Updated Board of Review Training PPT

[bnelon44]

I updated the BOR training powerpoint we use in training to reflect the new guidance in the Guide to Advancement. I know it is long, it can be used as a starting point and edited down as needed.

 

http://www.bsatroop14.com/advancement/Board_of_Review_Training.ppt

[dg98adams]

Very nice... I'd like to see if our CC would be interested in using it.

 

 

[WAKWIB]

Looks great. Hopefully it will be well used and helpful in keeping Boards of Review on task.

[dlearyous]

Why does it state that a Scout shall not be responsible for requesting that a board take place. The Training and Guidebooks do not mention anything about how to coordinate a Board of Review that I can find. It shouldn't be considered adding to or taking away from the requirements by creating a policy on how one is requested.

 

[Eagle732]

I think each unit has its own policy on how a Scout schedules a BOR. As long as the policy doesn't create a hinderance or obstacle to the Scout I think its OK. Our troop schedules BORs for the first meeting of the month, a Scout needs to schedule that BOR the meeting prior. However if a Scouts requests one during the night of BORs we try to accommodate him if time allows. If we have an unusual amount of BORs, like often happens after summer camp, we schedule an additional night. We just try to encourage advancement. We do expect Scouts to be in uniform and have there book.

[Tampa Turtle]

Our policy is identical to Eagle732. We do require a uniform and book and have sent boys to the uniform closet for pants or to a friend to borrow some socks. They need to schedule it before though we will do everything to accommodate a boy who is making a last minute surge before the COH. We have a big troop so we have had to try to do them (mostly) once a month.

[Eagledad]

We give a BOR as quickly as we can depending on availability of all the players. But the scout has to request it because they are responsibile for their advancement. They also have to schedule their own EBOR with the District and inform the SM the date and time to meet them there.

 

Barry

 

[fuzzievohs]

Our scouts complete a Personal Growth Agreement and then request a Scoutmaster Conference via our website:

http://carlisletroop5.com/scoutmaster-conferences/

The form automagically lets the Scoutmaster, Advancement Coordinator and Committee Chair know that a scout is ready to advance.

Obviously, the Personal Growth Agreement is not required for either the conference or a BOR, but the scouts like it, because they get to reflect on how they came to where there are, at their own pace.

YMMV,

~fuzzie

 

Edited: I forgot the main reason I replied...well done! Excellent training aid.(This message has been edited by fuzzievohs)

[Jay K]

I was reading my son's Scout handbook. I found a paragraph that says the Scoutmaster will request a Board of review for the Scout! I've been a Scoutmaster since 2007, and I never knew that. We've been having the Scout contact the CC.

 

Thanks, that's a fun slide show.

Jay

[Beavah]

Yah, hmmmm...

 

I always get a bit queezy about these home-grown trainings at the district level, eh? Usually they come from one person who has a perspective from workin' in one particular unit about the "right way", and conveys what is really local knowledge as a form of gospel. What's hard is to find district level folks with perspectives from a lot of different units, who can convey how to use da Methods in different ways dependin' on a unit's needs and goals.

 

I also think that a powerpoint is about as good at teachin' how to do a BOR as a powerpoint would be about teachin' how to tie a knot. A wise district trainer who really wants to take this on will spend most of da session in some "mock" or "live" BORs, not on da screen. Remember EDGE, eh? Yeh only want a short bit of time on the first "E", usually followed immediately by demonstration and practice.

 

For that purpose, 58 slides worth of Explanation is way, way too much. Half yeh can cut right off the top because they are more about advancement in general than about conducting a BOR. The rest yeh should consolidate. People learn not from what you say, but from what they do.

 

A few corrections by slide:

 

6: the list of reasons I find a bit odd, and gives the impression that there are different types of BORs, when in fact there aren't. More holistic to say BORs should be held periodically to give and receive feedback from the scout on his progress and da unit's performance. In some cases, if the review finds he has met all the expectations for a rank, he advances. In other cases, his progress is discussed and encouraged. In #1, the review is held after all requirements are met. SM Conferences do not always have to come last.

 

8: this is often one of da hardest things for inexperienced volunteers to understand. Wonder if yeh could add to it in some way with examples or somesuch?

 

10: again, there aren't different types of BORs.

 

11: this should be changed to reflect the new G2A. The purpose of a BOR is "to determine the quality of his experience, decide whether he is qualified to advance and, if so, encourage him to continue the quest for Eagle or the next palm."

 

12: probably best to include da new rule that unit BORs can use non-committee adults since that is a change that folks need to be made aware of, not just in a footnote.

 

13: huh? No need to have it in a separate room (separate from what?). Some units may not have access to separate rooms. In some ways, da separate room thing I think makes scouts less comfortable. Turns it into more of a formal thing rather than an easier conversation.

 

14: What's with step 2? No retesting on Scout Oath. I like puttin' 4 ahead of 3. Conveys the method-not-a-goal thing better, and breaks the ice.

 

15: Needs some work. I know what you're tryin' to do here, but this can be handled lots of different ways in different units. You're tryin' to convey da "no ambushes" principle. Best to treat it as situations in which a BOR member should consider recusing themselves. Again, there's no such thing as a "rank board". Scouts should be given BORs periodically, and advanced at some of them. There's nothing necessarily wrong with a lad not advancing at a BOR. Where it becomes an "issue" is only when people are gettin' too focused on advancement as a goal.

 

17: No. Especially with young lads, starting with a discussion of the "ethical pillars of scouting" is not a good way to put 'em at ease. Better to start out talkin' with 'em about recent outings and fun scoutin' stories. Then yeh can tie ethics to action.

 

18: Delete. None of what's here corresponds to da G2A materials.

 

20: Not sure what you're tryin' to accomplish with this slide. Da PPT is about BORs, not about advancement more generally. This sort of breaks up the flow and doesn't add anything here.

 

21: Be careful about statements like "[scout spirit] is normally signed off during the Scoutmaster Conference". That may be how your unit does it, but plenty of other units have the PL sign it off, or do it at some other time.

 

22-27: Delete. These aren't about boards of review. Keep your focus tight to helping BOR members, don't get bogged down in all the other aspects of advancement, even if you happen to be interested in them.

 

29: Too broad. This will encourage people to go on for an hour or more, when a BOR should be shorter.

 

30: Be careful about overbroad statements like "always end a BOR with praise". That simply isn't always the best way, depending on circumstances, and can sometimes be "fake." Better to give examples of keeping the board productive and positively focused.

 

31: Fix this slide to match the G2A and avoid adding your own opinions.

 

32: I'm not sure this adds anything, and can cause confusion. Best to stick with the G2A and not embellish, but perhaps encourage participants to share examples and have some of your own.

 

33: Filing reports is not a requirement for advancement, and a boy's recognition should not be held up for paperwork. Remember, there are many units that are a long way from any scout shop or council office.

 

34: Remember there's no appeal for T-2-1. Delete statement about having a scout deferred for advancement is very unusual. It just depends whether a unit conducts regular BORs, or only reviews when a boy is "ready" for advancement.

 

35: Delete "in such a way as to not disclose the identity of the Scout". This is almost completely impractical, and will discourage people from sharing important feedback. A BOR is not a counseling relationship.

 

36: This probably needs more development. I'd encourage yeh not to tell people that BORs should be used to deal with behavioral issues. They really shouldn't, that's a separate process.

 

37-39: I know beginners love these question lists. I can't stand them, because they get in the way of having a real conversation with the lad.

 

41f : I'd delete all of these. Eagle BOR training can be separate, but usually those folks participating in EBORs already have a fair bit of experience. This will save yeh a lot of time so that yeh can actually get beyond the "E" in EDGE. These slides again contain a lot of information about project procedures and other things that really don't have anything to do with a BOR.

 

Anyway, that's my read. Hope at least a few things are helpful for your next revision. Despite my initial caution, I do think it's a grand thing that your district is conductin' this sort of training experience, especially if it is broad enough to meet the needs and approaches of different units, and if it gets beyond the PPT!

 

Beavah

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[fred8033]

dlearyous wrote: "Why does it state that a Scout shall not be responsible for requesting that a board take place?"

 

I think this comes from both the Boy Scout Handbook and also Guide To Advancement section 8.0.0.2. "When he believes he has completed all the requirements, including a Scoutmaster conference, it is up to the unit leader and committee to assure a board of review is held.

 

There might be some leeway for interpretation, but the next GTA sentence is: "Scoutmasters, for example, do not have authority to expect a boy to request one, or to defer him, or to ask him to perform beyond the requirements in order to be granted one."

 

 

[John-in-KC]

Oh, boy. Death by PowerPoint! :-(

 

You need about 5 slides, one of which covers that the BOR is not a retest.

 

The rest of this, as modified (with Beavah's edits), needs to be in a pamphlet you give the learners.

 

Otherwise, here is what you will get from your students....

 

Slide 10: Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

 

If I approach my boss with 50 slides in my slide deck, I get sent back to my cubicle ... simplify, get to the point.

[KC9DDI]

Yup, that many slides is entirely too many. I think giving a presentation of that length will cause the trainees to believe that a BOR is much more complicated than it actually is. I'd say keep it to 10 slides MAX - break it down into Goals of the BOR, Concrete methods used to reach those goals, and maybe address some specific "myths" or poor practices that may be common in your area. Devote no more than 3 or 4 slides to each topic. If there's more detailed or wordy information you want to convey, you can put it in a handout - but even then, try to keep that handout to less than 2 double-sided pages of fairly large, sparse text.

 

I really liked the suggestion of doing a "demo" BOR as part of the training. Conducting a "mock" BOR with a narrator who can call out key points, and allowing for some interaction with the trainees asking questions, etc is likely to be a more useful learning experience than Yet Another PowerPoint presentation. If you go this route, be sure to demonstrate good responses to some of the difficult situations, like deciding to delay rank advancement, etc.

 

 

 

 

[fred8033]

The power point presentation actually reminds me a lot of my learning as I learned about advancement, but I agree that it is just too long. It is better suited as the outline for a 30 page paper.

 

Here's a wild suggestion. How about cutting it down to about 10 to 12 slide. One slide for each sub-section of section 8 (BORs) in the Guide To Advancement. For the handout, give them a printed copy of section 8 of the GTA. Don't bother covering the ugly stuff (over 18, disputed BOR, appeals, ...) http://scouting.org/filestore/pdf/33088.pdf

 

Don't bother trying to create yet another summary. Get them to start reading what BSA publishes. That's ultimately what most of us hope starts happening (i.e. people start following BSA publications and not just repeating troop traditions). Heck, if you get them to read GTA section 8, maybe they will wonder what the other sections cover and read them too.

 

In any event, nice job on the learning and the effort. That was not easy and reflects a lot of thinking about what's supposed to happen.(This message has been edited by fred8033)

[dlearyous]

Thanks fred, but I found it last month on my own once I found the new 2011 Guide to Advancement.