Cub Leader Basic - Is there a problem?

[Overtrained]

In looking over the Cub Scout Leader Specific traning syllabus - it asks a training team to run a seperate 2.5 hour session for the 5 areas. Is anyone doing it this way? If you aren't, how are you adapting it?

[AdvanceOn]

The three times that I've been involved in the training we've put the cubmaster and committee chair trainigs together and the den leader/tiger leader training together. This is done primarily because we haven't had enough people to train. Last training we had 5 den leaders, 2 cubmasters, and one committee chair.

[shemgren]

In my council, we train Webelos Den Leaders at a Saturday - Sunday session at our council camp twice a year, expanding to cover basic scoutcraft skills.

 

I often do the Cub Scout training on week night in a three hour block. First I cover NLE then do the Cub Scout Leader Specific Training, without the Webelos section, since NLE and CSLST are both required to be trained. I do mix Tigers and Den Leaders and also Committee and Cubmasters, usually due to small numbers and a small staff.

 

NLE covers some of the same material in the Leader's Specific, allowing the training to be streamlined to a 3 hour block. Things like fianaces, the program ideals and such as well covered in New Leader's Essentials, and don't need to be repeated in the specific section.

 

When I first started to do training, it was a 6 hour course.(This message has been edited by shemgren)

[Overtrained]

Advanceon- I've been doing similiar by having the first 3 parts (with the video) as one group, we then break down into the 5 seperate areas for the last hour to discuss "Leader Specific" stuff. This still takes 2 1/2 hours or so, but means I need up to 5 trainers for the breakouts. My district scouters are pretty good at pre-registering ( I had 20 with 1 walk in last time) so I know what positions are there and can recruit appropriate trainers.

 

Shemgren - When you say you skip the Webelos part, are you talking about WOLF (Webelos Outdoor Leader Fundamentals)? I do New Leader Essentials (NLE) a lot as a all Scouter session. The syllabus touches only lightly on items like finance. I think the Leader specific (Cub, Scout, Varsity, or Venturing) is much more detailed and beneficial. With NLE being 90 minutes and Cub Leader Specific being up to 2:40, I'd have a hard time trimming over an hour off the training. Particularly since NLE is good forever and you don't have to take it again when one moves to a different program. I'd like to know how you do it. I'm not saying it can't be done, just that I don't know how without skipping something.

 

One last thought for all - Is a Cub Scouter to take each session seperately as they switch positions in the Pack?

 

Bob

[Bob White]

We run them as written, as separate courses, and it has worked quite well. In the last 12 months we have had 92 participants attend Cub Leader Job Specific courses in our District.

 

Bob White

 

[shemgren]

The cuts are decided by the council Cub training committee. I recieved a revised schedule and follow that.

 

While I train according to the syllabus sections as outlined by the above mention committee, we don't do the bridges in NLE due to budget cuts at the council level, and the smaller groups I normally teach makes it simplier by not having as many questions as in a large group. Larger groups take closer to 4 hours to complete.

 

Yes, we teach our Webelos leaders in a verison of WOLF delvolped by our council training committee.

 

Currently, we don't teach NLE as a seperate course, it is incorporated into the indivdual training courses.(This message has been edited by shemgren)

[nldscout]

This is exactly why national tried to build better shorter courses so it would be standardized across the board. No more locally designed Basic courses. I see that not much has changed and that things will never change

 

 

[Eamonn]

We do it by the Book.

If you are not going to do it by the Book.

Why bother having the Book ?

If there is a problem, it is because people are not doing it by the book.

If there is something that isn't working, have your Council Training Chair, bring it to the attention of the Regional and National staff.

I have a real problem with the New Leader Essentials course, not being offered as a stand alone course. Our aim must be to launch these new Adults into Scouting. Not one program, all of the programs.

We also have to get used to calling these Courses by the correct names ?

(This message has been edited by Eamonn)

[Twocubdad]

I believe Overtrained is referring to the five position-specific courses for Tiger Leaders, Den (Wolf & Bear) Leaders, Webelos Leaders, Cubmasters and Committee Members. I've take all of the courses, save Cubmaster which I'm taking it next month.

 

The four courses I've taken are very similar. I think they all follow the same outline, except one section on the advancement plan for the specific program area they are covering. In addition, Webelos includes and additional section of Webelos-Boy Scout transistion.

 

Certainly, teaching the courses in individual sessions is ideal, but as you've discovered, that requires resources for five separate classes. Someone would need to study the syllabi to make sure you're not leaving anything out, but I would think you could combine two or more courses fairly easily. It just means the participants would have to sit through the extra material.

[Marty_Doyle]

One thing our Council does is split the training into two sessions on a week night some months and hold them together opn a Saturday in other months.

The split sessions - one night NLE, and the following week another night CSLST - makes it easier to get trained in the next position one graduates to. New Leader Essentials is "eternal", but one is supposed to go to separate training for Tiger, Cub , Webelos, etc Leader position as you move up.

Getting adults or leaders to go at noon on a Saturday is not as appealing (fdor the second half of the training covering CSLST).

And in both the Den Leader anbd Webelos Den Leader sessions I attended, the training was mixed with other leader training, since there was only three or four attendees. Cubmaster specific training next month will probably be the same.

The DE has told the training staff they have to train even if only one pupil shows.

[sctmom]

When I took this last fall, they combined Den Leader & Webelos Den Leader because of lack of trainers. The Tiger leaders probably had more questions than anyone because most likely they are the brand new parents.

 

Last fall our district had 2 Saturday trainings and also did NLE at a Roundtable with the breakout sessions at the next roundtable.

 

[buffalo2]

We're currently offering District level training twice a year, and have just finished our 3rd offering under the new syllabus. Along with several others, would have to agree that presenting Cub and BS and Venture leader training all together is a demand on scarce resources. We're beginning to combine some parts of the Cub trainings with specific breakout sessions; and have separated the Venture leader training entirely outside of the NLE piece. We've begun to combine the SM/ASM training outdoor weekend and offer it just once a year with some success.

While we're committed to presenting the syllabus material as it's released, there are definitely places where there is room for improvement and the presenter is left to supplement as he(she) finds necessary. What additions are folks making to the training packages as they're given to us?

[Bob White]

Basically none, other than inputing localized information. For instance in the NLE powerpoint we have inserted a map of the Council and district service areas. When Scoutmaster training talks about JLT we add the local name Birchbark with it.

 

Other than that we feel that we have a responsibility as trainers to follow the syllabii and training continuum as it has been designed.

 

How can we judge effectiveness if everyone is doing a different version?

Bob White(This message has been edited by Bob White)

[AdvanceOn]

I 'm with those of you who feel we should go by the book. Unfortunately I haven't seen much "going by the book" from Council on down. With the exception of Wood Badge and maybe Trainer Development, I haven't seen a single training that actually followed the syllabus.

 

Can I add another pet peeve? Our trainings are done totally by the seat of our pants. There have been no meetings to prepare and practice. I am the only person doing the trainings who has even attended Trainer Development Conference (formerly Train the Trainer). How many of you who are doing trainings have been trained as a trainer?

 

[Bob White]

In our council we are big on Trainer Development BSA 500. In the last year we have held 3 courses and had over 90 participants. If you want to be a trainer, RT Commissioner or staff, or Wood Badge staff you are required to complete TD/BSA 500.

 

Bob White