CFI's: Did you make your own lesson plans?

jordane93

jordane93

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I'm working on my lesson plans and was wondering what you CFI's did. My instructor told me I could either buy the lesson plans or make my own. He showed me his 3 inch ring binder full of CFI/CFII lesson plans and told me how much "fun" he had. I asked him what he recommends and he told me that it is extremely time consuming but well worth it to make your own lesson plans. He told me to make my own and that way I can learn the material better. I actually find it pretty fun making my own lesson plans and I think I'll stick to mine and not buy them. I'm curious what you current CFI's did.
 
My instructor made me make mine up. You need to know the material better anyway, so it's a good way to study and plan - and be prepared to re-write them AGAIN after you get a couple of students under your belt as you learn lessons about what works and what doesn't.

Ryan
 
Are you talking about for the CFI checkride or for teaching in general?

For teaching in general, it depends. If you work for a flight school, figure out what the chief pilot wants. Ideally, all instructors in a school are using the same syllabus.

There is nothing wrong with using a commercially available syllabus. I'd argue that until you instruct for a while and form an opinion on what should be done, and in what order, an existing proven syllabus will prepare a student better than what you might deem necessary as a new instructor.

On the other hand, creating your own syllabus is a good mental exercise and certainly familiarizes you with the PTS requirements, and thinking through how to get your students through the process.

For me, I did a hybrid. I started with a gleim syllabus, and then altered it, based on the equipment I was teaching with and the pace of instruction.
 
I made my own lesson plans as well. Although time consuming, it is a great way to study the material. It is also helpful when you start using them as you will know what you included, as opposed to someone who has to keep checking someone else's plans to see if they covered everything. In my opinion, makes for better professionalism when actually teaching.
 
It helps you learn the material better.
 
I did both.

I received a set of pre-fab lesson plans but I created a few from scratch. That served two purposes. One was to know that I could create one from scratch to cover material that was not in the pre-fab set; the other purpose was to understand what went into creating them.

Your instructor is absolutely correct that creating lessons plans is a good way for you to learn the material and think in terms of teaching it rather than just knowing it. Whether that requires writing 2 or 10 or 100 of them is a very individual thing.

The Examiner? He noticed the commercial syllabus and lesson plans and said, "Good. No need to re-invent the wheel all the time. " Then proceeded to select one and mad use I understand the lesson it was planning.
 
Yes. We didn't have much choice in those days before the internet and word processors made it so easy to share those things. Hand typed it all -- at least it was an electric typewriter.
 
Ron Levy said:
Yes. We didn't have much choice in those days before the internet and word processors made it so easy to share those things. Hand typed it all -- at least it was an electric typewriter.
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LOL. One of the sets I had was given to me by my instructor - it was an nth generation photocopy of a set originally created in 1973, some 25 years or so before I got my CFI.
 
I made my own for the check ride but tend to just follow the Jeppesen syllabus when instructing, although I'm not an extremist about it. Usually by the time we're half way through the training we've put the syllabus to the side and make up lessons to address their real needs.
 
Thanks for the responses! Seems like most of you guys made your own lesson plans in prep for the checkride whoch is what I'll probably do.
 
jesse said:
I made my own for the check ride but tend to just follow the Jeppesen syllabus when instructing, although I'm not an extremist about it. Usually by the time we're half way through the training we've put the syllabus to the side and make up lessons to address their real needs.
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:yeahthat: plus, if 141 we have to use their materials since our approval is based on those materials.
 
I dorked out and made a full lesson plan for every PTS maneuver / subject for Private, ME, Inst and Comm. Then I instructed part 141 and never used a one of them. I still have them all in 3 ring binders, each LP in its own sleeve. Of course they're worthless now as they're so out of date. I can't bring myself to throw them out.
 
Captain said:
I dorked out and made a full lesson plan for every PTS maneuver / subject for Private, ME, Inst and Comm. Then I instructed part 141 and never used a one of them. I still have them all in 3 ring binders, each LP in its own sleeve. Of course they're worthless now as they're so out of date. I can't bring myself to throw them out.
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I bet 90% would be perfectly fine today. Not much has changed in the fundamentals of flight.
 
Captain said:
I dorked out and made a full lesson plan for every PTS maneuver / subject for Private, ME, Inst and Comm. Then I instructed part 141 and never used a one of them. I still have them all in 3 ring binders, each LP in its own sleeve. Of course they're worthless now as they're so out of date. I can't bring myself to throw them out.
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I'm slowly filling up my 3 inch binder. One of the CFIs at the flight school I work at said he hand wrote all of his lesson plans (he is a CFI/II). Keep in mind this guy is only 23 but for some reason he decided to hand write them.
 
I made mine. I only made 20 for the CFI and fewer than that for the CFII. My examiner only wanted two lessons for the CFI so I stopped when he told me that. I figured I'd teach at a school when I started to seriously teach.
 
LDJones said:
I bet 90% would be perfectly fine today. Not much has changed in the fundamentals of flight.
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Nah, I really dorked out. I had references listed throughout the LP as well as a reference section for the whole LP. Most of the FAA pubs ,AC's and docs as well as PTS's (The majority of refs) have been superseded, updated or replaced.
 
I hand wrote my own. Not because I thought I would learn the material better, but because that was all we had to use. Home computers with word perfect and printers were very expensive at the time.

I found my note books while cleaning out a house I was putting up for sale. Funny how back then I thought those lesson plans made me a real instructor. After I started instructing I found out how each student is different and how I needed to adapt to fit each individual students learning.

I think today I would use bought lesson plans and make changes as needed.
 
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