Instructors need to be very creative.  Most of our classes are outdoors, away from slide projectors, lap tops, etc.  If you have a bit more time and access to indoor facilities, by all means take advantage of your good fortune and prepare a decent Powerpoint presentation and certainly handouts.

Even if your class is taught completely outdoors, I strongly recommend preparing handouts of some sort.  I maintain my training material on a website.  Others provide a sheet or two for key topics.  The SWR classes cover a wide assortment of material - far too much for many students to retain completely in one sitting.  You should also recommend a decent book or two - they are inexpensive and enable students to continue learning after the class.

Prepared presentations are for more complex topics.  Mechanical advantage is a great example "some assembly is required".  To save valuable class time, you can have a helper set-up several demonstrations while continuing to teach another topic like knots.  Props are exceptionally valuable in prepared presentations.  I love demonstrating a vertical pin in a standard hole cockpit by lifting the rear of a kayak to a high angle and having them attempt to escape.  I often lay out a large variety of gear on a tarp to show examples of thermal protection choices and various rescue gear.

As instructors, you are expected to be conversant on all of the SWR curriculum - think pop quiz.  SWR students will be asking lots of questions during your classes and you need to be prepared to provide explanations quickly and efficiently.  During knots training, you should be able to demonstrate any one of the basic rescue knots and provide an example where that knot can be used effectively.  Impromptu presentations are expected to be short in duration - just a few key highlights.  Good short presentations take advantage of their surroundings like tossing a small stick into a hole to demonstrate recirculation.

There are lots of excellent articles on the web for presentation tips & techniques.  Toastmasters, International is a great organization devoted to public speaking.  Everyone has a different style but there are a few key ingredients for effective presentations:

• Be prepared
• Practice
• Keep it short
• Engage your audience
• Address the audience needs

Here is a really good article on killer presentations: 18 Tips for Killer Presentations.

Introduction

Everyone has their own unique teaching style and that is a good thing.  Students respond differently to different teaching techniques.  A good instructor typically has a number of different teaching tactics in their arsenal - if one approach doesn't work, perhaps another will.  Here are a number of well tested teaching approaches.  Take a close look at them to see which ones you use.

Whole Part Whole

This is a common approach we often use when teaching the forward paddling stroke.  We start out demonstrating the full stroke so everyone can watch and get the big picture.  The next step is breaking down the individual components with the clever acronym - CPR: Catch, Propulsion (or Power), Recovery.  After making certain every knows the components, we put the whole package together with another demonstration.  Now that the students understand the mechanics, they get to demonstrate forward strokes under our watchful eyes.  Here is a nice article providing more details on this teaching technique: Whole-Part-Whole Instruction.

Demonstration / Modeling

Sometimes all students need is a simple and clear demonstration.  Make certain you are quite visible to the whole class and concentrate on good form.  When you think of it, many novices run rivers in this manner.  The trip leader runs out in front and the novices pretty much replicate his/her moves through the rapid.  We don't complicate the whole process explaining every turn/maneuver.  This is a simple and often quite effective teaching method.

Modeling is another form of demonstration.  A common tactic is taking Foamie - a simple model kayaker that floats and sending him down a small trickle of a stream to see what happens.  Drawing diagrams in the sand for river currents is another form of modeling.  Toss a stick into a strong eddy to show visually that the current heads back upstream.

Lecture

We are all quite familiar with this teaching method.  Lecture presentations place a high premium on prior preparation and good speaking skills.  I like to quiz my students throughout the presentation to keep their attention levels high.  It really helps to schedule frequent breaks as well to avoid that all too common dazed spaced out look.  This approach works well for describing theory topics like rescue priorities or topics like liability and the law.

Reciprocal

This is a form of teaching I frequently use.  This technique requires engaging your students.  I like to think of it as constantly testing the students as you proceed through your talk.  Asking questions, have someone summarize, clarifying responses when necessary.  Students are often able to process information ahead of your talks and fill in the blanks for themselves.  Providing reading material before the class enables students to come prepared with questions - some of which can be challenging.  You will often uncover some real experts in your class for specific topics and learn something in return.  This can be a powerful teaching method and you will definitely need to control the class to ensure everyone participates.  It is surprisingly good at building student confidence.  Here is a great article on this teaching technique: Reciprocal Instruction.

Role Playing / Scenarios

Scenarios are a key tool in most SWR classes.  We stage a foot entrapment outside the view of the students.  We often add a panicked bystander.  When the students hear a single whistle blast, they walk over to the scene and the exercise begins.  Key to this type of learning is prior teaching of the subject matter.  It also helps to have some stronger students that can take on the incident commander role.  Scenarios often combine many different skills, selecting the best approach, initial confusion to force thinking and bring some reality to the scenario.  After the scenario is concluded, we sit down and have a debrief - what worked, what didn't, ways to improve.

Progression

Progression learning takes a fairly complicated skill or topic, starts with the simple parts, and adds the more difficult parts once each proceeding component is well understood.  Teaching the kayak roll is one example.  Start by teaching the hip snap without a paddle.  When they think they have mastered the hip snap, have them hip snap off a paddle float.  The next step is having them demonstrate a high brace with a solid hip snap and head rotation.  Now you can have them relax upside down and simply guide the paddle in a wide sweeping motion while they turn their torso and head to follow.  The next step may be jiggling the paddle when you want them to hip snap.  Finally, they combine the sweep, hip snap, and rotation for a complete roll.

Guided Discovery

Guided discovery is yet another way to challenge your students.  Start out with simple questions.  When it looks like the students are handling those, build up with more challenging questions that require more detail or understanding.  It may be difficult to use this technique in a class with several students that monopolize the class.  Competition is fine but not overly conducive to teaching.

Teachable Moment

Mishaps sometimes happen.  In a recent class, someone slipped on loose gravel in the parking lot while in a hurry to retrieve something from their car.  What a perfect opportunity to teach the value of a first-aid kit, necessary contents, first aid, and proper irrigation.

Concepts in Teaching and Learning

The following articles were written by Robin Pope (ACA ITE) and provides an excellent overview of teaching practices targeted to paddle sports education:

• Concepts in Teaching and Learning
• Learning Domains
• Teaching Tips For Kayaking

Introduction

Half the fun and challenge of teaching is constantly adapting your delivery to match the needs of your students.  Great teachers are constantly learning more about their subject matter.  Teaching experience exposes you to lots of different individuals, all shapes, sizes, and challenges.  Try to pick assistant/s that are quite different from yourself.  If you have difficulty reaching a student, they will probably succeed.  Watch and learn their technique to see if you can improve yours.  Instructors always need to pay close attention to their students - all of them.

The Thinker

Thinkers can be fun and quite challenging students.  They often look for minutia of information and wait until they feel they know something cold.  I provide extensive web-based training material that really appeals to these types of students.  Expect them to come quite prepared and ask really interesting questions.  Sometimes they can go overboard though - way beyond the level for the class.  You may need to take their question offline and get back to them during a break.  Another trap some instructors fall into with these students is guessing or making up an answer.  If you don't know, say so.  Jot the question down, research and get back to them.  Think of it as a learning opportunity.  Rolling can be a difficult maneuver to teach these individuals since they might over think the process.

The Doer

Doers are chaffing at the bit to give it a whirl.  You know the types, they don't read instruction manuals and jump right into assembly.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.  They then try different variations until they get it right.  Pay close attention to form and provide limited guidance to help prevent them from developing bad habits.  A great example are paddlers that muscle the roll.  Eventually they will injure their shoulder.  Help them set up, reach out a bit, and rely much more on a solid hip snap and torso rotation.

The Watcher

Many individuals are visually oriented - show me.  They can watch a demonstration a few times, perhaps with some type of narrative to go along and then try the new skill on their own.  Many DIY DVDs support these types of individuals.  This is where the instructors form and attention to detail are really crucial.  Emphasize key components like leaning your boat for peel outs or torso rotation when demonstrating the forward stroke.  Great athletes can play back what they wish to accomplish in their mind.  Think of a long complex rapid, you scout and make mental notes of key land marks and moves.  You get back in your boat, play the sequence in your mind, and then run the rapid as planned.

The Feeler

Some people have natural ability.  They are amazing at picking up new sports.  They don't need a great deal of talk, just a bit of guidance.  Bicyclists understand leaning into turns which is very similar to boating.  Skiing is perhaps a better example.  Skiers dig their edges and stay upright.  Kayakers lean their boat in a similar manner and keep their torso upright.

Combinations

Most people are various combinations of the above styles.  Mix up your teaching styles.  This makes the class more interesting and will help ensure you don't lose anyone.

Kolb Learning Styles

The basis for the above types of learning styles from David Kolb's experiential learning theory (ELT).  A great article on this subject is: Kolb Learning Styles.