Choosing a Wilderness Survival Instructor
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Two of the most important things to be considered when looking for an
instructor in any field are the instructor's competency with the material
to be taught and the skill with which they can present the information in a coherent, simple,
and understandable manner. Competency may be judged by whether the instructor is able to
successfully complete the tasks to be taught. If s/he is unable to complete a task, it
is doubtful that s/he will be able to instruct others to do so. Teaching ability is more
difficult to gauge than competency, if only for the reason that one may be among the elite
at performing a task, but still be unable to effectively communicate instructional
information to a student.
When I was a boy I remember seeing hockey great Guy LaFleur interviewed on an instructional
video. Guy was asked to explain how he scored goals. He said, "Puck on stick, shoot, score."
No one can question Guy's ability to score goals, but I doubt that his explanation on how to
do so helped many to score more themselves. It can be argued that English was not Guy's
first language, which resulted in a communication problem, but I tend to think of it
more as a result of Guy not having spent any time thinking about scoring goals. He
operated by his instincts, and they served him very well as a player. But he didn't
break the process down in his mind in order to better explain it, which left him, in
this case, lacking as an instructor.
Having studied with many instructors, in both the academic and outdoor field, I have found
that the most effective are those who have spent considerable time and energy on the
teaching process, and not just coasted on their field-related skills and abilities.
Teaching is skill like any other, which must be studied and learned. Exceptional
teachers need not always be on the cutting edge of the developments in their field.
If they direct their efforts at the teaching process, their students will usually be well served.
I urge the reader to investigate potential instructors before signing up for their courses.
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