CFI Blog Post #3

Formative assessment refers to measurements and conclusions that are made during the course of a learning program.  For example, if an instructor was teaching a lesson on aircraft systems, the instructor could pause during the lesson to assess what has been learned.  From this assessment they could then change around the rest of the course to help the learner better understand that subject.  Summative assessment refers to the measurements made at the end of a learning unit or program.  An example of this would be an oral quiz at the end of a ground briefing, or even the FAA knowledge tests taken at the end of a ground course.

Criterion-referenced assessments are used to determine whether or not a learner has achieved an objectively set level of competence.  An example of this are the FAA knowledge tests, where questions are selected from a set list and the test taker must get 80% of the questions correct to pass.   Norm-referenced assessments are used when a learner is studying material for which there is no agreement on what a person must know.  This kind of assessment can be used in a literature class where an assessment is based on how well a learner has mastered the materials compared to the norm for the class.  Self-referenced assessments are used when the learning goals are personal.  This is used when a learners success can only be measured by their own opinion.  An example of this would be a student who is involved in religious education for their own development.

Self-directed learning involves postformal thought which is defined as thinking across theoretical systems, integrating feelings with thoughts, accepting contradictions to what is known, and addressing problems for which there are no final solutions.  Self-directed learners prefer learning contracts where they can choose the learning and assessment activities.  They are offended by criterion-referenced assessments where they can't critically think.

CFI Blog Post #2

 I think it would be beneficial to use a role play before a students first solo.  I would probably have them sit in a chair like they were flying, while I read them clearances similar to what ATC will read them.  In this way I could prepare them for what they will probably hear.  The 4 categories of instructional methods are instructor-centered, interactive, individualized and experiential.  Instructor-centered methods involve lectures, questioning and demonstrations.  Interactive methods involve class discussions, discussion groups and group projects.  The individualized method includes computerized instruction and independent projects.  Experiential methods involve field or clinical methods, laboratory methods, role-playing and drills.  I would probably use a discussion group if I was teaching a larger group like a ground school.  I could bring up a concept like Aeronautical Decision Making or emergency procedures and have the groups talk about different scenarios.  The context is important in deciding the method of instruction because they have everything to do with each other.  For example, a group of college students won't respond well to an 8 a.m. class so it is probably best not to exclusively lecture.  Also, an evening class of people who just got out of work won't be effective unless the teacher changes the pace up.
The demographic characteristics are age, gender and language and background.  Age can affect people because as a person gets older they might learn slower, need more breaks or bigger print.  Gender affects people because men and women tend to learn differently.  Language and background can affect learning because someone who doesn't know the teaching language as well might struggle to understand concepts, or they might have different beliefs and values from the teacher.  In all of these cases it is important to avoid stereotyping based on a demographic.  Adults learn differently mostly because they are self-motivated.  Often they go back to school for enjoyment or to get a raise.  This means that they are more likely to learn better in a self-directed study course.  Adults also have more experience so they can relate concepts taught in class to their lives.  In teaching an adult I will probably be more likely to ask them to study more outside of ground school and spend less time on lengthy briefings.  I would also probably try to help them connect the flight training to previous experiences so they will be more motivated.

CFI Blog Post #1

Epistomology is the branch of philosophy that tries to define knowledge by explaining what it is to know something.  It also seeks to explain how students come to know something.  A positivist is someone who thinks of knowledge as a physical thing that needs to be passed on to a student.  The reading gave the example that the teacher is like a bank who deposits knowledge into the students and then gives exams as a kind of statement on how much knowledge was passed on.  A constructivist is someone who attempts to deepen a student's understanding by letting the students develop the knowledge themselves.  In this thinking a teacher doesn't posses knowledge, they are just the person who opens the students mind to knowledge.  My experience through school has mostly been shaped by positivist teachers.  They considered themselves the experts in the room and we were lucky to be exposed to their wealth of knowledge.  However, Westminster has exposed me to constructivist learning and I think that I prefer this method.  It does put a lot of the responsibility on the student, but it also allows the student to learn a lot more.

I believe that I learn best with the kinesthetic modality.  In the classroom I can understand a concept as it is explained visually or aloud, but I don't truly understand it until I try the concept out myself.  The most important point that I took out of the article was that the modality of the subject, not the student is the most important.  There will definitely be some parts of instructing where it is best taught in a classroom, and others where it is best taught in the airplane.  The second concept I took from this article is that I should not be too worried about the modality that the student learns best with.  It will probably make flying more interesting for the student if I teach it in a way that they enjoy, but as long as I get the meaning across it won't be that important.

Observation Flight

I flew on Tuesday, October 12.  I flew with Emilee Williams and Dave Axenty.  The starting tach time was 2919.2 and the ending time was 2920.9.  It was pretty interesting to sit in the backseat and observe Emilee’s flight.  I definitely learned a lot of stuff from watching her.  One of the things I learned was to keep a better eye on my altitude during steep turns.  Steep turns are definitely one of the toughest parts of multi-engine flying, and she did pretty well with them.  If she got off of her altitude at all, she immediately corrected for it.  This is something that I need to learn from, and it could definitely help me to follow her example.  Another thing that I learned from watching Emilee’s flight was to watch the trends during the base and final portions of the traffic pattern.  She did a good job of watching the trends on base, but on final she would get a little off.  And if you get a little off in the Seminole, it is really difficult to get back to where you want to.  I flew right after the observation flight, so it was really convenient.  I was able to take all of the lessons that I learned on the flight and apply them to myself.  Unfortunately, I didn’t quite apply them to my flight.  During the first 90 degrees of my steep turn I lost almost 100 feet, so I wasn’t really watching my altitude close enough.  I was able to do a little better watching my trends than I did watching my altitudes.  I made sure to observe the trends on base and final, and corrected for it. I think that riding along on a flight really helped me to observe some things that I can improve upon.  If I can apply these lessons on my flights, then I believe that I will definitely improve my flying.

My Reflection

I think that the two most important things that I learned from class were the Seminole systems and the emergency procedures for the Seminole.  Learning the Seminole systems was important because I had just started to fly the Seminole at the time, and I needed to learn about all of the systems.  I know that the End of Course and check ride also emphasize systems, so it is good to have a base of knowledge for that.  Learning the emergency procedures was also important for the same reason.  Right when we had to memorize the emergency worksheet for class, I started to do engine out maneuvers.  I also know that a lot of the EOC and check ride involve maneuvering with an engine out, so it was good to learn the emergency procedures at an early stage.  I really liked that the class didn't try to stretch out an entire semester.  It was definitely long enough so that I was able to learn everything I needed to, but it didn't try to fill in time with things that are unimportant.  I didn't really like that the class was at 8:00am.  I don't mind doing things in the morning so that the afternoon is open, but 8:00am is very early.  At times I would find myself fighting to focus on class, which wasn't exactly helpful for me.  It was beneficial to see the animations of how the systems work, and be able to interact with them.  We could go over the systems as many times as were necessary, which helped me learn them better.  I feel kind of neutral about blogging.  It did help me reflect about certain things, but I'm not sure that it advanced my learning.  Without blogging I feel that I would have learned just as much, but the blogging did help me reinforce some things.

Passengers can be a Pain

This accident is a tragic example of passengers pushing the pilots to do something unsafe, and the pilot bending to the will of an overbearing boss.  I think that the contributing factors were the pressure put on the pilot by the passengers, and the pilot's choice to continue on the approach.  The weather also played a factor, as it seems that there was drifting snow showers that rapidly decreased visibility in certain areas.  I believe that the error chain started by planning a departure time that only allowed one hour of time between proposed arrival time and the landing curfew time.  It then continued when the pilots continued to allow themselves to be pressured.  The next link was the pilots decision to shoot the approach when other business jets had to initiate missed approaches.  The one part that doesn't really make sense is the choice to allow a passenger into the jump seat.  Although the passenger probably didn't verbally push the pilots to continue the approach, the presence of the passenger probably provided a reminder of how angry the boss would be.  The pilots probably should have started out the flight by telling the passengers that there was a really good chance they would need to divert because of their late departure time and the weather in Aspen.  They also should have been prepared to initiate a missed approach after the jets in front of them needed to.  One of the biggest choices they should have made would have been to stay on the approach path and not try to shoot a contact approach to an airport they were unfamiliar with at night.  I think that I would try to convince the passengers of the reality that we would probably need to go to Rifle, Colorado.  No matter how much the passenger pushed, I would not try to do something unsafe.  At the end of the day, I think that any company would understand my choice.  And even if I lost my job because of the boss' insistence, I think that it would be easy to explain to a future employer.  If they were a company that legitimately placed safety above all else, they would understand my decision and not hold it against me.

Single Pilot IFR

Right now, I would not even think about flying single pilot IFR.  It has been about 15 months since I got my IFR rating, and I haven't gotten much training since then.  If I spent more time doing some training to get my competency back, I would be more willing to try single pilot IFR.  After reading the article, I believe that flying single pilot IFR is more about planning and staying ahead of the aircraft than actually flying.  I think that one of the most important tips I picked up from the article is to look at the weather trends for about a week in advance before the trip.  This makes a lot of sense.  For example, if you are flying to the California coast IFR, you would want to watch the weather each day to see when the evening fog comes in.  If you have this in mind, you can plan on when to depart so that you avoid shooting an approach into low visibility conditions.  Overall I think that flying single pilot IFR is not necessarily a dangerous thing.  If the pilot stays competent, plans ahead and is prepared, then he will be able to safely complete even the most difficult flight in IFR.