Skill Instruction

Good instructional methods for Scouts are based on where the instructor stands, and what the Scouts are doing. Neither the Scouts nor the instructor should be seated unless absolutely necessary.Keeping everyone on their feet in a circle, has several important advantages Standing requires more alertness than sitting. Scouts all have the same perspective when they are standing in a circle. Instructors can see all the Scouts faces, and the Scouts can see the instructor....

Rudyard Kipling’s 1901 novel “Kim” is the story of the orphan son of an Irish soldier in India. Kim, plays a game of observation and memory as a part of his training as a spy. Kim’s teacher, Mr. Lurgan, runs a jewel shop as a cover for his real work as a British secret agent. Lurgan places jewels on a copper tray and says: “Look on them as long as thou wilt, stranger....

Developing the leadership skill of training or instructing means applying instructional methods for Scouts, not students in a classroom. Using the coach-pupil method has the twofold result of perfecting a specific skill and developing teacher/leaders. Scouts are paired up into coach-pupil teams. The instructor first guides all the teams through the basic components of the skill as a group. For a set period of time one Scout coaches and one practices the skill....

Instructional methods for Scouts means guiding them to discover skills or knowledge on their own. Keeping with our example of tote’n chip skills here is an example of a guided discovery- The instructor has all of the gear required to practice the skills associated with safely handling and maintaining a pocket knife. When the scouts arrive he begins asking questions; What are the different things I have in front of me on this table?...

Apply instructional methods for Scouts to create small groups, 10-15 minutes of instruction at each station, lots of activity. Example – Instructing Tote’n Chip (axe, knife, saw) skills. Three stations are set up, one each for knife, saw and axe. Three groups of five rotate through the stations at ten or fifteen minute intervals where they are shown the equipment and led through the demonstration of the associated skills. Round robins are active and teach small groups rather than a large group all at once....

**Real learning happens when we connect the unknown to the known, the theoretical to the practical.**This “eureka moment” isn’t accidental, it is a result of applying effective instructional methods for Scouts. Scouting is a unique instructional situation. We can adapt methods from other disciplines like teaching and coaching but they should serve the goals of instruction laid out by Scouting’s founder Baden Powell: When it is applied with understanding and consideration the advancement program fosters encouragement and ambition regardless of an individual boy’s abilities....