Education

The aquisition of knowledge, usually through academic means such as college or university courses.

Training

The transfer of knowledge regarding vocational or technical skills.

Characteristics of effective instructors (13)

Desire to teach

Motivation

Subject and technical competencies

Leadership abilities

Strong interpersonal skills

Preparation and organization

Ingenuity, creativity and flexibility

Empathy

Conflict-resolution skills

Fairness

Personal Integrity

Honesty

Sincerity

Desire to teach attirbutes (3):

Lively and varied vocal delivery

High energy levels

Obvious love of teaching and the subject matter

Motivation: Ways to motivate students to learn (7):

Clearly communicate what action must be performed and how it must be performed.

Show students the importance of the presented information

Make the knowledge and skills easy to undertand and learn

Allow for mistakes as students practice and improve

Encourage students as the attempt to learn

Reward successful attempts

Correct unsuccessful attempts without criticism

Leadership qualities of an efective leader (6):

Self Confidence - Developsthrough self-examination and having a clear appraisal of oneself.

Trustworthiness - Develops over time based upon the leader's performance and the experience subordinates have had with the leader.

Consistency - Make and maintain consistent decisions, actions, and relationships.

Responsibility - Accept responsibility for both good and bad results from decisions.

Acceptance - Realize that not all problems can be resolved to everyone's saticfaction; work within what is rather than complaining for what is not.

Expertise - Teach only from developed skills and abilities based upon knowledge and experience.

Strong Interpersonal Skills: 3 Traits:

Clarity: Ability to precisely and clearly explain concepts and processes through a systematic presentation of material.

Sensitivity: Ability to view the learning environment from the student's perspective and recognize the barriers to learning and communication.

Fairness: Must be fair and impartial to all students, open-minded and willing to hear, concider and discuss ideas with them. In particular, instructors must be able to listen to and understand the needs of students.

Preparation and organization: 6 Ways:

Assemble materials, handouts, audio or visual materials, props and equipment in the classroom or training area.

Test equipment for proper operation, ensure that replacement parts (as needed) are available and prepare alrernative plans.

Eliminate learning barriers such as audible and visual distractions, encomfortable environmental temperatures and poor lighting.

Arrive an appropriate anount of time in advance of the training session.

Practice presentations to determin sufficient time and materials have been allowcated.

Manage time.

Ingenuity, Creativity and Flexibility

Learning techniques may change from one group to another.

Use ingenuity and creativity by developing or using various training aids and supplemental materials and discovering and using innovative means or presenting information to meet the nees of every student.

Must also be flexible and able to alter the training process quickly when there are changes in the environment, props, equipment or size of the class.

Empathy:

Ability to understand the feelings and atitudes of another person.

Must be able understand the student'spoints of view, opinions, problems or challenges.

Not condescending or punitive, do not act superior or threatening

Especially important when working with learning difficulties.

Conflict resolution skills: May have to resolve conflict in the following situations (4):

-In the training environment

- On evaluations and tests

- With many types of personalities and responsibilities

- On a variety of other issues that may arise during the course

Fairness Definition:

Treating all students equallu, providing the same learning opportunities and wvaluating their performance against an established objective standard and not against a subjective set of expectations, or the instructors credibility may be damaged.

Personal integrity definition:

Based on the values and morals of the individual. It can be stated as a personal code of ethics that provides the instructor with apecific guidlines for action and decisions. Be be consistently applied to all situations and people. Student respect is easy to loose over this, difficult to regain.

Honesty

Instructors should admit when they do not know the answer to a question, but are willing to find out. Or "Does someone else in the class knoe the answer?"

Sincerity

Personal quality of being open and truthful. Communication that is not sincere, such as sarcastic remarks or offensive jokes, can undermine an instructors instructional message and distract from their learning or put them on the defensive.

Instructor Obligations (4)

The Student - Effective training ensures that students will perform their duties safely and skillfully.

The Organization - Provides training that supports the mission of their organization through effective training that is in keeping with the training needs of the organization and its policies and procedures. Should also meet all federal, state and local training regulations.

The Profession - Provides an important link between the student and the fire and emergency services profession by providing a positive role model and effective leadership. Also role models for safe behavior in the fire and emergency services.

Themselves - Personal obligation to continue professional development through the acquisition of knowledge and improvement of skills. Because profession is constantly changing, must always be aware of new improvements and developments.

Instructor Challenges (16)

Familiarization with Standards

Instructor Priorities

Student Priorities

Student Diversity

Students with Learning Disabilities

Organizational Apathy

Changes in Profession

Cooperative Relationships

Organizational Promotion

Management Directives

Knowledge of Instructor Environment

Safe Training Environments

Professional Development

Course Schedules

Funds and resources

Qualified Instructor Recruitment

Instructor Challenges - Familiarization with Standards

Should be familiar with standards and regulations that apply to the training they provide.

Generally intended to improve safety.

Resources for standards and regulations:

   NFPA

   OSHA

   EMS Regulations

   DOT

   State and Jurisdictional

Instructor Challenges - Instructor Priorities

May perform multiple tasks within organization:

   Administrative duties

   Health and Safety Officer

   May be required to develop curriculum in addition to delivering courses.

Instructor Challenges - Student Priorities

Be aware of time constraints and other outside influences on student's ability of train.

Instructor Challenges - Student Diversity

Be prepared to teach students of both genders, and a variety of races, ages, sexual preferences and religious beliefs, treating all students in a fair and unbiased fashion.

Instructor Challenges - Students with Learning Disabilities

Be prepared to recognize students with learning disabilities and accommodate their needs.

Instructor Challenges - Organizational Apathy

Organizations sometimes have an apathetic attitude toward training, especially when it comes to additional funding. Should be champions of their roles and gain the respect of their organizations by providing thorough, safe and effective training.

Instructor Challenges - Changes in Profession

Must stay currant on changes to the fire and emergency services profession and incorporate these changes in training.

Instructor Challenges - Cooperative Relationships

Must learn to cooperate with officials from other agencies and levels of government along with leaders in the private sector in both business and education. Doing so provides additional resources to instructors and their organizations.

Instructor Challenges - Organizational Promotion

Instructors must promote the benefits and assets of the organization and its training program to the public and other organizations and agencies that may send students as external customers. Instructors should assist the student with matching the student's training achievement with their professional development.

Instructor Challenges - Management Directives

As subordinates, instructors must adhere to the management directives and mandates of the organization and its leaders.

They should also be advocates for change when directives need to be updated, and work together with superiors to affect change within the organization.

Instructor Challenges - Knowledge of Instructor Environment

Should have a working knowledge of instructional environments available to them for training. If these locations are not applicable to a planned lesson or training session, the instructor must seek out an appropriate environment.

Instructor Challenges - Safe Training Environments

Must be familiar with local, state and federal safety regulations as they apply to all fire and emergency services training. Students must be assured that safety is the primary concern of the organization.

Instructor Challenges - Professional Development

Effective instructors continue to learn by taking advantage of continuing education and professional development opportunities.

Instructor Challenges - Course Schedules

Instructors may be asked to take a role in planning and scheduling appropriate and required training sessions. They should be prepared to seek out any training formats that help to meet necessary training requirements for their organizations.

Instructor Challenges -  Funds and resources

Instructors are obligated to use funds and resources effectively and efficiently. When organizational funding decreases, training programs may be the first to be affected. Lack of funding is not an excuse for lack of training. Instructors must seek out training opportunities that are in keeping with available funding and resources.

Instructor Challenges - Qualified Instructor Recruitment

Instructors should assist in locating and recruiting talented and knowledgeable personnel to fill instructor vacancies. They should also be involved in recommending individuals for training as instructors when those individuals show an aptitude for teaching.

Federal Laws - Book Examples (3)

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act

Americans With Disablities

Privacy Act or Buckley Amendment

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act

Prohibits employment practices that discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Also protects employees from physical, verbal, and sexual harassment.

Harassment

"A course of conduct directed at a specific person that causes substantial emotional distress in said person and serves no legitimate purpose."

Sexual Harassment

"Superior offering advancement or special treatment in return for sexual favors from a subordinate; also may refer to any situation in which an employee, regardless of gender, believes that the workplace is a hostile environment because of sexually offensive behavior."

Americans with Disabilities Act

Prohibits discrimination against a student with an identified disability. Instructors and training organizations must provide "Reasonable Accommodation" for students with documented disabilities. For example, an individual with a DOCUMENTED learning disability might be given additional time on written exams.

Reasonable Accommodation

Changes or adjustments in a work or school site; program or job that makes it possible for an otherwise qualified employee or student with a disability to perform the duties or tasks required.

Learning Disability

Classification of a disorder in which a person has difficulty learning in a typical manner because of a problem with the brain's ability to recieve and process information.

Privacy Act or Buckley Act

Prohibits invasion of a person's right to privacy or unwanted publicity, restricts access to personal information such as personnel files and student grades, guarantees access to records only by the covered student of eligible perent or guardian, and prohibits disclosure of personal information without consent. For example, releasing student grades to unauthorized individuals.

State/ Provincial Laws

States legislatively create laws.

May authorize state agencies to adopt federal regulations or national standards; May enact state rules based on these.

Carry the force of law in that state.

Are known as "Administrative Laws"

May enact these same laws or create their own.

Instructor must take to time learn the laws that apply to them.

Municipal, Departmental and Organizational Laws

Municipalities, such as counties or cities, have own needs and create ordinances.

Address matters beyond federal or state laws.

May impact training activities and should check with Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ).

Departments within counties, cities and towns create their own "regulations" to guide employees to comply with federal and state law.

Regulations address certain areas such as the following:

   Liability and personal insurance requirements

   Professional development and certification requirements

   Substance abuse requirements

   Driver training, testing and record policies

   Criminal records policies

Ordinance

Local or municipal law that applies to persons and things of the local jurisdiction; a local agency act that has the force of a statute; different from law that is enacted by federal or state provincial legislatures.

Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ)

Term used in codes and standards to identify the legal entity, such as a building or fire official, that has the statutory authority to enforce a code and to approve or require equipment; may be a unit of a local, state or federal government, depending on where the work occurs. In the insurance industry it may refer to an insurance rating bureau or an insurance company inspection department.

Regulations

Rules or directives of administrative agencies that have authorization to issue them.

Address certain areas such as:

Liability and personal insurance requirements

Professional development and certification requirements

Substance abuse testing

Driver training, testing and records policies

Criminal records policies

Judicial Law

Usually the result of a "Legal Precedent".

Serve as rules for future determinations of similar cases.

Affects immediately, no implementation period.

At federal level, have nation-wide effect.

Some decisions affecting emergency responders may come from cases not involving emergency responder personnel.

Legal Precedent

The history of rulings made in courts of law that can be referenced and used to make court decisions in future cases or influence laws outside of the court system.

National Codes and Standards

Are not laws unless adopted by the AHJ.

Are recognized and developed by experts around country.

Legal Precedent establishes that Instructor may be held accountable to them even though AHJ has not adopted them.

Codes

A body of laws arranged systematically usually pertaining to one subject area such as mechanical code, an electrical code, a building code or a fire code.

Standard

Criterion documents that are developed to seve as models or examples of desired performance or behaviors and tha contain requirements and specifications outlining minimum levels of performance, protection or construction. No one is required to meet the requirements set forth in standards unless those standards are legally adopted by the AHJ, in which case they become law.

Ethical Conduct

To be considered a professional, instructor must follow ethical codes of conduct.

Situations that require a decision based on ethics:

Sharing of exam papers between successive classes.

Allowing plagiarizing of material produced by others.

Allowing cheating on exams.

Advancing students who have not received proper training or passed courses.

Common explanations individuals use when they attempt to justify wrong actions to themselves:

Pretending that the action is legal or ethical.

Believing that the action is really in the best interest of the organization or individual.

Believing that the action is okay because no one will ever discover it.

Expecting that the organization will support the action if it is ever discovered.

Believing that the action is acceptable because everyone else is doing it.

Believing that the end justifies the means, even when the means are unethical.

Code of Ethics

Statement of behavior that is right and proper conduct for an individual functioning within an organization or society and a whole.

Ethics Program

• Written!
• Defines acceptable and unacceptable behavior
• Promotes high standards of practice and fosters a strong ethical climate
• Provides a standard for individuals to judge themselves
• Establishes a framework for professional behavior and strengthens the organization's ethical climate.
• Helps to enhance or establish an occupational identity
• provides a mark or occupational maturity for the department, organization or profession
• Establishes an environment in which open communication ins expected, accepted and protected
• Provides a clear and concise statement of the type of behavior that is expected for both management and members of the organization
• Establishes the basis for public opinion of the organization, its leaders and its members