CFI Lesson Plans

[Richard]

Of you CFIs, how many continue to modify or add to your lesson plans? Not just to keep them current but to continue to revise and/or divide headings into subheadings with the aim of a more complete body of information.

Would these also include a varience in instructional method from the method you most often use?

 

[Michael]

My CFIs plans change all the time. but perhaps thats because ive gone through 4 different ones so far in my quest for the IR.

 

[midlifeflyer]

My lesson plans have moved from the FAA format to a personal outline of the things I want to cover on a topic. Gone are the time schedules and sub-elements. Added are section on "Discussion Areas" with bullet points, formulas, diagrams and references to other materials, such as specific AIM sections. So, if I find a new "latest greatest" idea, it may just find its way onto the plan.

 

[121Dispatch]

Of you CFIs, how many continue to modify or add to your lesson plans? Not just to keep them current but to continue to revise and/or divide headings into subheadings with the aim of a more complete body of information.

Would these also include a varience in instructional method from the method you most often use?

Well, I'm not a CFI (yet), but I am a ground instructor for a large regional airline. I still have all my initial lesson plan outlines - those standard FAA format plans which dictate the general topics I must go over and the time frame for each. These don't change unless we add or delete info from the curriculum.

I do however frequently update the "meat" of the subjects. I am always evalating different/better ways to present the subject matter. Anytime I come across a good training aid (case study, weather radar screen shot, etc...) I will add it to my lesson plans. I also find that it helps my teaching ability to keep track of what techniques work for one student more than another...experience just adds to the bag of tricks.

As long as the fundamentals aren't lost, I believe an instructor must always evaluate and update information presented to students.

 

[Richard]

Thanks guys. It's interesting you mention graphics or "case studies" as something to be added to the initial (basic) lesson plan. Does that mean you didn't include them in the initial lesson plan?

I have visual aids included in all my lessons. Certainly the plan shouldn't be a book but wouldn't the lesson include such things right from the start?

EX: on wx, I have most NWS products printed out for the same time period. That way the student can read the METAR or FA for the very same period as the 4 panel prog chart--in all it's blazing color. It helps them to visualize or coorelate one product to another.

 

[skyflyer8]

I've been instructing for almost two years, and so far I haven't had to modify my lesson plans much. I put a lot of detail into them originally in college. That paid off. I do change things once in a while if I think of a better way to teach something. Everything in the binder is on my computer as a Word file, so it's easy to modify. I have lots of notes.

My most common additions are web sites, such as the online A/FD, NASA ASRS forms, and 8710s. As more things become available "paperless," I can see I'll need to add even more web sites. My students like to know the exact site rather than do a search, it seems. So I keep the addresses handy.

Another thing I've had to add was info on sport pilot training. It's not really a lesson plan, but so many people have asked me about it that I needed to make myself an outline.

I still use my lesson plans frequently as a way to stay organized. I've got most of the info in my head, but I like to refer to my notes to stay on track. As for "case studies," I've got a nice collection of printed weather info/graphics from around the country, some accident reports, pages from various POHs, etc. It's helpful to give a variety of real-world examples beyond the airplane you're flying and the airport you train from.

 

[Areeda]

I make changes to mine fairly regularly.

I give them to the students in phases so we're all on the same page. I know this is not a universal thing. Ron Levy, who's opinion I respect, has said they are not handouts. That caused a lot of soul searching and maybe I need to call them something else.

Besides my outline, objectives and completion standards I have discussion topics with notes and diagrams.

My current lesson plan projects are:

• I want to integrate the PTS into them. So that in the lesson is a detailed description of how it's going to be tested and the tolerances.
• I need formal scenarios. I've been doing way to much from memory on the fly.

Maybe this is a good place to ask people what kind of scenarios do you use and where do you put them in your lessons?

Joe

 

[poadeleted20]

I give them to the students in phases so we're all on the same page. I know this is not a universal thing. Ron Levy, who's opinion I respect, has said they are not handouts.

If they are properly constructed as lesson plans (as described in the Aviation Instructor's Handbook), they are pretty much useless as handouts. However, lesson outlines would be useful to the students. The problem is keeping the concept of the lesson plan (a device used by the instructor to organize the lesson, ensure the teaching points are all included, and identify the resources required to teach the lesson) separate from that of a handout (notes or an outline that help the student learn the material). IOW, if your students find the handout useful, it's probably not really a lesson plan, and if it's really a lesson plan, your students probably won't find it useful. This is a point often not well made in CFI training programs.