Being a CFI, and all that it entails...

[Princesspilot206]

Good day lovely folks of PoA,

Life Update - I passed my commercial a few weeks back and now started on CFI. I took and passed the FOI and FIA that was required by the school that I complete before starting. Right now, one other person and I are presenting various topics in the form of a powerpoint to the instructor, and then he tells us how we did. Is this a standard way of teaching CFI? There are some elements to it that I am not too keen on, so I have been using ChatGPT to help me understand it better. LOL. I am not sure what is the rationale behind this approach to teaching me to be a teacher.

 

[RyanB]

Hi and congratulations on the Commercial!

I have made lesson plans for all of the sections listed in the ACS and I’m teaching the lessons to my instructor. What you’re doing sounds good. There’s lots of ways to get from A to Z. Good luck!

 

[Pinecone]

I am not sure what is the rationale behind this approach to teaching me to be a teacher.

Maybe because a CFI is a teacher. And it is easier and cheaper to learn teaching on the ground than in the air. Once you can do that, they you go fly and learn how to teach the flying.

 

[Tools]

Nope. This is completely normal. I got my MEI and was surprised by this request from the DPE. I don’t even know PowerPoint. I kinda think the faa is on a PowerPoint kick… what ev. Learn and live.

And no, doesn’t have a whole lot to do with what ya do in the plane. But teaching complex things in a classroom setting is a part of the gig.

What I do in real life is take folks out to the shop hangar and play with REAL things rather than PowerPoint or white board. I literally took a student a few days ago and showed him an air box, we dismantled a carb, made a mag spark a plug on the bench… was great! But wouldn’t have gotten me through the check ride…

 

[MauleSkinner]

You passed your Commercial, so presumably you can fly all of the required maneuvers. The issue with being an instructor is that you also need to be able to articulate what you’re teaching. One of the principals of instruction is the building block thing…learn to fly, then learn to talk goodly, then learn to combine them.

 

[brcase]

yep, pick a topic from the PTS and start talking. You are just practicing you spiels that you will give to the examiner when he asks and then to your students as you go over each topic.

Brian
CFIIG/ASEL

 

[Sierra_Hotel]

You passed your Commercial, so presumably you can fly all of the required maneuvers. The issue with being an instructor is that you also need to be able to articulate what you’re teaching. One of the principals of instruction is the building block thing…learn to fly, then learn to talk goodly, then learn to combine them.

Yup, this was the biggest adjustment for me, being able to do the maneuvers is one thing, but being able to do and teach them at the same time takes some practice. And then being able to explain the ins/outs/5Ws of them on the ground and have it all make sense in the air, too. Those first few students I'm not sure who was more nervous

 

[Clip4]

Good day lovely folks of PoA,

Life Update - I passed my commercial a few weeks back and now started on CFI. I took and passed the FOI and FIA that was required by the school that I complete before starting. Right now, one other person and I are presenting various topics in the form of a powerpoint to the instructor, and then he tells us how we did. Is this a standard way of teaching CFI? There are some elements to it that I am not too keen on, so I have been using ChatGPT to help me understand it better. LOL. I am not sure what is the rationale behind this approach to teaching me to be a teacher.

If you develop a standard lesson plan outline first, you will find it is largely a matter of plugging the information in for the topic.

 

[midlifeflyer]

Good day lovely folks of PoA,

Life Update - I passed my commercial a few weeks back and now started on CFI. I took and passed the FOI and FIA that was required by the school that I complete before starting. Right now, one other person and I are presenting various topics in the form of a powerpoint to the instructor, and then he tells us how we did. Is this a standard way of teaching CFI? There are some elements to it that I am not too keen on, so I have been using ChatGPT to help me understand it better. LOL. I am not sure what is the rationale behind this approach to teaching me to be a teacher.

Sounds like your instructor feels the best way to learn to teach is…to teach. I may or may not agree with a mandatory use of PowerPoint, but the concept is sound. The CFI is not about what you know. Knowledge is a precondition, but it’s really about what you can effectively communicate to others.

It’s kinda like flying from the right seat. When someone talks about how they are having trouble with it, I tell them it’s their first teaching assignment - to teach themselves how to land.

 

[RussR]

Good day lovely folks of PoA,

Life Update - I passed my commercial a few weeks back and now started on CFI. I took and passed the FOI and FIA that was required by the school that I complete before starting. Right now, one other person and I are presenting various topics in the form of a powerpoint to the instructor, and then he tells us how we did. Is this a standard way of teaching CFI? There are some elements to it that I am not too keen on, so I have been using ChatGPT to help me understand it better. LOL. I am not sure what is the rationale behind this approach to teaching me to be a teacher.

I don't think I understand what your questions is. Are you asking "is practicing teaching a normal way to train to be a CFI", or are you asking "is using PowerPoint normal for CFI training". The answer to both is yes. PowerPoint is a pretty standard presentation software in just about any business. It's not always used well, but it is pretty standard. So a CFI using it to teach is "normal". It's also "normal" to not use PowerPoint, and use some other method - whiteboard, visual aids, chalk diagrams on the ground, whatever gets the point across.

But I don't find anything particularly weird about a CFI training program having you practice teaching, and using PowerPoint as one method to do that.

 

[Jim_CAK]

I don't think I understand what your questions is. Are you asking "is practicing teaching a normal way to train to be a CFI", or are you asking "is using PowerPoint normal for CFI training". The answer to both is yes. PowerPoint is a pretty standard presentation software in just about any business. It's not always used well, but it is pretty standard. So a CFI using it to teach is "normal". It's also "normal" to not use PowerPoint, and use some other method - whiteboard, visual aids, chalk diagrams on the ground, whatever gets the point across.

But I don't find anything particularly weird about a CFI training program having you practice teaching, and using PowerPoint as one method to do that.

To the original poster - As Russ mentioned - PowerPoint is pretty much standard in most business settings. And it is definitely not always used well. It starts out as a blank sheet of paper and it is all about the content you put on it. Try to avoid the “wall of words” that too many people have when the bring up a slide. You can cut and past graphics from the Airplane Flying Handbook and the PHAK into your presentations. The graphics are much better than anything I can hand draw on a white board.
Just be prepared to go off script and step to the white board and expand on the details of a lesson. It is been said many times, but worth repeating - the CFI checkride is a test about teaching, not flying. Good luck on your journey.

 

[ateamer]

Powerpoint tips:
- Only put the bullet points on a slide. Fill in the details by speaking or with demonstration. Powerpoint is a teaching aid or prop, and is great for reinforcing the main points. It’s not the teacher.
- Vary the background and font. Don’t let every slide look the same.
- Learn how to have text fade in so you can have the item pop up on the screen when you talk about it. You can use the feature to hold the audience’s attention, and at the same time use fewer slides.
- Every three or four slides, have a video clip or interesting relevant photo.
- Consider not handing out the printed version until after the class. The benefit of distributing it st the start of class is that students can add notes next to each slide. The downside is that they might leaf through the printout while you’re instructing, and jump ahead, and miss important information.
- Prepare your slideshow, run through it a couple times, edit, and then have someone sit as a student and help clean it up.
- Once you’re satisified with it, rehearse. I used to rehearse a classroom presentation 10 to 20 times before doing it live. (Teaching firearms and tactics to law enforcement officers.) It takes time instructing, and you will get to where you never have to refer to your laptop screen to keep your place or know exactly what is on the screen and where it is.
- When you teach it, make sure all of your equipment works, and is set up and ready to go before the students arrive. Make sure the facility has whatever support you need - screen, etc.
- Be able and ready to teach the class without Powerpoint. Soemtimes even with the best equipment and preparation, computers fail. It’s an aid, not the whole class.
- Use Powerpoint like a plane on a stick or any other prop - to enhance what you’re saying.