching him grow up... I have had a few concerns about the development of his learning. His biggest problem is that he is good at most everything that he does. BUT!... when he runs into something that he isn't very good at... or is HARD to do... he loses interest and wants to quite!

Well... he is now 11 years old, and I signed him up for "Junior Open Water" Classes. Last night was his first night in class and all we did was "Paper Work"... in which he "Signed" his first forms! (He was pretty excited!) He was then given instructions to read "Chapter 1" by next Thursday. (06/24)

Once we got home... he dove into his book... and immediately started having troubles! Some of the words were kinda big, and he was having a difficult time understanding the principles behind compression of air volume due to the weight and density of water.

Well... the tears started flowing, as he realized that he was involved in something that resembles "Hard". I could see that he was getting very nervous... and (I may be mistaken... but,) I think the thought of "quitting" may have even crossed his mind.

I assured him that it will get easier, and that we would do it together. He smiled and went to bed.

So... does anyone have any suggestion? I need to keep his interest up and keep him "wanting" to learn. Any ideas on how to better explain the basic principles? I thought I was doing pretty good... but he seemed to really be in a "fog" last night.

I know he will do very well with the skills... but he is really struggling with his book. I'm not going to let him quite... but this may be a very long "5 weeks".

So... any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Have a great day!

Donnie

 

[justleesa]

take it slow and just go thru it with him. Modeling always worked with my boy - convert it in to something visual that he can easily follow. Not much, but I hope it helps.
Aloha,
Lisa

 

[wedivebc]

To All,

I have been diving since 1989... and my oldest son has been "Chomping at the Bit" to learn how to dive himself.

Watching him grow up... I have had a few concerns about the development of his learning. His biggest problem is that he is good at most everything that he does. BUT!... when he runs into something that he isn't very good at... or is HARD to do... he loses interest and wants to quite!

Well... he is now 11 years old, and I signed him up for "Junior Open Water" Classes. Last night was his first night in class and all we did was "Paper Work"... in which he "Signed" his first forms! (He was pretty excited!) He was then given instructions to read "Chapter 1" by next Thursday. (06/24)

Once we got home... he dove into his book... and immediately started having troubles! Some of the words were kinda big, and he was having a difficult time understanding the principles behind compression of air volume due to the weight and density of water.

Well... the tears started flowing, as he realized that he was involved in something that resembles "Hard". I could see that he was getting very nervous... and (I may be mistaken... but,) I think the thought of "quitting" may have even crossed his mind.

I assured him that it will get easier, and that we would do it together. He smiled and went to bed.

So... does anyone have any suggestion? I need to keep his interest up and keep him "wanting" to learn. Any ideas on how to better explain the basic principles? I thought I was doing pretty good... but he seemed to really be in a "fog" last night.

I know he will do very well with the skills... but he is really struggling with his book. I'm not going to let him quite... but this may be a very long "5 weeks".

So... any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Have a great day!

Donnie

Has he been in the pool yet? Most kids are so fascinated once they get breathing underwater it's like a huge motivator.
Some of the concepts of physics are hard for an 11yo to understand. If your instructor recognizes that he/she could use props in the pool such as a sealed pop bottle to demostrate pressure and bouyancy concepts.
Some training agencys, PADI comes to mind ( ) have a video that graphically illustrates those concepts and may help with the learning problem. My son learned at 12 and has been fairly active (17 with a girlfiend now) diver and he still loves it.
I hope he doesn't get discouraged. I wish I had learned to dive at 11.

cheers,

 

[Donnie]

Lisa,

Presently... I'm still waiting for him to wake up, (long night hitting the books ya know!) but... just like you suggested... I thought I would go EXTREMELY slow! Thanks!

Dave,

He has been swimming many times in pools, lakes and rivers, but he hasn't been in the pool for classes yet. Ya know... I just got to thinking that when he has been in the water he really hasn't gone deep enough to feel the pressure on his ears. I think that would have been a big help if he had!

What's kinda cool is that only (2) two people signed up for this class. My son "Alex" and another 10 year old! So... once the two boys get in the pool... I think they are really going to like it!

I'm definitely going to mention the visual props to the instructor... any other ideas?

Thanks for your help thus far!

Donnie

 

[Ber Rabbit]

Here's an idea JBD from the board had given me to use while teaching different concepts. It may help your son understand the concept of pressure and volume.

Go to your local farm supply store (Tractor Supply, etc) or veterinarian (probably large animal) and buy a 60 ml (or larger) veterinary syringe. You do not need a needle. Buy a bag of mini marshmallows if you have the 60 ml syringe, a larger syringe can accomodate a regular size marshmallow.

While you can seal the end of the syringe where the needle attaches I prefer to leave it open and cover it with my finger while operating the plunger so I can demonstrate both increasing and decreasing pressure. It may be easier for him to understand the concept if you re-number the ml marks on the syringe so depressing the plunger actually indicates a higher number as a depth gauge would when descending. (Ex: My 60 ml syringe is numbered in 10 ml increments with 10 being close to the needle and 60 close to the plunger. Use a marker to make the 10 ml mark close to the plunger and the 60 ml mark close to the needle. You can draw a smiley face on the black part of the plunger to indicate the diver and a line on the syringe body to indicate the surface of the water.)

How to use this:
Remove the plunger and place 3 or 4 mini marshmallows in the syringe. Replace the plunger and line your "diver" up with the mark indicating the surface. Explain that the marshmallows represent air in a balloon your diver is carrying and as your diver descends the pressure increases both on the balloon and the diver.

Place your finger over the needle attachment opening and slowly depress the plunger while having your son watch what happens to the marshmallows. Have your son try it so he can feel the increase in pressure while watching the marshmallows (you have to press quite hard on the plunger after a while).

You can also use this to demonstrate what happens to the "balloon" as a diver ascends from depth.
Set-up: Put 1 or 2 mini marshmallows in the bottom and push the plunger down until it barely touches them.
Explain: Diver fills a balloon at depth then ascends with it.
Demonstration: Put your finger over the needle attachment hole and pull the plunger away from the marshmallows, your depth marks on the needle indicate that your diver is ascending. See what the marshmallows do and explain that if they were a balloon they would eventually rupture. Let your son play with the syringe until he can explain the concepts to you.

Good luck, hope this helps! Fresh marshmallows work best!
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[jbd]

I love the response I get from the students when they see this. Very visual Boyle's Law demo.

Donnie--to whatever extent you can and to the extent that you may be able to take your son further in understanding the laws of physics involved in diving you will enhance his understanding of why various rules exist. This will IMHO enhance his safety as a diver.

 

[miketsp]

Personally I think you're being totally irresponsible teaching an 11 year old to dive.
Even if he starts to understand the physics there is no ability for risk evaluation at this age and the motivations are all wrong.

My son wanted to start when he was 12. I made him wait till he was 15. Today he's 23 & a fully qualified instructor.

You may find interesting the article on
http://home.vicnet.net.au/~dandoc/young.pdf

 

[miketsp]

Extract from Article by Simon Mitchell, M.D.
First Printed in THE UNDERSEA JOURNAL - FOURTH QUARTER 1999 Page 88

Psychological Differences

In the debate over children and diving, few issues are more vexing than the differences between adults and children in their abilities to learn, solve problems, react to stress and apply judgment. With less foundation in physical science and mathematics, some children are less able to assimilate technical information and may struggle with the more conceptually challenging aspects of dive theory. Youngsters tend to have short attention and concentration spans, and they are less able to stick to a plan. They are more impetuous than adult divers and if some underwater marvel captures their attention, may be more likely to swim off to explore without worrying about where their buddy is. Finally, a young diver may be less able to cope with stress and may have a lower threshold for panic than an adult. These psychological issues, perhaps more than any others, determine that children need adult supervision when diving, especially in open water.

 

[wedivebc]

Personally I think you're being totally irresponsible teaching an 11 year old to dive.
Even if he starts to understand the physics there is no ability for risk evaluation at this age and the motivations are all wrong.

My son wanted to start when he was 12. I made him wait till he was 15. Today he's 23 & a fully qualified instructor.

You may find interesting the article on
http://home.vicnet.net.au/~dandoc/young.pdf

I have instructed a number of 12y/os and I am amazed at their capacity to understand and enjoy this sport. The junior certification requires that the diver is accompanied by either a parent or a DM and that is where the risk evaluation comes from. We make a risk evaluation on behalf of our children every time we go for a car ride or walk down a busy street. Life will kill you eventually, you can't spend it worrying.

cheers,

 

[miketsp]

Of course they enjoy it - they can't evaluate the risks. See the comment below about "cool" divers.

This is the worst type of moneygrabbing - just like the cigarette manufacturers - get them hooked on our brand first.

And if they can't be counted on in an emergency as a buddy then the responsible adult is effectively diving solo and being irresponsible.

Quote from an article by Dr. David Sawatzky
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The remaining concerns with children and young teenagers diving are primarily psychological. Can they truly appreciate the dangers of diving and learn how to react appropriately in an emergency? Kids can be extremely 'cool' divers, because they have absolutely no idea that what they are doing can be dangerous! To understand the dangers of diving, you have to be able to understand the gas laws, do some simple mathematics, and understand some basic anatomy and physiology as it relates to diving. It has been my personal experience that most children have trouble with these concepts until they are at least 12 or 13 years old. Children grow up and mature at vastly different rates. Therefore, it is impossible to determine an exact age when they can be safely taught to dive. The bottom line is that they have to have the physical size as well as the mental and emotional maturity to not only understand the dangers of diving and take care of themselves in an emergency, they must be able to assist their dive buddy. There should be only one standard to be certified as a diver and therefore, younger divers should meet the same standards as adults.

All divers must have good judgment, responsibility, attention to detail and respect for rules. Many teenagers have problems in these areas. These limitations really determine the minimum age to take up diving.
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