John Winters wrote: > Is this not a problem with certification - that having gotten it that one > will be competent and safe in stressful conditions? Is it appropriate to > cater to the general public's need for instant gratification? Can good > judgement be taught so quickly without a range of experience to support > that judgement? > > Does being able to demonstrate skills mean one is ready for any challenge? You are implying the issue of judgment and it is hard to certify judgment. Which brings up a related question: do any of the certification programs include creating problem solving scenarios that may help promote better judgment? When LL Bean ran its first advanced seakayaking weekend back in 1989 (it was full of a lot of hotshots who complained it wasn't really advanced), several hours were devoted to setting a scenario involving a proposed trip. It was to help train and guage leadership. You were given a rundown on the paddlers scheduled to go on the weekend trip. Were given some weather reports, including wind, etc. A destination across some open water was indicated along with a chart. And questions were posed such as should you take the trip at all, what course would offer the best protection, what weather changes would trigger a change in plans to cut the trip short, etc. Its value was that it got you to think of the variables AND most importantly pointed to the possiblility of not going ahead with the trip at all. I don't do the problem justice here because it was quite detailed with near bios of the paddling experience of the individuals, a real chart, real sounding weather reports, etc. The problem was several pages long and we spent, as I said, several hours with it in small groups. The variables (and hints of unknowns) were such that there were no facile or "correct" answers. Again, my question: do any of the certification programs have something like that in their course and practice materials? You could learn a lot about an individual and their thinking with something like it. And anyone taking such a course would at least be exposed to the complexities of dealing with real life paddling situations. Stopping to think a bit helps lead to good judgment. ralph diaz (who has made many a bonehead judgment but has the good sense to learn from them) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************Received on Tue Oct 06 1998 - 07:08:36 PDT
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