Tune And Identify

Im a 63-year-old pilot completing my IFR training and obtaining a high-performance endorsement for a 182. Virtually all of my training has been with a large flight school in South Florida (name withheld to protect the guilty).In my regular life Im a senior faculty member for a respected trade association. After about 30 years as an educator, Ive learned that a successful learning outcome happens when the teacher is addressing the unique learning styles of each individual student. All of my students are adults with varying skill and education levels. If I teach in a manner that I think is the right way, but fail to connect with the individual student, Ive failed as an instructor.

Editorial Staff

Friday, February 23, 2018 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Flight instructors should adapt their teaching methods to individual student learning styles, much like tuning a navaid, to ensure effective learning outcomes.
Effective instruction avoids teaching by assumption, instead advocating for supportive questioning and multi-sensory demonstrations (seeing, listening, doing) to connect with students.
The author, a senior educator, emphasizes that if a student hasn't learned, the teacher hasn't taught, placing the onus on the instructor to adapt and ensure understanding.

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I’m a 63-year-old pilot completing my IFR training and obtaining a high-performance endorsement for a 182. Virtually all of my training has been with a large flight school in South Florida (name withheld to protect the guilty).

In my regular life I’m a senior faculty member for a respected trade association. After about 30 years as an educator, I’ve learned that a successful learning outcome happens when the teacher is addressing the unique learning styles of each individual student. All of my students are adults with varying skill and education levels. If I teach in a manner that I think is the right way, but fail to connect with the individual student, I’ve failed as an instructor.