The first thing I would go over with my new private student is Westminster's procedures such as timeliness, professionalism, etc. I would make sure they know about these items as well as the consequences for not complying with them. (I would do this in the least scary way as possible.)
I would tell them right off that they are now in college and studying is very important in order to make progress. Information is no longer given to you, and you have to do your readings and everything else in order to be prepared for each lesson as well as to just make general satisfactory progress.
After all the general expectations, I would ask the student about themselves and what they would like to get out of the program. I would ask them what they expect of me as an instructor and just help them feel as comfortable as possible.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Blog 2
Before I even talk with the new student, I would check out his or her binder to see what the most recent lessons completed were. I would check for mistakes made and see if there are any lessons that need to be completed or that were missed altogether. I would also get a general idea of the kinds of hours they need and see if they need a lot more hood time, cross country time, etc.
I would ask the previous instructor about the student's strong points and weak points. I would also ask about the student's personality to see what I have to do to accommodate that particular personality.
When I first meet with the student, I would ask them what they feel their strongest and weakest points are in both ground and flying. I would then conduct a general ground session with them to see if the previous instructor's answers and the student's answers match up. I would also get my own understanding of the student's ground knowledge through this session.
I would ask the previous instructor about the student's strong points and weak points. I would also ask about the student's personality to see what I have to do to accommodate that particular personality.
When I first meet with the student, I would ask them what they feel their strongest and weakest points are in both ground and flying. I would then conduct a general ground session with them to see if the previous instructor's answers and the student's answers match up. I would also get my own understanding of the student's ground knowledge through this session.
Blog 1
I could help the student get over that learning plateau by changing my method of teaching landings. I have to consider that it may be my fault that the student is struggling. If after my different approaches don't work, I would have a talk with my student asking what they think the reason for their struggling is. I could see if they are having different issues outside of flying that could be affecting their performance.
If after all this, they are still struggling, I would suggest that the student take a small break (a couple weeks or so) from flying to freshen up and see if they can do better once they return. I would make it known to the supervisor at this point but not ask them to be involved yet.
Once they return, if my student is still really struggling with landings, I would suggest that they talk with my supervisor about their progress. I may give them one more chance after this before I have that "talk" with them. I may also suggest that they switch instructors to see if that helps with their performance.
If after all this, they are still struggling, I would suggest that the student take a small break (a couple weeks or so) from flying to freshen up and see if they can do better once they return. I would make it known to the supervisor at this point but not ask them to be involved yet.
Once they return, if my student is still really struggling with landings, I would suggest that they talk with my supervisor about their progress. I may give them one more chance after this before I have that "talk" with them. I may also suggest that they switch instructors to see if that helps with their performance.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Taking Away from Articles
Visualization Article:
Visualization seems like an interesting concept. It seems like meditation to me, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I can't say I've never day dreamed about that perfect landing. I have. And who knows, maybe that's why I've been nailing all of them lately (not to sound cocky). Basically, I took from this article that vividly imagining an even or situation will help the human body perform at that level in real life. This is because the body cannot tell the difference between a vivid imagination and a real experience. I should try this out with my future students.
Mastering the Landing:
This was quite a detailed article about landings. I remember when I first started landing. I was so frustrated with myself and I thought I would never get it. But this article reinforced the fact that mastering a landing takes lots of time. This is something that I will definitely let my students know. I will let them know that it is very easy to get frustrated with landings at first. Nobody does landings perfectly when they first start out, and it will take most likely hundreds of landings to finally master them. Lately, I have figured out exactly what works for me and I can make a smooth approach and barely-felt touchdowns 95% of the time. I will let my students know that great landings will come with time and to not lose hope.
Training Future Captains:
From this article, I learned that attitude is very important in the aviation world. No matter how every pilot got to where he or she is, they earned the seat in that airplane. Whether military or civilian, everyone has paid their dues to be where they currently are. Attitude is just as important as skill, and I will teach that to my students. I will teach that they are training to be wherever they plan to go, not for the moment. The students shouldn't be ashamed of their current abilities, and they have to understand that skill will come with time, but confidence should always be in their minds.
Visualization seems like an interesting concept. It seems like meditation to me, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I can't say I've never day dreamed about that perfect landing. I have. And who knows, maybe that's why I've been nailing all of them lately (not to sound cocky). Basically, I took from this article that vividly imagining an even or situation will help the human body perform at that level in real life. This is because the body cannot tell the difference between a vivid imagination and a real experience. I should try this out with my future students.
Mastering the Landing:
This was quite a detailed article about landings. I remember when I first started landing. I was so frustrated with myself and I thought I would never get it. But this article reinforced the fact that mastering a landing takes lots of time. This is something that I will definitely let my students know. I will let them know that it is very easy to get frustrated with landings at first. Nobody does landings perfectly when they first start out, and it will take most likely hundreds of landings to finally master them. Lately, I have figured out exactly what works for me and I can make a smooth approach and barely-felt touchdowns 95% of the time. I will let my students know that great landings will come with time and to not lose hope.
Training Future Captains:
From this article, I learned that attitude is very important in the aviation world. No matter how every pilot got to where he or she is, they earned the seat in that airplane. Whether military or civilian, everyone has paid their dues to be where they currently are. Attitude is just as important as skill, and I will teach that to my students. I will teach that they are training to be wherever they plan to go, not for the moment. The students shouldn't be ashamed of their current abilities, and they have to understand that skill will come with time, but confidence should always be in their minds.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Blog #3!
Formative assessment has to do with measurements and conclusions made during the course of a learning program. An example of a formative assessment is an ungraded pop quiz after the second learning session to get an idea of how the learners are doing.
Summative assessments are assessments made at the end of a learning program. These are the final judgements about the achievements of the learners. An example of a summative assessment is a final exam at the end of a class.
Criterion-referenced assessments are designed to see if a learner has reached a set level of competence. This is the preferred method. These are like tests designed to compare the knowledge of a group of people, like an EMT test.
Norm-referenced assessments are used when there is no agreement on what a person must know, such as studying literature in English class.
Self-referenced assessments are used when the student has a personal goal. The indicator of success is the learner's own opinion.
Self-directed learning is done by people who are capable of postformal thought. In other words, they prefer a learning environment where they control what is learned and how they learn it. They constantly want feedback and see their educators as colleagues instead of authority figures.
Summative assessments are assessments made at the end of a learning program. These are the final judgements about the achievements of the learners. An example of a summative assessment is a final exam at the end of a class.
Criterion-referenced assessments are designed to see if a learner has reached a set level of competence. This is the preferred method. These are like tests designed to compare the knowledge of a group of people, like an EMT test.
Norm-referenced assessments are used when there is no agreement on what a person must know, such as studying literature in English class.
Self-referenced assessments are used when the student has a personal goal. The indicator of success is the learner's own opinion.
Self-directed learning is done by people who are capable of postformal thought. In other words, they prefer a learning environment where they control what is learned and how they learn it. They constantly want feedback and see their educators as colleagues instead of authority figures.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Blog #2
Role playing can be pretty fun. For me it is a useful way to learn. What I do is chair fly. I'm sure most of us have done it at least once. With a student, I could role play by chair flying a situation with him or her. I could have them go through checklists, simulate emergency procedures, and practice those in-flight maneuvers. Hopefully they won't feel silly doing this because I believe it is a very effective way to learn and improve skills in the airplane. The first time I chair flew, I demonstrated a great power off stall to James and he was impressed. It felt good!
Now for the four categories of instructional methods.
First you have instructor-centered methods. The teacher is the one responsible for getting the information to the students. They can do this through lecturing, questioning, and demonstrations.
Then you have interactive methods. Here there is communication going on between the instructor and the students. Learning is made easier by involving the student and having them participate and collaborate in the lesson. This can be done through class discussions, discussion groups, group projects, and peer teaching. Discussion groups seem to be the most common at Westminster. I would use these in a small class. Say there are many categories of a subject to go over, I could split the class into small groups and have them each summarize and present one of the subjects. This way, the students would be more involved and the learning process would be enhanced. Also, all the subjects would get covered and the students' attentions will not go away so easily.
You also have individualized learning methods. This is the assumption that all individuals learn at different paces. It focuses on the needs of each student and that feedback enhances the learning process. This seems to be a more one-on-one kind of learning environment. This can be good for the student because he or she is always getting feedback and learning at hir or her own pace.
And finally, you have experiential learning methods. This is a more hands on kind of learning. You cannot learn to fly an airplane by staying on the ground. you have to get out there!
The instructor can choose any of these methods depending on the amount of students being taught at once and the personalities of the students. It is up to the instructor to choose the method in which to teach.
Adult learners have had a lot more time to become who they are today. They have had experiences that shape all their beliefs. There are also differences in the ways that men and women learn. It is important to avoid stereotyping in order to not discourage the students.
Also, when it comes to adult learners, basically they learn slower. When we are growing up, our brains are like sponges, taking in new information as it comes to us. Let's just say I'm glad I was taught Spanish at an early age, or I would be very disappointed that half my family speaks it and I couldn't. It would be very hard to learn Spanish, or any language, at my age.
So basically, if I get an adult student, I know that the pace will likely be slower than that of a younger student with a spongy brain.
Now for the four categories of instructional methods.
First you have instructor-centered methods. The teacher is the one responsible for getting the information to the students. They can do this through lecturing, questioning, and demonstrations.
Then you have interactive methods. Here there is communication going on between the instructor and the students. Learning is made easier by involving the student and having them participate and collaborate in the lesson. This can be done through class discussions, discussion groups, group projects, and peer teaching. Discussion groups seem to be the most common at Westminster. I would use these in a small class. Say there are many categories of a subject to go over, I could split the class into small groups and have them each summarize and present one of the subjects. This way, the students would be more involved and the learning process would be enhanced. Also, all the subjects would get covered and the students' attentions will not go away so easily.
You also have individualized learning methods. This is the assumption that all individuals learn at different paces. It focuses on the needs of each student and that feedback enhances the learning process. This seems to be a more one-on-one kind of learning environment. This can be good for the student because he or she is always getting feedback and learning at hir or her own pace.
And finally, you have experiential learning methods. This is a more hands on kind of learning. You cannot learn to fly an airplane by staying on the ground. you have to get out there!
The instructor can choose any of these methods depending on the amount of students being taught at once and the personalities of the students. It is up to the instructor to choose the method in which to teach.
Adult learners have had a lot more time to become who they are today. They have had experiences that shape all their beliefs. There are also differences in the ways that men and women learn. It is important to avoid stereotyping in order to not discourage the students.
Also, when it comes to adult learners, basically they learn slower. When we are growing up, our brains are like sponges, taking in new information as it comes to us. Let's just say I'm glad I was taught Spanish at an early age, or I would be very disappointed that half my family speaks it and I couldn't. It would be very hard to learn Spanish, or any language, at my age.
So basically, if I get an adult student, I know that the pace will likely be slower than that of a younger student with a spongy brain.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Constructivist vs. Positivist
First of all, I'd like to say that I'm really not that big on philosophy. I don't believe that there's any reason to dive so extremely deep into things and question absolutely everything about the world around us.
I read a story once about a philosophy professor's final exam. The professor put a chair at the front of the classroom and the exam consisted of one question: "Does the chair exist?"
That kind of stuff just grinds my gears. I see the chair at the front of the room. You put it there. Of course it exists! End of story. And of course, I would have failed that exam simply because I didn't go further into it.
That being said, Epistomology is one of those philosophy branches that seeks to define what knowledge really is. Sigh... Ok. If I know that 2+2 is 4, then that's that in my opinion. Why should anybody waste their time to figure out what it means if I "know" that simple math problem. And yes, I know it goes to much deeper knowledge than a simple math equation, but it's the same basic idea.
Anyway, there's some big differences between constructivists and positivists. A positivist believes that knowledge is simply having factual information in memory. They don't go too deeply into it. A constructivist is more of that philosopher. They don't believe that knowledge is something that a person haves. They believe that having a really deep understanding of material is knowledge. Going back to the simple math problem, a positivist would believe that what I have there is knowledge. A constructivist would ask me if I truly had a deep understanding of the math problem. (Which in this case I do. I can picture having two sheep and getting two more sheep. Now I have four sheep! Yay!)
I'm pretty sure I identify more with a positivist attitude. I like to have information and remember it for a long time. I enjoy the most simple meanings of what I learn. I like simply "knowing". But as much as I hate to admit it, there's nothing wrong with questioning what you really know. In college, it's not all about regurgitating information on paper during a test, but really coming out of it with an education, and being a better, more well-rounded person. It's about having that constructivist attitude. While I'm not quite at that point, because it's still frustrating to me, I believe I'll probably have to make myself go there.
When it comes to visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners, I can tell you which one I'm not: Auditory.
Ok, if anyone I know tells me that they are an auditory learner, I'll probably think they're lying. Yeah, I know those people are out there somewhere, but I find it hard to grasp that people can simply hear something and then understand it.
I believe that I am both a visual and kinesthetic learner. I like pictures, and actually going out and doing what I am taught. I mean, obviously I can't learn to fly an airplane without ever stepping in one.
From the article, I took that it's very important to make sure that the student has a clear understanding of the material, no matter how he or she learned it. If I ever get one of those auditory learners, I'm probably going to really make sure that they can tell me about the material in their own words so I know they got it. The same goes with the other two types of learners. And of course, I got that it's important to teach a student in the best way that they can take in the information. Like I said earlier, I like pictures, and I always tell my instructors to draw stuff out, especially systems. I now understand that what I am doing is simply requesting that I'm taught by the modality that I learn best with. In the future, I'll make sure to find out what modality my students go by, and I will cater to that and teach them in that manner.
I read a story once about a philosophy professor's final exam. The professor put a chair at the front of the classroom and the exam consisted of one question: "Does the chair exist?"
That kind of stuff just grinds my gears. I see the chair at the front of the room. You put it there. Of course it exists! End of story. And of course, I would have failed that exam simply because I didn't go further into it.
That being said, Epistomology is one of those philosophy branches that seeks to define what knowledge really is. Sigh... Ok. If I know that 2+2 is 4, then that's that in my opinion. Why should anybody waste their time to figure out what it means if I "know" that simple math problem. And yes, I know it goes to much deeper knowledge than a simple math equation, but it's the same basic idea.
Anyway, there's some big differences between constructivists and positivists. A positivist believes that knowledge is simply having factual information in memory. They don't go too deeply into it. A constructivist is more of that philosopher. They don't believe that knowledge is something that a person haves. They believe that having a really deep understanding of material is knowledge. Going back to the simple math problem, a positivist would believe that what I have there is knowledge. A constructivist would ask me if I truly had a deep understanding of the math problem. (Which in this case I do. I can picture having two sheep and getting two more sheep. Now I have four sheep! Yay!)
I'm pretty sure I identify more with a positivist attitude. I like to have information and remember it for a long time. I enjoy the most simple meanings of what I learn. I like simply "knowing". But as much as I hate to admit it, there's nothing wrong with questioning what you really know. In college, it's not all about regurgitating information on paper during a test, but really coming out of it with an education, and being a better, more well-rounded person. It's about having that constructivist attitude. While I'm not quite at that point, because it's still frustrating to me, I believe I'll probably have to make myself go there.
When it comes to visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners, I can tell you which one I'm not: Auditory.
Ok, if anyone I know tells me that they are an auditory learner, I'll probably think they're lying. Yeah, I know those people are out there somewhere, but I find it hard to grasp that people can simply hear something and then understand it.
I believe that I am both a visual and kinesthetic learner. I like pictures, and actually going out and doing what I am taught. I mean, obviously I can't learn to fly an airplane without ever stepping in one.
From the article, I took that it's very important to make sure that the student has a clear understanding of the material, no matter how he or she learned it. If I ever get one of those auditory learners, I'm probably going to really make sure that they can tell me about the material in their own words so I know they got it. The same goes with the other two types of learners. And of course, I got that it's important to teach a student in the best way that they can take in the information. Like I said earlier, I like pictures, and I always tell my instructors to draw stuff out, especially systems. I now understand that what I am doing is simply requesting that I'm taught by the modality that I learn best with. In the future, I'll make sure to find out what modality my students go by, and I will cater to that and teach them in that manner.
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