Edge training requirement for Woodbage

[Knight]

A few observations:

 

A. EDGE is a core element of the Wood Badge curriculum. It only makes sense that the staff should refresh themselves on the methodology that is a core part of the course.

 

B. In the course that I am staffing, all staff teach to one degree or another. I am a Quartermaster and I am presenting Coaching and Mentoring along with several other presentation parts.

 

C. I personally think everyone should take refresher courses. For me, if nothing else, it shakes me out of my old habits. In Wood Badge, we tell people to make a commitment to lifelong learning. That commitment applies equally well to me as to the persons I am training.

 

One of the Scouters I most admire is 78 years old - and he continues to go to training courses such as EDGE. I know that he has vast experience, that he knows the BSA and the programs inside & out, and on top of everything else, that he has the wisdom of many decades. Yet, he still is an enthusiastic participant in these courses to become a better trainer and teacher. I absolutely believe there is a direct connection between his willing desire to continue (and repeat) his self-education and his demonstrated success as a Scouter and role model.

[OldGreyEagle]

OK, I have taken EDGE training

 

No, it did not tell me anything about presenting that I didnt know already, but it was not supposed to. I am an undergraduate Education Major with 4 years of University teaching. EDGE was not designed to give me any help uin presenting, but I do not beleive it should have

 

EDGE is for beginning trainers, for people who have never talked in front of a a group before. Sometimes long time scouters forget not everyone has had the experiences that they have had. BSA needs a way of establishing a base level of competence in its trainers and EDGE does that very well. Some may say its the same old stuff, just recycled around. I say, well heck yeah, but it is the BSA way and BSA is trying to establish a trainig vocabulary that is common for both youth (NYLT) and Wood Badge and EDGE helps establish that.

 

I am glad I went, I underestand it and I saw first time presenters terrified to talk and the instructors did a good job with them. Not everyone is comfortable talking in Public and this is a way to ease people into it.

[John-in-KC]

OGE: That makes sense. If you've had some form of pedagogical training along the way, it's a re-plow of the ground.

 

Got it.

[BDPT00]

Thanks OGE. You're exactly right.

EDGE isn't new, and it wasn't created by the BSA. It's simply a teaching method, and it's one that young Scouts can learn. We need to learn it, too, so we're on the same page, and so we can help teach it to our Scouts. Just because a kid wears a patrol leader patch (or and Eagle badge) doesn't mean he knows how to teach.

We're here to guide them. What a concept!

BDPT00

[GKlose]

Thanks for the followup, OGE -- as a recap, I had my last session last night too, which included delivering a 10-minute presentation to a small group. I put a lot of work into mine, because it is a small part of what I am going to deliver at a function this coming Saturday morning (the event is interesting -- our district is doing a Cub Scout Chuck Wagon, sort of, and because there is little for parents to do during that time, we offer parents some informal training on the Scouting program -- my session is called "Trail to Eagle" an overview of Boy Scout advancement).

 

But the two others in my small group spent little effort on their presentations and it showed. Both were out of their comfort zones, too.

 

Overall, I think you've summarized the intent of Trainer's EDGE very well. My biggest feedback is that I think some of the content is stale, and could use some refreshing. Our course followed the syllabus (which you can find online) exactly.

 

During our course, I thought some of the trainers/presenters (there were at least six people involved, and each had a small section of the course) were awkward, and unrehearsed. But I learned last night that most of them were also going through the same course, and received training cards too. That changes my impression of the course quite a bit -- all along I was thinking that "gosh, he could be using some of the advice that we learned about earlier." Turns out I was more right that I thought. :-)

 

Am I glad I went through it? Sure -- I did pick up some things that I wouldn't have learned otherwise. But there was at least four hours of content that was either common sense or rehash for me.

 

Guy

[OldGreyEagle]

One of the Staff members we had is also a Chemistry Professor at Lehigh University. He made a comment that education has shifted from what he termed "The Sage on the Stage" to "The Guide on the Side".

 

 

[GKlose]

BDPTOO -- the focus of Trainer's EDGE isn't really on EDGE, although there is one segment (may a half hour at most) in it that *does* focus on EDGE. So out of six hours total, maybe a half hour is devoted to EDGE. Although I can't remember as far back as my Woodbadge course this last fall, there was a similar amount of time devoted to EDGE there too.

 

Although I didn't go through the earlier course, I heard that was a "Train the Trainers" course that preceded Trainer's EDGE. I'm not sure how much of the content is identical, but the overall focus is on much more than just EDGE.

 

Guy

[OldGreyEagle]

As it was explained to me, EDGE is a model that youth can follow to teach a skill such as how to tie a knot, build a fire, find direction at night, that sort of thing. These are pretty much in the Psychomotor Domain. Presenting EDGE to adults allows both youth and adults to have a common vocabulary. Now, when presenting in the Cognitive Domain where one teaches in the Knowledge, Comprehension, Analysis, Application, Synthesis and Evaluation areas, EDGE doesn't hold up as well as there isn't much demonstration in explaining what the scout law means, well thats actually going into the Affective Domain, but I digress.

 

Some things, such as this years Klondike Derby rules are not going to easily fold into the EDGE psychomotor range and thats what the reast of the EDGE training was about

[evmori]

Yawn! Like I said - same stuff with a fancy new acronym!

[ideadoc]

OGE said "EDGE doesn't hold up as well as there isn't much demonstration in explaining what the scout law means"

 

I think that setting the example is the Demonstrate portion of teaching the Scout Law.

 

As far as comparing Trainer's EDGE to the Trainer Development Conference, I find EDGE more applicable and less of a time waster. I never was much for all the Pinewood Derby stuff as a part of a training session for trainers.

[HICO_Eagle]

hotair36 said: "NO, it is not just a rehash of past versions of train the trainer."

 

I'm sorry but yes it is. I found nothing new or innovative in EDGE, just a restatement of common sense training practices under a flashy acronym. It was a full day that repeated the training I got as a Boy Scout, in college, USAF active duty, etc.

 

I am REALLY sick of adding all this mandatory training that doesn't really add anything new. Encourage it for those who don't have a background yes but making it mandatory ... bleah! I don't have any empirical studies to prove it but I think adding all this time wasting garbage is counterproductive and drives away people who would otherwise be willing to participate more fully or take SOME training if they didn't have to get it all.

[ScouterRob]

Can you not just add the Edge Training in with a Woodbadge Prep meeting?

 

Kill two birds with one stone.

[GKlose]

At this point, I wish the workshop would not have been named "Trainer's EDGE" because it has so very little to do with EDGE training (granted, I don't think "Train the Trainers" is any better of a name).

 

Guy

[sherminator505]

Is there anyone here who actually believes that the skills needed by trainers changed when the BSA went from TDC to Trainer's EDGE? The main differences are in how they are packaged and taught. Now if there was more emphasis placed on how to BUILD training staffs to deliver the training that BSA now requires, THEN we'd get somewhere.

[jhankins]

TDC and Trainer's EDGE are light years apart. I'm grateful for a class that includes how to make sure your audience is listening and how to use Powerpoint the right way instead of "How to make a Flannel Board."

 

...

 

The NYLY syllabus has the requirement listed for Trainer's EDGE, but after reading the new 2010 admin guide and syllabus for WB, I didn't see it listed in there yet. However, the Area training committees are passing on the fact that it is mandatory to staff.

 

I'd hate to see Course Directors or councils losing the right to hold courses over something so trivial as not taking training...