<<Most instructors, IME, know next to nothing about how to TEACH somebody something.>>
That is a shame that you have had that experience. In practice how do you learn to teach? Sure enough I could pick up multiple faults easily enough but how do you get across to the student how to avoid those faults? I try my best to aid the process…I take control while I debrief them, I won’t talk while they are flying at early stages…I try to brief the student thoroughly and question whether they truly understand. If you ask a student whether they understand they will say yes. You have to ask them a question to test their knowledge etc. but I think the ability to teach well comes with experience. I find it hard to judge when a student is making a mistake or just needs more practice, for example.
The FIC course doesn’t cover everything needed to instruct. Secondly the FIC course is full of things that are ‘ Well you have to teach it this way for the test, but in real life you everyone teaches this differently.’ For example, how were you taught to climb? Was it ‘now I’ll teach you to enter the climb’…’now I’ll teach you to maintain the climb.’ That is the method for the test anyway…..
Finally how can you get career instructors that are talented? The answer is pay. It is easy to criticise people that are instructing as a path to the airlines; however for me it would be partly to try and gain back some of the huge amounts of cash spent on my flight training. Then think we have medicals/ IR renewals / SEP/MEP renewals etc to pay for. I thankfully work at a commercial school teaching PPLs for a relatively good wage, and I enjoy my job...however I still have my fingers crossed for my BACX interview.
Last edited by tom775257; 29th December 2005 at 15:41.