I’m currently engaged in planning the delivery of our Wing’s first AMOI course.
As such, I’m looking for any tips, best practices, good exercises etc. which you may have experienced or used on your own courses. I’d like to use PowerPoint as little as possible, and only as a training aid, so practical exercises are high on my list. I’ve a set which I use on CMOIC courses which I could adapt but looking to broaden my knowledge a little.
Grateful for any input!
Are you aware that there is now a BTEC Level 3 in education and training available through CVQO.
I have put a suggestion to my wing training team that we look at developing our AMOI course into the delivery of this.
As for delivery techniques, look to use as many of the good techniques I hope you are planning to deliver! Discussions, group work prodicing lists on flip chart paper, role play, group exercises for confirmation etc.
I already use these in my CMOI sessions, and there is no reason why you should not be able to use them for adults.
I am half way through writing a lesson on questioning technique, which I would aim to deliver entirely using socratic questioning myself! I’ve always worked on the basis that If I am not having fun, neither are the students, and that will limit how much they learn and retain.
MW
Perhaps some of the techniques can be transferred to courses run by Wgs, or provided from elsewhere, such as Ultilearn… 
Powerpoint can be quite useful - IF used appropriately for the material, & without relying on blanket use of lists, list & more lists! Powerpoint also keeps things as “standard” as can reasonably be expected, especially as different instructors (or staff instructor cadets) have to use the material. At the very least if using PowerPoint, make each bullet point or list item a separate "reveal, but ensure that the instructor notes reflect this… Much better for student participation (helps them stay awake!) rather than the regurgitation of page after page of lists. Might take a little longer (you have to ask the right question to elect the fact/list item that you want), but I think it helps retention.
Going back in time, some older material, such as OHTs, were much better for eliciting list details from the students - just reveal the one item from the natty strips of cardboard!
Not always easy to use all the good CMOI techniques for the relatively short periods that we teach cadets (or staff).
Went through most of the material yesterday and am planning to include all of those elements - role plays, flipchart lists, group discussions etc. I’m also planning to expand on the ‘Presentation Software’ lesson to cover more educational tech - e.g. quiz apps using smartphones, other presentation software etc.
I’d be interested to hear more about the BTEC Level 3 - although first I just want to get the AMOI up and running, as we’ve had nothing in place for a very long time.
I think one key thing would be to avoid doing what this organisation does best - turn a 2 hour course into a 2 day course because of all the added crap that people stick in.
If content can be introduced, explained, understood and then used, job done.
And, unlike ATF, who are severely behind the times, let the cadets and adults use tech themselves. Being told I wasn’t allowed to use my laptop on OSC was a real bummer, as I took pages and pages of handwritten notes, most of which ended up in the bin. If they were electronic, at least I could have saved and referenced them. Likewise, a dyslexic Sgt who did their course was again told they could not use a laptop to take notes, despite the laptop being provided specifically for their SEN.
Oh, I am 100% with you there. I’ve said on the JIs that people should feel free to use stuff like that, and I’m going to demonstrate apps like Socrative which allow you to do real-time quizzes over WiFi, so technology will be of benefit (although not required if people aren’t of that persuasion).
Are you going to give them the course notes to read beforehand? One of my staff went on an MOI and thought there was a lot of things that could have been done as pre-reading and the actually course could have been more practical and people could have come along with problems they’ve encountered and or ways to do things that could have been shared / discussed. They said as it was it should have been a 2 days or 1½ days with an overnight, as in one day there was too much to take in and things couldn’t really be discussed.
Their concern was that learning styles, difficulties and participation wasn’t covered enough, with what can be done realistically on the sqn when you are getting 30-40 minutes ‘face to face’ with a group that will have a variety of learning styles/difficulties. Which when we aren’t trained or funded or provided with adequate and proper resources to work with LD/SEN, makes it all the more difficult.
A pre-course questionnaire covering personal experience of dealing with cadets with learning difficulties and if they themselves have learning problems, might be a useful tool, to guide the delivery of the course.
Yup, a pre course survey is in the plan to see in advance their experience levels and expectations. Some pre-course prep is also in my mind as well.
Currently planning on doing it on 2 separate days with a gap in between.
You could also get your students to complete the online VARK questionnaire (if you have sufficient IT) so that it gives them an insight into how they learn. Its also useful when you cover the ‘How People Learn’ section of the syllabus.
http://www.vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=questionnaire
I also have copies of the RAF Specific Learning Difficulties book - if you’d like a copy (assuming you haven’t already got one), PM me with your email address.
I was looking for an online questionnaire…would you say that’s the best of them?
PM on its way.
To avoid killing your students with Powerpoint, use it for questions mostly, and sparingly.
[quote=“redowling” post=16527]I was looking for an online questionnaire…would you say that’s the best of them?
PM on its way.[/quote]
Not sure which one is the best as it’s the only one I’ve used.
Email outbound to you!
Muchas gracias!