LEARNINGCURVE
Group acivity - an important part of the course
Dan in the pool , teaching STEP Dan uses weighted blocks to position himself
The first half day of the course is mainly classroom-based ; there were presentations and group activities in which Dan was easily able to participate and indeed contribute to significantly . After that , it was time to move to the pool .
Given the appropriate facilities and assistance from one of Bingham ’ s Advanced Diving Instructors , Helena Robertshaw , Dan was able to kit up and get into the pool . The initial pool session was to watch the IFC instructor perform a demonstration pool lesson with Dan and the other group members acting as
students , followed by a skills circuit with additional instructor skills teaching .
During this session Dan was able to participate with his well established in-water skills and was also able to show how some of these skills had been adapted so he was able to perform them to a high standard . It also presented an excellent opportunity for the course tutor to also learn some adaptations and new techniques .
Following this and a planning session in the classroom , Dan had his homework for the evening to prepare lessons that he would give the following day .
Day two – pool work
On Day two , Dan ’ s group was to start with their pool lessons . This was Dan ’ s chance to really demonstrate that in spite of his condition , he could teach diving to anyone and meet the essential criteria needed for a good quality lesson . This he did in spades .
At the start of the lesson Dan demonstrated and verbalised the process from his wheelchair for his ‘ students ’ to prepare for the lesson in the water .
Once in the water Dan , needed a means to stabilise himself while holding still in the shallows . This had been discussed with the instructor team the day before , so a
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