Iceman21 said:
I have just started American Flyers 30 day CFI academy. I must say that it is an eye-opener.
I know getting all the material presented correctly and orderly is my problem. It's all in my head but getting out and in such a fashion that someone else can understand it is elluding me.
The flying isn't a problem at all. I am left handed so it is a bit different for me, but after 3 hours I am comfortable. Talking, looking for traffic, knowing exactly where we are, monitoring ATC, making sure the student is on track and not busting Class B is rather hard though.
Any advice on getting the presentations down?
Thanks
Iceman21, I am just about to take my CFI checkride, and my experience in giving the lessons was the same as yours. My instructor constantly told me "You've got all the information in there, but your presentation is all over the map." Here is what he had me do, and it seems to have made everything much easier. This isn't a lesson plan, it's the format for my notes for giving the lesson itself.
Divide lessons up into what type they fall into based roughly on the PTS - Technical subjects, Systems, Flight Maneuvers. Then use a set format for the different type of lessons. For example, for all Systems lessons I now use the following format:
Definitions (Define ALL the terms you will use in the lesson)
Theory of Operation (explain HOW something actually works)
Usage (now that you know how it works, explain how you really use it)
Common Errors/Limitations (explain what can go wrong and how to deal with it)
Use this format when you are teaching Systems and things like Powerplants, Landing Gear, Electrical, Pitot Static and Vaccum/gyros. It also works well, with some tweaking, for most of the Techincal Subject Areas like Night Ops, High Altitude Ops, Flight Controls and Airspace.
For Flight Maneuvers, including normal and Crosswind TO's and LD's, he gave me a What, Why, Where, Who and How format that looks like this:
What? - Define what the maneuver is
Why? - Explain WHY we train and practice the maneuver (something beyond just "it's on the PTS")
Where? - Where will you practice the manuever, where would you use it in real life flying?
Who? - Private Pilots, Commercial Pilots, etc?
How? - This is the meat of the lesson. Explain step by step how to do the manuever. I use a set format here as well, like this:
1. Select the area
2. Determine the winds
3. Configure the airplane for the maneuver
4. Fly the maneuver (this one will involve the specifics of the maneuver, the prvious three items are frequently the same steps, such as with all ground reference maneuvers)
5. Common Errors (Keep this separate from the explantion of the maneuver, it will help with clarity and your flow)
6. PTS (list out what standards the student will have to meet to complete the maneuver)
Most all lessons can be given in a pre set format like these. My lessons went from 1 hour of me babbling, to 20 minutes of very organized teaching. I stopped forgetting items, or presenting items in completely the wrong order and confusing not only my student(my teacher actually) but also myself. I'm sure other CFI's can show you different formats that also work, these are just one method that worked well for me. Good luck.
/Dave