CFI Study Guide - FOI

CFI Practical Study Guide

Fundamentals of Instructing

A. The Learning Process
a. Learning Theory
i. Learning is defined as a change in behavior as a result of an experience. There are also the Behaviorism Theory and Cognitive Theory.
b. Characteristics of Learning
i. Purposeful – each student is a unique individual whose past experience affects readiness to learn and understanding of requirements involved.
ii. Result of experience – learning is an individual process from individual experience. Knowledge cannot be poured into the student’s head.
iii. Multifaceted – It may involve verbal, conceptual, perceptual, or emotional elements, and elements of problem solving all taking place at once.
iv. Active Process – For students to learn, they must react and respond.
c. Principles of Learning
i. Readiness – Individuals learn best when they are ready to learn, and they do not learning if they see no reason for it or lack motivation. If students have a strong purpose, a clear, objective, and a well fixed reason for learning something, they make more progress.
ii. Exercise – those things that are often repeated are best remembered. It is the basis of practice and drill.
iii. Effect – learning is strengthened when accompanied by a pleasant or satisfying feeling, but weekend when associated with an unpleasant feeling.
iv. Primacy – things that are stated first are best remembered. They create a strong, unshakable impression. What is taught the first time must be correct. Un-teaching is much more difficult.
v. Intensity – A vivid, dramatic, or exciting learning experience teaches more than a routine or boring experience.
vi. Recency – The things most recently learned are best remembered.
d. Level of Learning
i. Rote – the ability to repeat back something which one has been taught, without understanding or being able to apply what has been learned.
ii. Understanding –Perceiving and learning what has been taught. To comprehend or grasp the nature of meaning of something.
iii. Application – Achieving the skill to apply what has been learned and to perform correctly. The act of putting something to use that has been learned and understood.
iv. Correlation - Associating what has been learned with other things previously learn or encountered.
e. Learning Physical skills
i. Physical skill- involve more than just muscles: Perceptions change as the physical skill becomes easier.
ii. Desire to learn – shorter initial learning time and more rapid progress take place when a desire to learn exists.
iii. Patterns to following – the best way to prepare a student is to provide a clear step-by-step example.
iv. Perform the skill – the student’s needs coordination between muscles and visual and tactile sense.
v. Knowledge of results: It is important for students to be aware of their progress.
vi. Progress follows a pattern – learning a skill usually follows a pattern. There is rapid improvement in the early stages, followed by a leveling off or learning plateau.
vii. Duration and organization of the lesson: In planning for student performance, the length of time devoted to practice is very important.
viii. Evaluation versus critique – in the initial stages, practical suggestions are more valuable than a grade.
ix. Application of skill – students must use what has been learned – they must learn the skill so well that it becomes easy to perform.
f. Memory
i. Disuse – a person forgets things that are not used.
ii. Interference – A certain experience has overshadowed it, or the learning of something similar has interfered.
iii. Repression – the submersion of ideas into the unconscious mind, they may unintentionally repress unpleasant material, or that which produced anxiety.
iv. Actions or Assist Retention
1. Praise stimulates remembering
2. Recall is prompted by association
3. Favorable attitudes
4. Learning with all our senses is most effective
5. Meaningful repetition aids recall.
g. Transfer of Learning
i. Positive Transfer – Learning A helps with learning B.
ii. Negative Transfer – Learning A hinders learning B.


B. Human Behavior and Effective Communication
a. Control of human behavior
i. Relationship between student and instructor has a profound impact on how much the student learns.
ii. Directing students actions to modify their behavior.
b. Human needs
i. Physical – need for food, rest and protection
ii. Safety – protection against dangers, threats, and deprivation.
iii. Social – To belong, to associate, and to give and receive friendship and love.
iv. Egoistic – instructor student relationship. Ones self-esteem, self-confidence, independence, achievement, competence, and knowledge, respect from associates.
v. Self-fulfillment – Realizing ones own potential for continued development.
c. Defense mechanisms
i. Rationalization – justifying actions that other wise would be unacceptable; substitution of excuses for reasons
ii. Flight – Escaping from frustrating situations by taking flight physically or mentally; examples are faked illness or day dreaming.
iii. Aggression – students may ask irrelevant questions; refuse to participate, when they cannot deal directly with the cause of their frustration.
iv. Resignation – students may become so frustrated that they lose interest and give up.
d. The flight instructor as a practical psychologist
i. Anxiety – “ a state if mental uneasiness arising from fear – instructor can reinforce student’s enjoyment of flying, by teaching them to cope with their fears. Treat fears as normal reactions, rather than ignoring them.
ii. Normal reactions to stress – respond rapidly and exactly, within the limits of their experience and training.
iii. Abnormal reactions to stress- extreme over cooperation, inappropriate singing or laughter, rapid changes in emotions.
e. Basic elements of communication
i. The source – sender, speaker, transmitter, or instructor
ii. The symbols – words or signs.
iii. The receiver – listener, reader, or student.
f. Barriers of effective communication
i. Lack of common experience
ii. Confusion between the symbol and the symbolized object
iii. Overuse of abstractions
iv. Interference.
g. Developing communication skills
i. The ability to effectively communicate stems from experience
ii. Instructional Communication – instruction has taken place when the instructor has explained a particular procedure and subsequently determined that the desired student response has occurred.
iii. Listening – instructor must know something about their students in order to communicate effectively.
iv. Questioning – to determine how well the student understands

C. The Teaching Process
a. Preparation of a lesson for a ground or flight instructional period.
i. Preparation – lesson objectives, goals, critique. Lesson plan should be written out.
b. Presentation methods
i. Lecture Method – presenting new material, summarizing ideas, short amount of time to present material
ii. Demonstration performance Method – instructor will demonstrate the maneuver to the student
iii. Guided Discussion – requires active participation, uses questioning.
c. Application, by the student, of the material or procedure presented.
i. The student uses what the instructor has presented. Student may be asked to perform a procedure or operation that has just been demonstrated.
d. Review and evaluation of student performance
i. The instructor should review what has been covered during the lesson and require the students to demonstrate how well the lesson objectives have been met.

D. Teaching Methods
a. Material organization
The organization of a lesson, i.e., introduction, development, and conclusion.
. Introduction – establish common ground between the instructor
and the students.
1. Attention
2. Motivation
3. Overview
Development
1. From past to present
2. From Simple to Complex
3. From Known to Unknown
4. From Most Frequently Used to Least Frequently Used
. Conclusion
1. Retraces important elements of lesson and relates them to
objective, remember, no new ideas should be introduced.

i. Attention – established common ground between instructor and student. Capture and hold the attention of the student. Specify benefits the student can expect from the lesson.
ii. Motivation – Establish receptive attitude toward lesson. Create smooth transition into the lesson. Why is the lesson content important to know.
iii. Overview – Indicate what is to be covered and relate this information to the overall course.
b. The lecture method
i. Used for introduction of new material, subject. Good for large or small groups. No interaction from students.
c. The cooperative or group learning method
i. Organizes students into small groups there they work together to maximize their own and each others learning. Continually requires active student participation.
d. The guided discussion method
i. Instructor relies on the student to provide ideas, experiences, opinions and information. Goal is the draw out what the students know, rather then telling them. Lead off question – starts the discussion. Follow up question – used to continue discussion. Overhead question – directed to the entire group to stimulate thought. Rhetorical question - instructor asks the question but also answers it. Direct Question – asked to a single student. Reverse Question – the instructor asks a question in response to a student’s question. Relay question – redirected to the group instead of the individual.
e. The demonstration performance method.
i. Explanation – must be clear, pertinent to the objectives of the particular lesson to be presented. Based on the knowledge of the student
ii. Demonstration – The instructor must show the student the actions necessary to perform a skill.
iii. Student Performance and Instructor Supervision – student performs the task while the instructor is coaching the student if necessary.
iv. Evaluation – Instructor judges the students performance. Does it meet standards? Instructor then determines the effectiveness of the instruction.
f. Computer-based training method.
i. Students are able to progress at their own pace. The computer can create activities based on the student’s answers to questions.

E. Critique and Evaluation
a. Purpose and characteristics of an effective critique
i. Purpose – A critique should improve student’s performance and provide them with something constructive with which to work and upon which they can build.
ii. Characteristics
1. Objective – focused on student performance; should not reflect the personal opinions of the instructor
2. Flexible – fit in tone, technique, and content to the occasion and to the student.
3. Acceptable – students must first accept the instructor. Effective critiques are presented with authority, conviction, sincerity, and from a position of recognizable competence.
4. Comprehensive – cover a few major points or a few minor points as well as the student’s overall strengths and weaknesses.
5. Constructive – provide positive guidance for correcting the faults and strengthening the weaknesses.
6. Well-organized – follow some pattern of organization.
7. Thoughtful – geared toward the students need for self esteem, recognition, and approval from others.
8. Specific – comments and recommendations should not be so general that the student can find nothing to hold on to.
b. Methods and ground rules for a critique
i. Methods
1. Instructor/ Student critique – instructor leads a group discussion in which members of the class are invited to offer criticism of a performance.
2. Student-led critique – instructor asks a student to lead the critique
3. Small group critique – a class is divided into small groups and each group is assigned a specific area to analyze.
4. Individual student critique by another student – another student presents the entire critique.
5. Self – Critique – student is required to critique personal performance.
6. Written critique – instructor can devote more time and thought than an oral critique. Students can keep the critique.
ii. Ground Rules
1. Do not extend the critique beyond its scheduled time.
2. Avoid trying to cover too much.
3. Allow time for a summary.
4. Avoid absolute statements.
5. Avoid controversies with the class, do no take sides.
6. Never allow yourself to be maneuvered into the unpleasant position of defending criticism.
7. If written, make certain that it is consistent with the oral portion.
c. Characteristics of effective oral questions and what types to avoid.
i. One correct answer
ii. Apply to subject of instruction
iii. Brief and concise.
iv. Clear and definite
v. Center on one main idea.
vi. Types of Avoid
1. Puzzle – confusing the student
2. Oversize – very broad question.
3. Toss-up – one correct answer not too that are similar.
4. Bewilderment – do not confuse the student.
5. Trick Questions
6. Irrelevant questions
d. Responses to student questions.
i. The question must be clearly understood by the instructor before providing an answer. Instructor must provide interest in the student’s question.
ii. If the instructor cannot answer the question, admit it, and find the answer
e. Characteristics and development of effective written questions
i. Reliability – test results are consistent with repeated measurements.
ii. Validity – measures what is it suppose to measure
iii. Usability – functionality of the test- font size, easy to read.
iv. Objectivity – singleness of scoring the test, does not reflect biases of the person grading the test.
v. Comprehensiveness – measures all overall objectives
vi. Discrimination – distinguishes the difference between students

F. Flight Instructor Characteristics and Responsibilities
a. Providing adequate instruction.
i. No two students are alike. The instructor must devise different ways to teach each student.
b. Establishing standards of performance
i. Must hold students to PTS standards
ii. Instructors must evaluate their own effectiveness.
c. Emphasizing the positive.
i. Instructors have a huge influence on their student’s perception of aviation.
ii. Instructors attitudes, conduct them selves.
iii. Develop a positive image of aviation.
d. Providing student pilot evaluation and supervision
i. Evaluate student based on PTS standards.
ii. Correct student errors
e. Preparing practical test recommendations and endorsements
i. CFI certificate is on the line. Do not endorse student unless they meet standards. Flight instructor is held responsible for deficient areas.
ii. Students must have been trained in all areas before being endorsed for the practical.
f. Determining requirements for conducting additional training and endorsement requirements.
i. Determine what training is needed to sign off a flight review.
ii. Unsatisfactory flight review is just logged as dual given.
g. Describing methods to minimize student frustration
i. Motivate students
ii. Keep students informed
iii. Approach students as individuals
iv. Give credit when due
v. Criticize constructively
vi. Be consistent
vii. Admit Errors
h. Personal Characteristics
i. Sincerity – should be straightforward and honest.
ii. Acceptance of the student – should accept students as they are including all their faults and problems.
iii. Personal appearance and habits – should be neat, clean and appropriately dressed.
iv. Demeanor – should be calm, thoughtful, and disciplined.
v. Safety practices and accident prevention – practices emphasized by instructors have a lasting effect on students.
vi. Proper Language – should speak normally, without inhibitions, and develop the ability to speak positively and descriptively without excesses of language.
vii. Self – improvement – should be constantly alter for ways to improve their qualifications, effectiveness, and the services they provides to students.

G. Planning Instructional Activity
a. Developing objectives and standards for a course of training.
i. Before instruction can begin, objectives and standards must be determined. Standards are published in the PTS.
b. Theory of building block of learning
i. Represent units of learning which can be measured and evaluated, all which need to the final objective.
ii. Private Course blocks
1. First Solo
2. Solo Cross country
3. Preparation for practical test
c. Requirements for developing a training syllabus.
i. The objective
ii. The content
iii. The completion Standards.
d. Purpose and characteristics of a lesson plan.
i. To ensure the student receives the best possible instruction under the existing conditions
ii. Aids the instructor in presenting the material.
iii. Provides an outline of the teaching procedure.
iv. Gives inexperienced instructor confidence.
v. Characteristics
1. Unity – each lesson should be a unified segment of instruction.
2. Content – each lesson should contain new material.
3. Scope – each lesson should be reasonable in scope. A person can only master a few principles or skills at a time.
4. Practicality – each lesson should be planned in terms of the conditions under which the training is to be conducted.
5. Flexibility – flexibility should be incorporated – blank spaces for add on material.
6. Relation to Course of Training – Each lesson should be taught so that its relation to the course objectives are clear to each student.
7. Instructional Steps – every lesson when adequately developed, falls logically into the four steps of the teaching process.

F. Telling and Doing Technique
1. Instructor tells – Instructor Does
2. Student Tells – Instructor Does
3. Student Tells – Student Does
4. Student Does – Instructor evaluates