INTRODUCTION TO CANOE / ESSENTIALS of RIVER CANOE/ River Canoe/ WW Canoe.

 Much of this material which applies to both Kayak and Canoe is Also presented Under the main heading "Instruction" sub heading "Certifications"  pre course material   Make sure you look at each area. We're trying to make sure you have all the information you may need regardless of your angle of attack.

INSTRUCTOR DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION EXAM [or any level IDW/ICE requires this info]

We look forward to working with you in the up coming workshop. The following should help you understand the process and expectations.

Description

Instructor Development Workshops (IDW) help students become acquainted with the ACA model of effective instruction, paddling and leadership necessary in canoeing. The teaching techniques, paddling skills, technical knowledge and rescue and safety competencies necessary for successful completion of the Instructor Certification Exam will be reviewed and modeled during this course. We will focus on fine-tuning each candidate’s paddling, rescue, group management and teaching skills, as well as expanding their knowledge in various aspects of canoe sport. Each participant will be assigned a 5-10-minute presentation aimed at the beginner paddler, as well as mini dry land and on-water topics to present to the group. These dress rehearsals will allow candidates to receive valuable feedback from their peers and ITs. The IDW is a prerequisite for the Instructor Certification Exam.

The Instructor Certification Examination (ICE) primarily serves as an opportunity to evaluate the Instructor Candidate for certification. Participation in this course does not guarantee certification. Candidates should arrive proficient in all skills on the appropriate ACA course outlines before attending the ICE. Throughout the certification process, candidates will be instructed and evaluated in the areas below. Candidates must be able to perform all of the related skills, competently on a consistent basis. For example – a candidate must demonstrate the ACA models of paddling strokes consistently, to be considered at a passing level.

Technical Knowledge - General knowledge of the ACA and canoeing

Paddling Skills - Technical proficiency at the desired certification level. Freestyle candidates must have the ability to perform all maneuvers in each of the four quadrants.

Teaching Ability – Good physical modeling, the ability to break down maneuvers and skills into their components, clear, concise, organized and thorough presentations aimed at the beginner paddler, people skills and general professionalism.

Safety Awareness and Technical Rescue Skills candidates must demonstrate comprehension and competency.

Each candidate will be assigned a 5- 10 minute teaching topic to prepare. The Instructor Trainers will pick topics for the candidate to present during the IDW/ICE. This may include classroom, shore-side and on-water topics. These presentations should be concise talks geared to beginning students in an ACA Quickstart, Introduction to Canoe or Basic River Canoe. This is not a chance for you to tell us how much you know, but rather to demonstrate how well you can prioritize the available information to give a beginner what they need to know, in an efficient and effective manner. In addition, each candidate will be assigned impromptu (3 to 5 minute) presentations on a very basic topics, which should be familiar to all instructors (i.e. sizing PFD’s) and various strokes and maneuvers to present to the group.

Two levels of certification are possible in this 3 day IDW/ICE if the Instructor Candidate meets the ACA proficiency requirements: 1. Introduction to Paddling 2.  Essentials of River Canoe

As an ACA Instructor you may be certified to teach the ACA’s Quickstart Your Canoe, Introduction to Canoe or Essentials of River Canoe. Each of these levels builds on the previous one.

A2

INTRODUCTION TO PADDLING Essentials of  RIVER CANOE

 

INSTRUCTOR DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION EXAM

How to Prepare for the Course:

§ Look over the enclosed materials. Be familiar with the ACA site www.acanet.org and print out and bring Canoe course outlines, Instructor Responsibilities, Policy Manual, Insurance Guidelines, Class registration Waivers, noting anything that you have questions on.

§ Be in good physical condition. The days are long and full.

§ Come with an open mind.

§ Bring any canoe books/materials that you feel will be helpful. We make available Canoe Basics for $15 each.

§ Make sure you have personal paddling gear and attire for any weather condition.

§ The class starts on schedule. Arrive early to give yourself plenty of time to unload and prepare your boat and equipment.

§ Write up your presentation outlines and be prepared to give a 5 to10 minute talk aimed at the beginner at anytime. Make extra copies of your outline (approximately 10) to distribute to the group. Prepare teaching and presentation aids.

What to Bring:

§ Bring all of your personal equipment, including appropriate boats and accessories (kneeling pads, PFD’s, etc.) to be on and in the water. You are a professional from the Start of the course on. Look, act, dress like and be like a professional.

§ Bring a folding chair or something to sit on and a notebook and pencil.

§ Include lots of snacks and fluid. Lunches will be working lunches, so bring a bag lunch that is simple and quick. .

§ While we will try to cover the material in 8 to 9 hours during the day, be prepared to spend evenings involved in classroom presentations, group study, video review, etc. as necessary. Therefore keep dinner plans flexible.

§ ACA membership number and appropriate paperwork (waivers, outlines, etc.). Students that are not ACA members will need to join the ACA ($30) before the course and the SEIC ($25) before certification. This can be done easily on line.

While certification is an eventual goal of most candidates, it should be emphasized that becoming certified as an ACA instructor is a learning process. Instructor candidates come to IDW’s and ICE’s with a wide range of prior paddling instruction and teaching experience. Candidates are encouraged to arrive at the IDW and/or ICE with an open mind and to look at this process as part of a journey.

We will do our best to make this course educational and fun. If you have any questions regarding the class please do not hesitate to contact me. There will be two or more Instructor Trainers and other assistant Instructors to help you learn.

 

Instructor Criteria

What does it take to be an ACA Basic River or Whitewater Canoe Instructor?

Candidates must be able to demonstrate their proficiency in safety awareness, general technical knowledge, paddling, and teaching. Administrative requirements such as minimum age, dues and maintenance of certification are covered in the Policy Manual.

Safety Awareness includes your ability to present safety information in an effective manner and your understanding of how to prevent problems. This is an absolute prerequisite to becoming a full instructor. While First Aid and Rescue training is recommended, it is not a required part of the certification.

 

Evaluation System: Observation of teaching and class interactions. Alertness for the well being of others is an especially important trait. Ability to assertively manage the group when necessary is also critical.

Basic River candidates must possess knowledge of safety concerns and the ability to communicate them and apply them on water below class II. They must also be able to perform necessary rescues and recoveries on class I moving water.

Whitewater candidates must do all the above, including rescues and recoveries on class II.

Standard: Successful candidates must demonstrate complete knowledge of the safety concerns at their level of certification. They also must consistently model and practice safe paddling and group leadership at their level of certification.

Technical Knowledge includes a general knowledge of paddlesport, safety, equipment, conditioning, paddling theory, river reading, river running strategies and rescue. This also includes an ability to explain, in layman’s terms, the mechanics of stroke efficiency and maneuvers.

Evaluation System: Observation of teaching and class interactions. Experience is a big part of this. First year paddlers, or paddlers out of practice can be weak in this area

Basic River candidates should be familiar with basic river running maneuvers including eddy turns, peel outs and ferries. They should also have a general knowledge of paddlesport.

Whitewater candidates should have the same knowledge as above but in more depth.

Standard: Successful candidates must possess significant technical knowledge appropriate to their level of certification. They must also be able to communicate this knowledge effectively to their students.

 

Paddling Skills include your ability to demonstrate and model efficient technique, and to handle your own boat competently on a level of water one classification above that on which you will be certified to teach.

Evaluation System: Observation of personal paddling skills on both flatwater and on the river.

Standard:

Basic River candidates should be able to move the boat effectively on water below class II. This includes the ability to do eddy turns, peel outs, and ferries. At this level technique is not as important as long as the candidates can effectively maneuver on the river and perform necessary rescues.

Whitewater candidates should be competent class II paddlers and able to demonstrate high-quality boat control in class III water. They must possess good balance and effective strokes. They must use correct angles and momentum, and read water well. Modeling should be done in a way that provides students with a clear visual image of the technique being taught. Here are some tips for effective modeling:

It often helps to slow it down to half speed and pause at transitions;

Exaggerate your lean and rotation to make them obvious to watchers;

Use a complete range of motion...no shortcuts.

High quality boat control means making the moves with demonstration quality. In other words paddling with grace, control, and mental tranquility, not just surviving. Stress can impair your performance.

Failing characteristics: tippy, no backferry, poor reverse strokes, the mad bomber, poor rescue abilities, lack of mental tranquility on one grade harder water, and close-mindedness about technique. This is an evolving sport. It is better to get temporarily worse than not to try a new skill.

 

Teaching Skills include logistics, lesson organization, class control, teaching of specific technical topics, technique analysis, and demonstration of leadership skills and judgment.

Evaluation System: Generally, instructor candidates are required to present both two and five minute teaching topics. You will be evaluated on the quality of your content. You are encouraged to use notes and resources such as books, videos or classmates. You need to prioritize your presentation. Ask your IT for help with what to cover. Each topic is debriefed on presentation style and content with feedback from the class.

Two minute mini talks are generally equipment oriented and their brevity allows us to discuss a wide range of topics. In reality, the two minute talks are similar to the way you will actually teach.

Five minute prepared talks are timed to force you to prioritize. You can teach from your notes, but be careful not to let the notes interfere with the presentation. In a normal class, these topics would be linked to form a continuous presentation. You will need to distinguish between presenting to instructors and presenting to beginner students. Be creative in your presentations and involve the class!

Standard: Successful candidates must be able to employ a variety of teaching methods. A quality presentation keeps our attention, organizes information in a logical way, and gives a level of detail appropriate to the level of students being taught. A successful teacher conveys enthusiasm for the sport and an ability to connect with students.

More on the evaluation process The information above is meant to be a guide for both instructor candidates and instructor trainers. The goal is to create as objective a standard as possible given that most of the skills being evaluated are not easily quantified. The phrases underlined in each "Standard" paragraph represent qualitative descriptions of how an IT knows quality when he or she sees it.

IT’s vary in the difficulty of their courses just as college professors vary in how strictly they grade. In addition, ACA courses vary by region and according to the background of the instructor (slalom, rodeo, river running, teaching background outside paddlesports, teaching background in paddlesports.) Therefore, IT’s face continual self-evaluation to figure out where they fall in the spectrum between requiring an instructor to be merely safe and competent and requiring them to demonstrate high-end technical skills. IT’s are encouraged to use checklists, videotape and peer feedback to track performance in each area. Sample checklists are available from ITE’s and the ACA website. Candidates are encouraged to look over these checklists to get a sense of what a specific IT’s standard is and how they will be evaluated.

REV: GW 01/20/03

Canoe, Kayak and Paddle Co. LLC

ACA Basic/Essentials of River Canoe IDW/ICE 
{note that this is a sample class outline and schedule}

Duration: 3 Days (24-Hours)

Prerequisite: 1-Day (8 Hours) Basic River Canoe course or equivalent

Certification Levels: Introduction to Canoe, Basic River Canoe (Tandem or Solo)

(This schedule is subject to change, the suggested times are minimum contact hours, actual times may vary to maximize safety, logistics, class size and teaching conditions. Breaks are scheduled as needed.
You will receive an updated schedule on the first morning of the class).

IDW Portion - 2 Days (16 Hours)

DAY 1:

8:45 am-12:00 Welcome and Introductions

o Participant and instructor expectations, goals and objectives of course

o Review workshop schedule

o Certification requirements reviewed: Proficiency in technical knowledge, paddling skills, teaching skills and safety.

o Registration requirements, fees due, Instructor’s Manual, liability waivers, health forms.

How to Teach -Principals and Teaching Theory – (IT Presentations)

o Learning and Teaching Theory

o Effective Presentation Strategies

o Evaluations and Feedback Techniques (purpose, types and how to give)

o Developing a critical eye and use of video

Concepts of Paddling (Boat, Paddle, Body) IT Presentation – On Water

 Newton’s Law, the paddlers box etc

 Basic Terminology: onside, offside, etc

§ Types of strokes: power, turning & bracing

§ Stroke components: catch, propulsion,

§ Recovery, control and correction

§ Effective Body Usage and Bio-Kinetics

§ Use of larger torso muscles (Prevent injury)