New Instructor Certifications
06-08-2017, 09:06 AM
#138
Rennlist Member
Originally Posted by jdistefa
^ A level one instructor is allowed to pay 50 bucks.
06-08-2017, 11:01 AM
#139
I came across this thread and wow. I think all the responses are valid. The first time I clicked the link, I thought money grab. I’m sure the intent started with what someone saw as a lax in rules at some DEs, but I think they forgot much of this sport has been happening for years, thus things have evolved. Maybe its because so many new clubs are popping up that they seem to think safety is not the top priority. The people instructing didn’t get there overnight - they certainly have put in their time, learned a few things and have been vetted. This certification reminds me of CPR classes, it teaches you the pure basics but in no way are you fully vetted to really know how to handle a life-threatening situation when it comes to choking or an unconscious person.
People forget, the instructor groups do know whats happening out on track. The instructors all talk about what they see, they hear the radios. When clubs host multiple events in a year they tend to know the familiar faces and driving styles. I would say its pretty rare, in my experience, that anyone who’s a new face can enter a respectable club ask to coach and be given the okay. The stronger clubs vet their people, they watch them grow on track, and gather outside information. I think where the trouble comes into play is the idea of trying to standardize something that is difficult to teach. Textbook fine; actionable instruction - harder than you think.
Instructors all teach each other (the goods ones at least). Safety is drilled into them, those who have been doing this for a long time have seen so much. I’m sure every time they are questioning, sharing and elevating their standards - perhaps not formally, but they are.
Just because you passed a test online, learned a few key buzz words, doesn’t mean you can or will ever be suited for right seat coaching. Even those who try out for the clubs instructor training school doesn’t mean you’re fit for instructing. Not everyone passes and sometimes it just might not be for you.
Final thought, Ross Bentley focuses on teaching people how to be better drivers, not certifying them as “fit” to drive on a race track. If the safety foundation wants to be a way to help pass on new tips for instructing then fine, but it should never be mandated. If we let some outside group mandate rules then its just a reflection of clubs getting lazy by not taking the necessary steps of creating their own standards of safety.
I think they need to pivot on their approach.
People forget, the instructor groups do know whats happening out on track. The instructors all talk about what they see, they hear the radios. When clubs host multiple events in a year they tend to know the familiar faces and driving styles. I would say its pretty rare, in my experience, that anyone who’s a new face can enter a respectable club ask to coach and be given the okay. The stronger clubs vet their people, they watch them grow on track, and gather outside information. I think where the trouble comes into play is the idea of trying to standardize something that is difficult to teach. Textbook fine; actionable instruction - harder than you think.
Instructors all teach each other (the goods ones at least). Safety is drilled into them, those who have been doing this for a long time have seen so much. I’m sure every time they are questioning, sharing and elevating their standards - perhaps not formally, but they are.
Just because you passed a test online, learned a few key buzz words, doesn’t mean you can or will ever be suited for right seat coaching. Even those who try out for the clubs instructor training school doesn’t mean you’re fit for instructing. Not everyone passes and sometimes it just might not be for you.
Final thought, Ross Bentley focuses on teaching people how to be better drivers, not certifying them as “fit” to drive on a race track. If the safety foundation wants to be a way to help pass on new tips for instructing then fine, but it should never be mandated. If we let some outside group mandate rules then its just a reflection of clubs getting lazy by not taking the necessary steps of creating their own standards of safety.
I think they need to pivot on their approach.
06-08-2017, 11:52 AM
#140
Rennlist Member
As perhaps the only person in this thread who has taken the course, let me clarify my post from above. I had been talking to several people for about 6 months prior to me taking a clinic about moving toward instructing and those people shared with me a host of materials to review to explore what's involved and to get a better understanding of the process.
Had this course existed at that time, it would have been a reasonable thing to point me toward this course as a way of fulfilling that goal. Indeed, one of the primary sources was the Instructor Manifesto that, at least when I accessed it, was available free from Ross in exchange for an email address. The interactive nature of the course is a slightly different presentation style and perhaps would be a better way to provide the information to someone in that position.
So, for experienced instructors or even a newbie like me who did a fair amount of homework prior to encountering the course, there isn't a lot that's new.
But, for someone who has risen up the ranks to the higher solo groups, has been identified as someone with the tools to instruct, and wants to give back and needs more information about instructing, it's a fairly useful tool.
Had this course existed at that time, it would have been a reasonable thing to point me toward this course as a way of fulfilling that goal. Indeed, one of the primary sources was the Instructor Manifesto that, at least when I accessed it, was available free from Ross in exchange for an email address. The interactive nature of the course is a slightly different presentation style and perhaps would be a better way to provide the information to someone in that position.
So, for experienced instructors or even a newbie like me who did a fair amount of homework prior to encountering the course, there isn't a lot that's new.
But, for someone who has risen up the ranks to the higher solo groups, has been identified as someone with the tools to instruct, and wants to give back and needs more information about instructing, it's a fairly useful tool.