Instructor development
The Road to Becoming an NSP Instructor
The National Ski Patrol Instructor Development Program, the first step on the road to become an NSP Instructor, now has two course options available to patrollers who want to become an instructor in any of the five NSP educational disciplines:
- Avalanche
- Mountain Travel and Rescue
- Outdoor Emergency Care
- Outdoor Emergency Transportation
- Instructor Development
The Instructor Development Program consists of two components:
- The Instructor Development Course
- The Instructor Mentoring Program
The Instructor Development Course consists of a series of presentations, activities and discussion opportunities and is available through a one-day class or via a new online e-course session with a shorter one-half day classroom session. The course covers such topics as principles of teaching adults, learning styles, teaching methods, lesson planning, and evaluation techniques. It also offers the instructor candidate the chance to do a practice teaching session.
The new e-course option allows the student to complete the didactic portion of the course on-line at their convenience, including a written test and printed certificate, and then to attend a required one-half day class session. The e-course classroom session includes a peer-to-peer teaching session using the six-pack tool, and also includes a quick review of the didactic material from the on-line module, plus discussions and demonstrations covering course administration and forms, instructor manuals, use of the NSP and Instructor web sites, job descriptions and responsibilities, the mentoring program, and the next steps to become an instructor in their discipline of choice.
The Instructor Development textbook, Instructor Development; Training The Adult Learner, is now a free .pdf file download This book should be downloaded and printed, and be used as a resource for either version of the Instructor Development Course.
The new e-course option, which costs $15.00, can be taken at anytime, and can be accessed through the NSP website under the new NSP E-Learning quick-link. Upon completion of the e-course session, the student should contact an Instructor Development Instructor in their region to complete the classroom session of the course.
After completion of the Instructor Development Course, the instructor candidate will enter the second component of the Instructor Development Program, the Instructor Mentoring Program, in the discipline in which he or she is interested in teaching. This component gives the instructor candidate actual teaching and administrative experience under the guidance of an experienced NSP Instructor and Instructor Trainer in that discipline and prepares them for certification as an NSP Instructor.
For more information on the Instructor Development Program for the Southern California Region, or if you are interested in attending an Instructor Development Course or would like the course offered to your patrol, please contact the program director.
Program Supervisor
Douglas Hill
instructordevelopment@socalnsp.org