Virtual Patrol Training Exercise

[CNYScouter]

Does anyone know of an good exercise that shows what happens when Virtual Patrols are used?

 

I was thinking along the lines of having 2 groups work on some type of short objective or task that requires group cooridination and then randomly swaping half the group and immediatly have them do the task.

 

Any ideas?

[orennoah]

Could you explain this "virtual patrol" concept?

 

Thanks.

[CNYScouter]

A "virtual" patrol is the creation of a patrol for an activity.

 

I have been involved with and have met troops where new patrols are formed every month just for camping trips.

This is done becuase most of the time very few kids are attending the activities/trips and they are making one or two patrols of the kids that are going.

 

Both of the Troops we have been involved with do this and when I decided to switch Troops almost every troop I visited did this.

The only Troops that did not were the ones that were small (and ready to fold) and only had enough scouts for one patrol.

 

I am looking for a quick way to demonstrate why this is a bad idea beyond just telling "it's not the way the Patrol Methid works"

 

 

 

[Eagle76]

What an interesting idea!

I don't have the answer, and I'm thinking on the fly but, here goes.

 

Each patrol has a designated leader.

Make the 2 patrol tasks similar, but different. Something relatively simple like, each patrol has a basket full of balls, half red, half blue. One patrol is supposed to take the blue balls out and put them in a bag, the other patrol is supposed to take the red balls out and put them in a bag. A timed contest, of course.

First, the boys are supposed to plan what to do, who's going to do it, and how, without touching anything.

Then you scramble the patrols. Maybe you swap halves, leaving a leader, maybe you swap everyone except the leader, maybe you make it so both leaders are in one patrol.

Now the task must be done, with no speaking.

Watch the fun!

 

If you swap half the boys, the job might get done by the "original" members, probably with the new boys left out.

If you swap all but the leader, it will probably be confusing, but the leaders may be able to get the directions across (or maybe he'll have to do it himself!)

If you have both leaders together when you scramble, who knows? I'm now thinking this is most like "virtual patrols". One group will be 50-50, with different "training", with no leader, and the other will be 50-50, with different objectives, with 2 leaders with opposite plans. If you do the prep inside, in two different rooms, then take the groups outside, then tell them to perform the task, with the groups split 50-50 and being in a different environment, who's to say which group is "supposed" to extract the blues, and which is "supposed" to extract the reds?

 

Now I've thought of another variation, maybe the best yet. You scramble the patrols, 50-50, with NO leaders. They get to stand on the sides and watch how their patrol members function without them. Maybe this adds to the lesson, driving home that while it's important for patrol members to attend outings so they can learn to work together, it's even more important for the leader to be there to provide leadership.

 

Comments?(This message has been edited by Eagle76)

[FScouter]

"I am looking for a quick way to demonstrate why this is a bad idea beyond just telling 'it's not the way the Patrol Methid works'. "

 

You don't have enough lifetimes to demonstrate why all the bad ideas people dream up don't work. Try turning this around and ask the virtual patrol proponents to demonstrate how the patrol method fails because of fewer boys.

 

Not "enough" boys for the campout? The solution is to find out WHY they don't want to attend and fix that problem. Even still, I've seen patrols of three boys, or even two boys function sucessfully on a campout.

 

If you expect the patrol method to be successful, you cannot toss it out at the first sign of trouble.

[orennoah]

Two words: "Unit cohesion."

 

'Nuff said.

 

- Oren

[CNYScouter]

FScouter - you are right about "You don't have enough lifetimes to demonstrate why all the bad ideas people dream up don't work"

 

However, it just seems way to common of a practice in the Troops in this area. I think that a demonstration of this makes the point of why not to use them.

 

In both Troops I have been with I have tried to address the issue of "low turn outs" on activities.

I think when 6 out 28 scouts go or when the Troop has to cancel a outing because there is no interest in going, there's a problem. However I am the only one who thinks this.

Everyone else blows it off as "the scouts are busy with other things" or "the kids today don't like doing the outdoor stuff".

 

If you ask the adult leaders about their troop they have the greatest programs going. Just ask them and they will tell you that.

 

I have been working on staff at SM/Outdoor skills training. I think we do a good job presenting the patrol method however the point is not being made. After reading the syllabus, I have to say I am not real impressed with the section about the patrol method.

 

I have asked Troops about using "virtual" patrols. There seems to be a misconception that a patrol must have 6 to 8 scouts in it. Patrols are combined to meet this.

This goes along with the post about using the Troop Method. I have to say that a majority of the units in my district use this over the Troop method.

 

[FScouter]

"There seems to be a misconception that a patrol must have 6 to 8 scouts in it. Patrols are combined to meet this. "

 

That misconception shows a lack of understanding of the purpose of a patrol.

 

6 to 8 boys is ideal. 5 is less than ideal, 2 or 3 more difficult but doable. "Virtual patrol" is NOT even a patrol at all. It is just a group of random troop boys. 2 boys attending from a patrol is still a patrol. Random boys thrown together is nothing more than random boys thrown together.

[CNYScouter]

FScouter-

 

As a trainer how do you get the point across about the Patrol Method?

 

In reading the sylabus for SM leader Specifc and the Outdoor Skills training we are doing a good job following them.

In our Training everything is being done by patrols. There are patrol competitions, cooking and instruction by patrols.

 

Yet, when I talk with other Troop leaders, even the ones who had had the training, very few understand the Patrol method.

 

When I was looking for a new Troop, I visited a Troop that had 2 Eagles as leaders (SM and a CM). The CC, an ASM and one the committee memebers all had Wood Badge. The UC for this unit was the District Training Chair.

I was very disappointed when I saw they had Patrol A, B, and C.

Yes, this was the patrols assigned names.

In the meeting I attended they were putting together patrols of the boys who were attending the next campout. They spent the whole Troop meeting, as a one group, deciding on a menu.

 

Every Troop I visited, that had over 10 kids, used the "virtual" patrol method. The ones with under 10 kids all had older boys and were ready to fold when their scouts aged out.

 

Scouting is struggling in this area. I feel that this is one of the major reasons. The few Troops that I have talked with are doing a good job and are using the patrol method are booming.

I'd join one of these but they are just too far away