ehuber:
In graduate school, we were taught to look at the root of the concern and reflect on how it should affect us in our positions as instructors or trainers in any educational setting.
Looking at the problems and concerns with agency certification methods, it appears the goals and expectations of PADI and regular divers (like you) are largely different. Their goal may not be to produce highly skilled divers, at all, and leave us constantly wondering why their course curriculum is the way it is. Skilled divers with experience would, of course, prefer to see skilled divers given c-cards, but that is not our reality.
Perhaps they are only trying to produce qualified divers, capable of quickly learning for themselves and given access to dive tables, instructors, feedback, and equipment troubleshooting. Maybe "skilled" is only a hope for some of the top divers in any given class, from the perspective of PADI.
Maybe they fully appreciate the need to practice, practice, practice and don't expect anyone to be skilled in their first 20 dives, much less the first two or three they make. So better to arm them with learning tools and resources than to attempt (but usually fail) to produce skill in two to four days of diving.
I'm not sure I agree with it all, but maybe we shouldn't be overly critical of PADI given the nature of the activity and length of time it takes to create skill.
ehuber,
What I'm going to say here is not meant as an attack or to criticize but to provide some info you may not have.
PADI uses the term "mastery" to describe how we as instructors, are to judge student performance of skills.
If you look at the definition of "mastery" you will most likely come to one of several conclusions:
1 - Your assessment above of what PADI's intent is in dive training is incorrect;
2 - PADI takes dive training, skill performance and assesment very seriously;
3 - PADI is misusing the term "mastery";
4 - Make your own conclusions.
PADI has minimum standards that we as instructors are required to meet when we teach and when we evaluate. If "mastery" is not achieved, we are to repeat and/or modify how we are teaching in order to help the student achieve "mastery".
In my 18 years of diving, I have reached my own conclusions as to the state of required minimum standards, how dive training is and should be done. I have not come to these conclusions in a vacuum and they are continually evolving as I talk to and observe new divers and other instructors, not just PADI instructors.
In my estimation, minimum requirements as they stand currrently, are not adequate to produce a competant diver
IF a given instructor decides to only meet those minimum standards. Understanding that there is a percentage of people out there that do only the minimum, it is my belief that the minimum standards should be raised in order to ensure that a competant diver is the product.
PADI standards allow me a instructor-to-student ratio of 1:10 in confined water, 1:8 in open water. In my estimation that is far too many new studentdivers for one instructor. My personal ratio is 1:4, maybe 1:5 if it is a family unit.
I am preparing to start two classes of 12-year olds this weekend, one group of 3, another group of 4. As it stands right now, academic time will be 24-26 hours. Pool time will be 18 hours minimum, three sessions of 6 hours each as a minimum.
PADI recommends a 31 hour course for a class of 10 students. Divide that up and it equals 3.1 hours per student on a 1:10 ratio.
I kind of like the 42 (or more) hour, 1:4 ratio I've put together better.
I take two tanks per person to each pool session. Fun time is also learning time. Starting at Confined Water Dive 1, I start introducing games that get students working on controlling buoyancy and trim (thanks to James Doyle and Walter and others for helping me enhance my cirricula).
PADI standards do not provide any time or exercises for the fum/practice time after skill assessment. Many instructors I have watched do nothing but sit at the bottom while students bump and bounce along the bottom, struggling to understand buoyancy and trim.
I have seen instructors from PADI and other agencies that can only bicycle kick and tend to crawl down a rope in a lake and stir up silt.
Just some FYI.
