The Instructor

[gcnphkr]

The Instructor is a POR which I've not found a way to utilize effectively. Most have not taken the initiative on this and had simply told the PLs, "Hey, I can do this for you if you want" and then waited for the PL to contact them. For the most part this has ended up being a "no show job" for the scout. The one time it worked was when the Instructor had a list of the scouts and the skills they needed to work on and would plan lessons around those skills. He would then get the scouts with that need together and work with them on that skill. At that it took a great deal of working with the scout, making sure he had a plan and was implementing it. Perhaps that is what it takes to make this position work.

 

Any suggestions?

[SctDad]

First I am guessing that you are looking for a way to make your Instructor do his job. IF this is the case then I would set the following expectations.

 

Every meeting, the instructor coordinates the teaching of one skill to scouts. If there is one scout who needs a skill then teach it to all. It will not hurt the older ones to brush up on skills.

 

Or if that is too much, then maybe there should be two blocks of instruction a month, designed to teach scout skills.

 

Also set a way for them to teach skills on outings, DO cooking, firestarting, and stuff like that. Maybe if you have more than one instructor, then they could work together to create a round robin type training, so several skills are taught in a meeting.

 

Hope this is the type of information that you are looking for.

[gcnphkr]

It is.

 

Currently the patrols take turns teaching the skills each month.

 

The successful Instructor had targeted skills that he taught in a break out for those that needed it and generally did this at one or two meetings a month. Doing it every week for six months would be burdensome, so perhaps a team of instructors would work. We've only had one at a time in the past.

[Lisabob]

What about asking your instructor to help you plan a fun activity that incorporates the skill in question. I've noticed that, when seeds are planted, some scouts are willing to do all kinds of leg work to gather info on fun activities. For example if he's working with scouts this month on lashings, ask him to help put together plans for some sort of gateway for the next CoH or find plans to build a trebuchet or something. He'll probably hit the internet and come back with a fistful of good knots and lashings activities that can then form the basis for his instructional sessions.

 

But yeah, some scouts are going to require more guided assistance in terms of lesson planning. That's tough stuff to figure out on their own for your typical teenager.

[Eagle92]

Does anyone use the troop Program features, or the old Woods Wisdom? That had outlines for instruction as well as games to incorporate into the lesson plans.

 

As for the role of instructor, In my old troop instructors were 1st Class or Above, had served at least one term as a PL, and were elected into the old Leadership Corps. So they were generally the older, expereinced Scouts who had skills. While the Green Bar/ PLC planned the meetings, those folks in the leadership corps had an active part in executing the program.