Anyone done the new iols

[jc2008]

Reading syllabus for the 1.5 day iols and had a question..

There don't appear to be round robins so the entire course is all

Doing the same activity at once ? We need to make sure patrol guides are

Experts in all instead of finding experts for Each activity?

 

How did your course run ?

[SSScout]

We interpreted the new syllabus as a guide for the "Troop".   We do things by "Patrol", regardless.   Instruction depends on how big our crowd is, sometimes the whole Troop in a class, sometimes we divvy it up per Patrol, rotate thru the class areas.  We had 4 full Patrols once last year, only 10 people  this past April. 

We also, quite honestly, view the syllabus as the "minimum" we need to do.  We include more instruction as the experience of our Scouter Staff  allows and permits. It is almost always closer to 2 days , Set up early Saturday morn, go home sunday afternoon around 4 or 5!    No one has ever complained.  We also try to schedule a "Sabbath Friendly"  IOLS when possible. 

The goal , as always, is to get the newbie SMs to "pass"  the FC requirements.   Exampling the Patrol Method, the Boy (Scouter?) Led Unit,  the "Never do anything yourself that a boy can do"  sort of Scouting. 

Yes, we try to have individual Experts in Woods Tools, Cooking/Sanitation,  Animal/plant ID,  Compass/map,  First Aid (discussion about whether we need an actual Paramedic sort of person here), we look at the introduction of experienced Scouters to the newbies as a form of networking, and "hey, we been there, it ain't that hard" kind of thing. 

 

Hope that answers your question. 

 

See you on the trail!

[jc2008]

Thanks I was wondering about no first aid and such in the syllabus.

 

Will take a look and make it work, we are expecting a larger than usual class this year

[SSScout]

The consensus around these here parts (4 people?) seems to be the PTB want  FA  to be instructed by some "professional "type medico person (Who?  Doctor?  Paramedic? EMT? Red Cross instructor?  ) .  We have used the same flip chart FA course from the Red Cross Certification course, but not with a RC person reviewing it.  Worked for some years..

 

Personal story:   During the County Fair,  I help out at the Rabbit Barn.  My son and wife raised rabbits for many years, won some ribbons. But I am allergic to the little gems, so I usually sit at the entrance to the Rabbit Barn where the air is coming in and "cleaner".  One afternoon, a fellow walks up to me and stops and looks. I recognize him as an IOLS Scouter from a few months back. We shake hands and reintroduce ourselves.  He says, " I've been meaning to call you up or email you about your training. It saved my life." Here I began paying more attention. "The possible signs of heart attack?  After the IOLS, I went home and when I went to work the next week, I remembered them and went to the ER after work and talked to a doctor there.  I went in for tests, and they said it was a good thing I did."   The rest of his story went as you might expect.  He came in and toured the Barn, and we parted friends, again.  

[Chadamus]

Adults were broken into patrols. Different leaders for almost each topic with a few exceptions (for example the same instructor did camping and backpacking). Orienteering and Cooking were performed separately by patrol. Most everything else was by group.

 

If I was running ItOLS the prerequisite would be to read the Scoutmaster's Handbook. Far too much time can be spent answering questions that any Scouter with some initiative can have answered on their own beforehand.

[Eagle94-A1]

Going to use the new syllabus for the first time next week. I'm a late addition to the staff, my WFA class that same weekend and same camp is cancelled due to lack of participants. So I've not read the syllabus yet, just glanced over it.

 

To quote the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton), " HMMM you changed things. I don't like it."

[JasonG172]

I taught the LNT portion Friday night.  Till not a fan of "dumbing down" training or shortening it.

[blw2]

Hmmm... I wonder if this has anything to do with the 1 day IOLS IOWL, with optional camping.... I saw on the calendar the other day.

 

I thought it looked a bit fishy.  I'm looking for an opportunity to take IOLS, and the one day honestly appealed to me.

 

I'm not a fan of dumbing down training.... but at the same time I am a huge fan of making it right and being smart about it.  I'll use BALOO as an example.   The one I sat through was a complete clock burner.  I learned nothing new and I realized no real benefit from the day I gave up for it.  The only thing remotely "interesting" was the heated discussion about trip plan (tour and activity).

 

My hope is that IOLS will be at least a little more fun, like hanging out & camping with friends.... & My hope is that I'll learn some stuff, as i no doubt always have a lot to learn..... it's just that these things usually seem to be more about non-stop pressure to check off boxes, instead of testing or imparting any real knowledge or tips that I don't already know.

[Eagle94-A1]

My BALOO was a waste of time too.  I didn't learn anything, and being in a classroom didn't appeal top me. When I taught BALOO, it was at the local camp and a lot more hands on.

 

SM Fundamentals, the old course that combined This is Scouting, SM Specific, and ITOLS into 1 course over a month, was mixed. Learning about the paperwork side was worth it. The How a meeting is suppose to run, and T-2-1 camping skills were kinda a waste of time. BUT, the fellowship of my patrol was great.  But that course was only offered twice a year, so you would have anywhere from 4-8 patrols worth of Scouters. Some just crossed over, some who left Scouting for a while and were back, and some like me who aged out.

 

One thing I did last time I did ITOLS was get the best staff I could find, irregardless of whether they completed ITOLS or not, or whether they were an adult or a Scout. 2 Scouts on staff did a great job. Of my staff, 3 had taken ITOLS or SM Specific, 2 had their beads (although the 3 beader was "untrained" because he needed ITOLS still), and 3 needed ITOLS. I think 3 Eagle Scouts with extensive camping experience, including 2 who went to Philmont (one did 3 times), Woudl be able to teach basic campcraft, I also got some of the participants onthe spot and got them to help teach.

 

Funny thing about one of the Scouts staffing ITOLS. 2 years later, he turned 18. District training chairman made him go through ITOLS again as a participant. He didn't want anyone to say he showed favoritism to his son.

 

On a different note, we have one long term Scouter who has yet to complete ITOLS. Been active as a Scouter since the mid 1960s, Been to Philmont multiple times on treks and staffed there multiple years ( I believe he said he's been to Philmont 21 times total since the 1960s, not including those visits to drop off his kids who were Philmont staffers too). I think he could pass the class easily, if he would take the time to take it.

[SSScout]

Our last IOLS did not teach "first aid".   We had an open  discussion about "emergency physiology". 

[Eagle94-A1]

Well I'm off the hook for this weekend. Not only did only did 1, yes ONE, person sign up for Wilderness First Aid, causing us to cancel, only 4 people registered for ITOLS.  So training chair talked to staff  about not showing up. We had more staff than participants.