@TMHeimer
Yes the first statement is irrelevant in this case. We are not discussing group vs. private in tec, I am only commenting on the OW class, where the entirety of this post was directed. I am not a PADI instructor so I will not comment on the "mini dive" but PADI made a good move to include it? I am not sure what that means. Were they not giving students the chance to do an experience dive while supervised as apart of the OW course? I have always included an experience dive at the end of the OW course so my students could prove to me they could stay together, work as a team, and safely conduct a dive on their own accord.
I am confused when you said you have opportunities to work with students in Open Water? What do you mean by this? Are you an Instructor or are you assisting an Instructor?
I am kinda surprised that you think there is no opportunity for students to work as a team in the pool. That is the first place I start team skills. I assume you teach skin diving skills in the pool, or has PADI also done away with that as well? This may ring a bell, the One Up One Down Rule in skin diving. If I am not mistaken that is a team building skill, utilizing your buddy at the surface to assist the diving skin diver back to the surface in the event of entanglement or shallow water blackout. Do you not have students due gear checks during the pool sessions so they are comfortable with their buddies gear and know if everything is operational, so on and so forth? That is also a team skill. I am not trying to make a spectacle of this but I think the smallest skills are the ones that can be most crucial and unfortunately overlooked. You should understand my position after this whether or not you agree I respect your view point either way.
By the way I am one of those instructors that teaches my entire class while neutrally buoyant. Instructors who teach their students on their knees are taking the easy way out and a disservice to the student. Not to mention that you are basically telling students that if they need to they can go sit on the reef, coral, animals etc etc. It sets a horrible precedent for the rest of that students diving career. No diver in this reality needs to go to the bottom to clear their mask or do a reg retrieval but by teaching them on their knees you are setting them up for failure. This last paragraph is my opinion as well as many other instructors as well. I am not looking to debate this, just thought I should at least stand up for that aspect of training that I find extremely important.
Again, I am not looking to ruffle any feathers, these are all opinions that I have in regards to these subjects. Everyone has there own methods of skinning a cat.