A lot has been written about the failings of instructors and the failings of agencies to produce quality scuba courses.
It's time to close the circle and discuss the roll in the student in improving quality.
I'll start this off but I hope other people will come with their own insights as well. Try to keep the thread positive by giving each other suggestions about how to improve your performance in diving classes.
1. You can lead a person to knowledge but you can't make them think
There are a few aspects to learning theory where students often could do with some self reflection
a) If you don't understand something..... SAY that you don't understand it. We ALL know that diving classes involve correcting the things that you *don't* understand but still some students will try to hide the things they don't know or even get irritated with you as instructor for asking "control" questions to see if students get it and can put the knowledge into practice..... Case in point. When the instructor asks you WHY you learn how to fill up your BCD orally and you really don't know then the correct answer is NOT "who cares"...... (yes I really HAVE had a student give me that answer.....)
b) If you disagree with something the instructor says then mention it. Many students in diving classes have expertise in areas the instructor does not. Some are doctors, some are engineers, some may have read stuff on the internet that doesn't correspond to what the instructor is saying.... Instead of keeping quiet about it.... Talk about it. Differences of insight/opinion sometimes lead to good learning opportunities for students AND for instructors alike. Don't be passive. Get involved.
c) Do your home work. Every instructor has stories about students who either refuse to do their home work or come to class completely unprepared..... These students hold back EVERYONE by asking questions about stuff that they obviously didn't read. Coming to class unprepared inexcusable but it happens a LOT. Not surprisingly, the students who don't bother preparing also have trouble remembering the stuff and will eventually go on an internet forum and blame their instructor for that. Realistically, teh only idiotic thing an instructor can do about this is to tolerate it.
d) If you need time then you need time. Some students just don't get the theory right away for one reason or another. If you need more help ask for it. Your instructor is generally going to be open to doing whatever it takes for you to understand 100% of the theory. Moreover, in some systems, like the PADI system, the instructor is required by standards to make sure you understand everything. Don't be afraid to study a little harder if you need to. Writing about this on scubaboard is probably preaching to the choir about it because if you're here you're not the student I'm talking about... but maybe you are sitting NEXT to the student I'm talking about and can help them but encouraging him to put in the extra effort.
The general point in this being that YOU GET OUT WHAT YOU PUT IN.
2. You learn diving by doing
Talking about diving is one thing. But there is only one way to learn diving and that's to DO it.
Many diving courses are one some kind of a time line. The instructor has to deal with this time line but YOU as a student have to deal with this time line too. How?
a) If you need more time to learn a skill, ASK for it. Instructors often have more options available to them than you might know about for giving students extra time in the water. The instructor may not think you need it but the DISCUSSION is import and signalling to the instructor when you do and DON'T feel confident with something is important.
b) Pay attention. Who is in the lead? ..... the instructor. Your roll as student is to ALLOW the instructor to teach you. Often the most difficult students to teach in the water are ones who are used to things coming easy. They want to do everything right the first time and get frustrated with themselves and with the instructor if it isn't working. In the worst cases, they get so wrapped up in their own minds that they are unable to listen and unable to follow directions entirely and literally block themselves off from the ability to learn. In extreme cases students will even do weird things. I've seen a student decide 1/2 way through a check-out dive that he had seen enough and he just left... surfaced without telling anyone and started swimming back to shore.... Fortunatlely for him the AI very nearly harpooned him for not keeping his mind on what he was supposed to be doing. Relax, have fun and LET the instructor teach you ....
c) don't waste time. Part of a diving course (at least a good one) is to push you a bit so you will bump up against your boundaries. Some people will experience that with clearing the mask. For others it might be about feeling comfortable in the dark.... who knows. The point is on the one hand to talk about your experience with your instructor and on the other hand to learn and to integrate these "comfort zones" into your diving. If the instructor asks you how the dive was and you felt scared in the dark and say "it was great" then you're wasting time. If you say "Dude... it was freaky down there in the dark" then you're going to get MUCH better instruction.
The point being, once again.... What does IN is what comes OUT.
Of COURSE instructors have a responsibility is "reading" you as a student and giving you what you need. There are many threads about that and some of the sharpest criticisms of other instructors and agencies will come from instructors themselves.
This point is not to be ignored but *this* thread is not about moaning about "lousy" instructors or lousy students. Let's work together to get some ideas out there for how You as a student can contribute positively to the quality of your own instruction.
I've started off giving a couple of ideas. Who else has some ideas that we can all use to improve our performance as students?
The floor is yours.
R..
It's time to close the circle and discuss the roll in the student in improving quality.
I'll start this off but I hope other people will come with their own insights as well. Try to keep the thread positive by giving each other suggestions about how to improve your performance in diving classes.
1. You can lead a person to knowledge but you can't make them think
There are a few aspects to learning theory where students often could do with some self reflection
a) If you don't understand something..... SAY that you don't understand it. We ALL know that diving classes involve correcting the things that you *don't* understand but still some students will try to hide the things they don't know or even get irritated with you as instructor for asking "control" questions to see if students get it and can put the knowledge into practice..... Case in point. When the instructor asks you WHY you learn how to fill up your BCD orally and you really don't know then the correct answer is NOT "who cares"...... (yes I really HAVE had a student give me that answer.....)
b) If you disagree with something the instructor says then mention it. Many students in diving classes have expertise in areas the instructor does not. Some are doctors, some are engineers, some may have read stuff on the internet that doesn't correspond to what the instructor is saying.... Instead of keeping quiet about it.... Talk about it. Differences of insight/opinion sometimes lead to good learning opportunities for students AND for instructors alike. Don't be passive. Get involved.
c) Do your home work. Every instructor has stories about students who either refuse to do their home work or come to class completely unprepared..... These students hold back EVERYONE by asking questions about stuff that they obviously didn't read. Coming to class unprepared inexcusable but it happens a LOT. Not surprisingly, the students who don't bother preparing also have trouble remembering the stuff and will eventually go on an internet forum and blame their instructor for that. Realistically, teh only idiotic thing an instructor can do about this is to tolerate it.
d) If you need time then you need time. Some students just don't get the theory right away for one reason or another. If you need more help ask for it. Your instructor is generally going to be open to doing whatever it takes for you to understand 100% of the theory. Moreover, in some systems, like the PADI system, the instructor is required by standards to make sure you understand everything. Don't be afraid to study a little harder if you need to. Writing about this on scubaboard is probably preaching to the choir about it because if you're here you're not the student I'm talking about... but maybe you are sitting NEXT to the student I'm talking about and can help them but encouraging him to put in the extra effort.
The general point in this being that YOU GET OUT WHAT YOU PUT IN.
2. You learn diving by doing
Talking about diving is one thing. But there is only one way to learn diving and that's to DO it.
Many diving courses are one some kind of a time line. The instructor has to deal with this time line but YOU as a student have to deal with this time line too. How?
a) If you need more time to learn a skill, ASK for it. Instructors often have more options available to them than you might know about for giving students extra time in the water. The instructor may not think you need it but the DISCUSSION is import and signalling to the instructor when you do and DON'T feel confident with something is important.
b) Pay attention. Who is in the lead? ..... the instructor. Your roll as student is to ALLOW the instructor to teach you. Often the most difficult students to teach in the water are ones who are used to things coming easy. They want to do everything right the first time and get frustrated with themselves and with the instructor if it isn't working. In the worst cases, they get so wrapped up in their own minds that they are unable to listen and unable to follow directions entirely and literally block themselves off from the ability to learn. In extreme cases students will even do weird things. I've seen a student decide 1/2 way through a check-out dive that he had seen enough and he just left... surfaced without telling anyone and started swimming back to shore.... Fortunatlely for him the AI very nearly harpooned him for not keeping his mind on what he was supposed to be doing. Relax, have fun and LET the instructor teach you ....
c) don't waste time. Part of a diving course (at least a good one) is to push you a bit so you will bump up against your boundaries. Some people will experience that with clearing the mask. For others it might be about feeling comfortable in the dark.... who knows. The point is on the one hand to talk about your experience with your instructor and on the other hand to learn and to integrate these "comfort zones" into your diving. If the instructor asks you how the dive was and you felt scared in the dark and say "it was great" then you're wasting time. If you say "Dude... it was freaky down there in the dark" then you're going to get MUCH better instruction.
The point being, once again.... What does IN is what comes OUT.
Of COURSE instructors have a responsibility is "reading" you as a student and giving you what you need. There are many threads about that and some of the sharpest criticisms of other instructors and agencies will come from instructors themselves.
This point is not to be ignored but *this* thread is not about moaning about "lousy" instructors or lousy students. Let's work together to get some ideas out there for how You as a student can contribute positively to the quality of your own instruction.
I've started off giving a couple of ideas. Who else has some ideas that we can all use to improve our performance as students?
The floor is yours.
R..