Hi Folks,

I'm teaching a couple of recurrent training classes for the company that I work for (non-aviation), and I was wondering what is the format that you guys had when you were doing ground school at your airline?

Was it basically just a lecture (like college) where the instructor stood up and went over PowerPoint presentations, or was it pretty hands on and more of a group-discussion atmosphere?

I'm just curious, as I'm trying to see if I can more effectively get my point across (ie: lots of info in a short amount of time)...and I figured that a 121 ground school would be a good model for me.

Thanks for the input....

 

Little bit of both, but pretty much lecture at all of the places where I have obtained training. Combination of powerpoint, whiteboard, and systems computer programs that were run by the instructor (and shown to the class on the projection screen).

 

Airlines, some military training programs, and a few universities utilize the "fire-hose" model of learning (as in drinking from a fire-hose)....eight hours of non-stop fast-paced lecture (PPT with some whiteboard) and then send the students home to do 4-8 more hours of study and homework. The slower students do more outside study. It is common for first-time students to have serious doubts about their own ability to complete these programs since it challenges them beyond what they experienced in high school and at most colleges.


I have done programs like this in college, military, and the airlines and I can testify that it works pretty well. However there are two key ingredients: A captive audience and students of sufficient caliber to handle the pace.

The captive audience is usually captive in the sense that the student wants/needs the training more than the trainers need the student. Morale is not an issue...the training sucks, simple as that, but the reward at the end is sufficient motivation to get enough students through. There are no special techniques to this fast-paced training, it's just a lot of material in a short time and even more sweat on the part of the students.

The quality of the students is obtained by screening them for relevant preparation, motivation, and inate ability...college admissions, airline hiring, or selection for special military programs.

 

Thanks for the input, guys.

Rickair, that's especially valuable information. I can apply the "fire-hose" method somewhat, but I'll have to be careful. They have the "smarts" to handle fast-paced information, but it's just an issue of them having the motivation, like you said.

Thanks again guys