This weekend (03.29 &30.14) I had
an opportunity to participate in the ACA Guide Certification course led by one
of your staff guides, Steve Braden.
The course exceeded my expectations
on many levels. I am an experienced expedition paddler of 30 years
with numerous multi-week expeditions under my hull. Yet,
the ACA curriculum for this course was full of useful
information that reminded me of many aspects of paddling that I
had forgotten and introduced me to new techniques, terms and procedures that had
been developed over the years.
Though the information was
interesting and added to my paddling and instruction knowledge, the instructor
most impressed me. Steve was professional and extremely
knowledgeable. His many years of kayaking and outdoor education were very
evident through his broad knowledge of not only the curriculum but the history
and development of each aspect of the course. His demeanor and presentation was
to-the-point, clear, concise and he emphasized elements that he has discovered
through his teaching experience that tend to be the most problematic for
less-experienced paddlers. When errors were made by those of in the class his
critiques were well reasoned and clearly explained and in a manner that was
gentle on the ego. The learning environment that Steve created allowed those of
us in the course to take the critiques as positive and constructive toward our
goal: to be the best kayak guide possible.
Overall, the course was informative
and fun. I feel that any kayaker who is interested in developing
leadership, communication and instructional skills should take this very
worthwhile course. Regardless if the kayaker plans to be a guide
or not, the paddling and communication skills developed through this ACA Guide
Certification curriculum will help each paddler to practice and promote safety
for themself and with those whom the paddler encounters on the
water.Tommy T.
Our next guide/instructor training session is an L3 Instructor Development Workshop in May. 3 places open.
No comments:
Post a Comment