Educational Planning in Technical Rescue: �Developing a Program, Organizing Curricula, �Course Planning, and Lesson Planning 101

TOM EVANS

Out Of Curiosity…

• I have given education talks the past two years
• Is anyone using some of the presented techniques?

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• How are they working?

Has This Happened To You?

• You or your organization taught a class
• Students passed
• A month or a few months later, students forgot most of it

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• By show of hands!

Take Notes…

• First ~20 minutes will be learning, then active application
• It will help you retain the information!

The Problem

• ITRS presentations the past 5-9 years have shown…
• Biggest problems in rope rescue are human factors when:
• Engineering systems
• Building systems
• Operating systems
• The gear is strong enough
• IF used appropriately…
• The dope on the rope is the problem…

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• (Mike Gibbs here)

The Solution?

• Human error is a training problem
• In part…

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• Many human factors can be removed with better teaching and learning
• Obviously, not all…
• E.g., hypoglycemia, weather �and its effects on the body, etc.

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The Solution?

• But how?

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• Apply adult learning research to teaching rope rescue
• Education IS a mature science!
• Like physics
• Chemistry, etc.

The Solution?... But….

• How long does it take to become an expert at something?

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• Show of hands, each finger represents a year of training/practice

The Solution?... But….

• The same training time is required for teaching
• ~6 years for secondary teachers
• Many more for post secondary…

The Solution?... But….

• Rope rescue instructors are usually not trained adult educators
• Often without training in how learning takes place
• This is not to say they are bad…
• Not as good as they could be

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• Therefore, we expect inefficiencies!
• Often amazing lecturers
• Often poor follow-up (post lesson activities)

Purpose Here

• Provide a little learning research

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• Explain how it can be used to leverage limited training time

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• Thus, increasing learning AND retention
• E.g., Less training time with better performance!

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Three Behaviors That Work

• Metanalysis of personal study/research articles
• ~1300 research articles (Some presented here at ITRS)
• Three variables correlated with:
• Greater learning
• Longer retention of information

Three Behaviors That Work

• 1. Repetition
• Reiterate concepts or tasks repeatedly
• Intuitively obvious…
• 2. Time on task
• The more time you study/learn, the more you learn
• Intuitively obvious…
• 3. Distributed study
• Spacing out study to maximize retention
• Rarely used!!

Why Distributed Study Works

• Ebbinghaus forgetting curve…
• When you learn information, you forget it
• Each subsequent relearning, you forget it slower…
• Repeat until�learned long�term

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Why Distributed Study Works

• Over what time span?
• Hours to days in the beginning, so our interventions must be quick!

What Does This Mean For Planning?

• Integrate relearning in your training program
• Within lessons (lesson planning)
• Within courses (course planning)
• Within training programs (curriculum planning)

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• We need to define these terms, so this makes sense…

Curriculum Planning

• Also known as a Course of Study
• It is the sequence of classes a person takes to learn a subject
• E.g. Graduation requirements
• E.g. Chemistry

Curriculum Planning

• What does this look like for your organization?
• Fire service (example, not an ideal!)
• Fire academy
• HASMAT
• EMT
• Confined Space Rescue
• Swiftwater Rescue
• Trench Rescue

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• Recertified every 1-3 years
• Periodic practices (?)- Is there distributed study?!?!

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Curriculum Planning

• What does this look like for your organization?
• Backcountry Rescue (example, not an ideal!)
• Beginners academy (weeknights and/or weekends)
• Tracking class
• EMT class
• High Angle class

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• Periodic trainings/practices
• Is there distributed study!?!?

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Course Planning

• Planning for the sequence of concepts presented in just one class (e.g., high angle, tracking, navigation, etc.)
• E.g., in a high angle rescue class
• Hardware/software
• Knots
• Anchors and anchor assessment
• Lowering systems
• Raising systems

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• Notice, often there is very little distributed study

Lesson Planning

• The way in which you will teach one or two concepts or skills to a class in one sitting
• E.g., Knot tying
• Tied correctly
• Dressed correctly
• Set tightly
• Efficient
• Practice

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• Notice, there is very little distributed study in such a lesson plan

How Do We Plan For Distributed Study?

• We integrate relearning into:
• The order of classes
• Within a class
• And within lessons

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• These relearning events can be SHORT!
• Past couple ITRS talks gave many options!

Participation…

• The rest of this session will be participation based
• If you do not participate, it will be less useful for you!
• If this dog can do it, so can you…

Curriculum Planning Ideal

• In an ideal world…
• Classes are in a logical order that build on each other
• Ideally repeated to reteach ideas
• E.g., College…

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• Notice, concepts are repeated
• Intro classes
• Core classes
• Upper division classes
• (Graduate school…)

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Curriculum Planning Activity

• Brainstorm the classes in your organization (written down)
• Put them in a logical order
• Space out similar content classes (e.g., rigging 1, rigging 2)
• If need, break classes into two or three shorter (weekend?) classes
• Brainstorm, just throw ideas out on paper….

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• ~3 minutes, please talk with your peers as you work!

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Curriculum Planning Activity

• Debrief
• Did you find that exercise helpful? Why?

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• Would you like to talk to peers about your thoughts?

Curriculum Planning Activity

• Please divide up into heterogeneous groups, ~3-4
• E.g., Backcountry SAR, Fire Service, Training company members
• Each person discuss what you thought of and WHY…

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• ~5-7 minutes �(as needed)

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• When done,�stand and �stretch

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Curriculum Planning Activity

• Debrief
• Did you find that exercise helpful? Why?

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• Did you learn anything you want to share?

Curriculum Planning Reality

• Realistically many of you will not change your program
• Updated every… Decade???...

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• Think about how these ideas might help you next time
• Even just a short reorganization of classes may help!

Course Planning Ideal

• Two ways of approaching it
• Top down
• Often based on state teaching standards�(not really applicable to technical rescue…)
• Bottom up
• I will show bottom up (easier)

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Course Planning Ideal

• Process
• Brainstorm all the topics students need to learn about
• Brain dump
• Order the subjects in a logical order so they build on each other
• There are multiple right ways!!
• Estimate the time required to teach each subject well
• Add this up, and you get your class length
• You may have to divide it into multiple classes!
• Schedule the class sessions with subjects (order and number)
• Ensure you repeat concepts to distribute study!

Example Course Plan

• Pathophysiology
• Lessons build on �each other
• Content builds on�itself
• Colors indicate �similar material

Course Planning Activity

• Pick a course you teach
• List the content items you want students to learn
• Place these in a logical order
• Space content so you can fill ideas in the spaces…
• Remember to distribute the ideas for improved study!
• For each, write out a justification of why you put it where you did

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• ~5-7 minutes

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Course Planning Activity

• Please divide up into a homogenous group, ~3-4
• E.g., all Backcountry SAR, or all Fire Service
• Each person discuss what order you chose, and WHY…

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• ~5-7 minutes (as needed)

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Course Planning Activity

• Debrief
• Did you find that exercise helpful? Why?

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• Did you learn anything you want to share?

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Lesson Planning 101

• Two tasks
• Teaching new material with distributed study
• Providing opportunities for distributed study of previous material

Lesson Planning 101

• Task 1: Teaching new material with distributed study
• Here is a decent lesson outline (gradual release model)
• Demonstrate the skill you want to teach in context
• Teach the skill
• Students practice with frequent feedback from teacher
• Students practice with peer feedback or no feedback
• Students practice at home with HOMEWORK/STUDY

Lesson Planning 101

• Task 2: Distributed study of previous lessons material
• Common Options:
• 1. Start with a review activity
• 2. Reteach previous material briefly
• 3. Integrate previous material into new lesson
• 4. Integrate previous material into practice of new material
• 5. Homework covering previous material AND new material

Lesson Planning 101: Example Lesson Plan

• Students demonstrate skill from previous lessons (~3 min)
• Brief reteach of material from previous lesson (~3-5 min)
• Direct instruction in new material (~15-20 min)
• Integrating previous material into new lesson
• Student practice combining new and old material (10-15 m)
• With frequent feedback from the instructor(s)
• Student practice combining new and old material (~20 min)
• With no feedback
• Homework involving all previously taught material
• ~10 to 15 minutes a day!

Lesson Planning Activity

• Pick any lesson you teach you would like to improve
• Brainstorm ways of improving it
• Write out a lesson plan in the format provided
• ~5 minutes
• Chat with those around you!!

Debrief

• Did you find that exercise helpful? Why?

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• Did you learn anything you want to share?

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Example Lesson…

• I can demonstrate a lesson
• Just not curriculum and course planning
• Let us try a quick lesson as an example
• I will use a knot lesson (eye bowline, so you learn something new)
• I assume last time we learned about software and hardware
• This will be over simplified because I have 20 minutes…

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• If you could all put on your student “hat”, let’s begin!
• Yes, I am going to use every dirty teacher trick I can…
• You have been warned…
• Oh, and you get some cord to play with….

Homework!

• Please turn in your homework
• Where you identified software and hardware types
• Where you explained when to use each item

Review Activity: ~4 minutes

• Please explain, generally, when to use the following items:
• A. Webbing
• B. Cordage
• C. Rope
• D. Carabiners
• Please explain how to maintain software products like webbing, cord, and rope.
• Please explain how to maintain carabiners.
• What should be included in a rope journal.

Review: Types of Software

• Webbing
• Used as anchor interfaces to protect the rope
• Tag lines and litter tie downs
• Improvised harnesses
• Cord
• Anchors
• Releasable hitches
• Small haul systems
• Rope
• Primary life support material for patients

Review: Software Maintenance

• Wash and dry after every use
• Visually and manually inspect after every use
• Retirement criterion
• Loss of confidence in the material
• 10 years old
• Visible damage �(core shot, cuts, irregular bend)
• Record use in rope log

Review: Carabiners

• How to locate and read �standard labels
• 4 carabiners shapes and�their strengths and �weaknesses

The Eye Bowline

• Problem
• We need an anchor and a rigging loop
• Ideally, the knot uses minimal rope
• Fast to tie
• Easy to inspect

How To Tie The Eye Bowline: Method #1

• Remove slack for anchor
• Tie a bowline
• Follow through bowline
• Tie backup knot!!!!

How To Tie The Eye Bowline: Method #1

• Activity #1
• Tie an eye bowline and get it inspected by a neighbor
• Inspect theirs in return! (give each other feedback!)
• Fix any mistakes you made!

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How To Tie The Eye Bowline: Method #1

• Activity #2
• Get in a group of 3 (more fun that way)
• When I say go, each of you tie an eye bowline around something
• Time it to see who is fastest
• When done, each person inspect everyone else’s bowlines!
• Give each other feedback (normally the teacher would do this… but…)

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How To Tie The Eye Bowline: Method #2

• Used when you can slide the anchor knot over anchor
• Tie a bowline with a bight long enough for a safety
• Secure with a backup knot

How To Tie The Eye Bowline: Method #1

• Activity #1
• Tie an eye bowline (method #2) and get it inspected by a neighbor
• Around a pencil or pen, or ????
• Inspect theirs in return! (give each other feedback)

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How To Tie The Eye Bowline: Method #1

• Activity #2
• Get in a group of 3 (more fun that way)
• Each of you draw how to tie the eye bowline with method #2
• Quality of drawing is irrelevant…
• When done, each person inspect everyone else’s drawings!
• Give each other feedback (normally the teacher would do this… but…)

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Questions!?

• Your practice for the week:
• Every day for a week, tie an eye bowline with method #1 ten times
• Every day for a week, tie an eye bowline with method #2 ten times
• Homework to turn in next time:
• Draw how to tie an eye bowline using method #1
• Draw how to tie an eye bowline using method #2
• A paragraph explaining when to use the eye bowline

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Take Off Your Student Hat

• Did you learn a new skill?

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• Can you repeat it in a couple of hours?

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• If you practice, will it stick?

Take A Step Back…

• We have done:
• Discussed correlates with learning
• Repetition
• Time on Task
• Distributed Study
• Learned teaching planning
• Curriculum
• Course
• Lesson
• Experienced a lesson

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• Knowing what you know now, can you improve your educational planning?

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Challenge

• You produced a lot of ideas today

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• Implement at least ONE of them this year

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• Next year I want to hear how it worked!

The Cord…

• You are welcome to keep the cord
• DO YOUR HOMEWORK!
• Great thing to do on the plane…
• If you do not want it, pass it to the middle
• I will use them for rope pads…

Questions?

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Thomas Evans

SAR³

^{http://sarrr.weebly.com/}

^{cavertevans@gmail.com}

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