Camping Leadership Instructor

Mandate of the Camping Leadership Instructor

The Camping Leadership Instructor is certified to:

• conduct the Paddle Canada Camping Basics, Wilderness Camping, and Camping Leadership courses and certify participants at those levels,
• present the Expedition Camping Module,
• assist a Wilderness Camping Instructor Trainer on a Wilderness Camping Instructor course, and
• assist a Camping Basics Instructor Trainer on a Camping Basics Instructor course.

Prerequisites

Age

At least 18 years of age.

Skills Certification

Paddle Canada Camping Leadership skills certification.

One of the following paddling skills certifications:

• Intermediate Canoe skills,
• Intermediate River Kayak skills,
• Sea Kayak Level-2 skills,
• Touring 1 Stand Up Paddleboard skills,
• River 1 Stand Up Paddleboard skills, or
• Surf 1 Stand Up Paddleboard skills.

Instructor Certification

Paddle Canada Wilderness Camping Instructor.

Other Recommended Training

River Rescue Training is strongly recommended for those offering any skills course on moving water.

Teaching Experience

The candidate will have a significant teaching experience as a Wilderness Camping Instructor in a wide variety of conditions and locations including a minimum of 15 days of logged instruction of Wilderness Camping curriculum (either courses or clinics).

A minimum of two, Wilderness Camping courses within the past three years, being the lead instructor on both courses. These two courses count toward the 15 logged days.

Camping and Paddling Experience

A log demonstrating a minimum of 8 camping trips with a total combination of 12 nights or more camping. It is not necessary that these trips involve paddling.

Significant paddling experience in a wide variety of conditions and locations.

Minimum Course Length

24 hours of instruction (3 days) minimum.

Minimum Staff and Certification Level

• A minimum of one Instructor Trainer is required to teach this course.
• Instruction staff must be at least a Camping Leadership Instructor Trainer.
• A maximum of 2 assistants are allowed. Assistants can be either a Wilderness Camping Instructor Trainer or a Camping Leadership Instructor.

Instructor/Candidate Ratios

The instructor/candidate ratio will match the ratio of the corresponding Paddle Canada skills course, based on the paddling discipline and the water classification where this course is presented. For example, if the instructor candidates are in tandem canoes on class I moving water, then the instructor to participant ratio will be the same as the Introduction to Moving Water Tandem Canoe skills course ratio which is 1:8.

If a qualified assistant is present on the course, then that number of instructor candidates present can be increased by two. For example, a course with an instructor-to-participant ratio of 1:8 becomes 1 instructor + 1 assistant for 10 participants.

Minimum Number of Registered Candidates

This instructor course must have a minimum of 3 registered candidates to qualify. This is to ensure the candidate experiences an appropriate level of group dynamics and can demonstrate competence in managing those dynamics. This policy will be strictly enforced.

If there are fewer than three registered candidates, the instructor trainer can certify them via the instructor mentorship process as outlined on the page, Instructor Certification through Mentorship.

Course Location

Appropriate to a Camping Leadership skills course.

Environmental Conditions and Water Classification

Environmental conditions must match those outlined in the Camping Leadership course syllabus.

Instructor Candidate Assessment

The Camping Leadership Instructor Candidate will be assessed by the following methods

1. Continuous assessment (by observation) of skills throughout the course.
2. A minimum of three demonstrations of teaching ability by each candidate, at least two of which shall be practical camping sessions in which the candidate teaches a skill.
3. Written and/or oral presentations demonstrating ability to communicate course content.
4. Ongoing assessment (by observation) of the candidate’s performance in the areas of safety, self-care, care of equipment, group dynamics and leadership.
5. Successful completion of a written test of approximately one hour in length (developed by the course director).

The Instructor Candidate will demonstrate all skills at a high level of proficiency with Camping Leadership Skills suitable for instructional demonstration purposes. General camping and navigation skills will exceed minimum skills and be suitable to the instructional environment.

The instructor is a leader in the paddling community and must demonstrate above-average judgment in all matters relating to safety, group management and the health and welfare of all participants. The demands of the wilderness environment make demonstration of good judgment an important skill for the completion of this course.

For each category of camping skills, theory and teaching, candidates will be graded Pass, Weak, or Fail. To achieve this certification, a pass is required in all categories, but one weak may be accepted at the discretion of the instructor. Up to two weak evaluation items may be eligible for a conditional pass at the discretion of the instructor. A fail in any one category will result in a fail in the overall course. The head instructor will outline as clearly as possible the criteria, which determines a pass, weak or fail grading of each test to the candidates prior to assessment.

Reassessment or retesting may be conducted by the course instructor or a designated instructor at the appropriate level, according to the guidelines. Please review the page related to the use and restrictions of conditional passes and candidate retesting policies.

Camping Leadership Instructor Certification through Mentorship

As an alternative to an instructor course, instructor candidates can earn certification through mentorship. The mentorship process entails working as an apprentice instructor under direct supervision of a mentor who is a qualified instructor trainer on a minimum of two appropriate courses.

Refer to the section, Instructor Certification through Mentorship for specific information on the mentorship process.

Course Outcomes

Across the broad expanse of Canadian waterways, consistency of course content and assessment are important considerations. However, variations in regional geography and environmental conditions require instructor trainers to be flexible in their delivery of course content and the assessment of skills and knowledge.

Knowledge and Camping Skills Review

The candidate will:

• explain all knowledge and theory topics as outlined in the Camping Leadership skills course, and
• perform all practical camping skills as outlined in the Camping Leadership skills course at a “demonstration quality”.

Instructor Ethics

The candidate will:

• describe what it means to be a Paddle Canada instructor and how the responsibilities may have changed at this level,
• explain tactics for working with difficult participants, dealing with conflicting personalities, co-instructor conflict, etc., and
• demonstrate a strong ethic in line with the Paddle Canada code of conduct.

Teaching Theory

Coaching and Working with Long-term Participants

The candidate will:

• compare and contrast the role of the instructor to that of the coach and discuss where each role fits in the skills progression,
• work with each participant to create an individualized plan for future learning and development as a paddler, coach and instructor,
• explain participants’ cognitive development over the full skills progression (for example, me/we/the sea and levels of conscious competence),
• give examples of stress as a positive learning tool and demonstrate skill in managing participant stress appropriately, and
• break down the anatomy and biomechanics of paddling and apply this knowledge to help participants learn and paddle safely.

Teaching Styles

The candidate will demonstrate a variety of teaching strategies and be able to explain where each one is relevant to the skill or knowledge component being taught.

Program Design and Delivery

The candidate will:

• demonstrate a consistent, logical approach to the scope and sequence of teaching the Camping Leadership material,
• explain the level and assessment benchmarks of skill, knowledge and judgement required for Camping Leadership skills,
• outline the characteristics of specific Camping Leadership skills populations (for example, age, culture, degree of existing knowledge) and how to alter delivery to meet specific needs,
• demonstrate proficiency at prioritizing Camping Leadership objectives to make best use of program time,
• demonstrate an ability to teach complex skill sets including strong risk management and incident response skills, camping skills, navigation, navigating in low visibility, and multi-day weather forecasting, and
• demonstrate a strong ability to lead and co-teach effectively with fellow instructors and assistants.

Adaptive Paddling and Inclusive Instruction

The candidate will:

• explain the importance of empathy when working with all participants, and
• provide examples of methods to adapt programs for different abilities, including learning types and disabilities, hearing impairments, vision impairments, and physical limitations.

Leadership and Group Management Skills

The candidate will:

• maintain an effective learning environment in challenging camping or paddling conditions such as deteriorating weather or increased sea-state,
• demonstrate strong leadership skills and effective group management in a variety of situations during incident scenarios, group travel in wilderness conditions, and the daily routine of running a Camping Leadership skills program,
• demonstrate excellent communication skills by speaking clearly and effectively with participants using a variety of verbal and nonverbal communication tools,
• explain implement and teach a comprehensive risk management protocol that provides the participants with a logical framework for making decisions. This framework should include group reflection to inform future decisions,
• manage intra-group conflict, honouring the need for privacy and empathy, while working toward the stated goals of the group,
• model appropriate behaviour in social, verbal, psychomotor, and ethical actions, and
• choose appropriate locations and routes for the skill level and expectations of a Camping Leadership skills course. Route plans should take into consideration such factors as weather, obvious hazards, speed of the group, points of interest and potentially tides and/or currents

Safety Skills

The candidate will:

• respond effectively and quickly to an incidents or scenarios throughout the course, and
• outline safety procedures, effective hazard recognition, and use of safety equipment.

Evaluation and Assessment Skills

The candidate will:

• describe the use of video for participant assessment and feedback,
• design a rubric for Camping Leadership skills for quick, assessment of participants practical camping skills with a variety of possible solutions for common problems,
• demonstrate accurate assessment of participants practical camping skills, and
• provide timely, accurate and appropriate feedback to participants.

Course Administration and Paddle Canada Knowledge

The candidate will:

• explain Paddle Canada policies, programs, and procedures,
• explain how courses are sanctioned, the requirements for reporting, and what is required to maintain certification,
• explain the legal and liability issues affecting the instructor,
• explain the benefits and limits of the Paddle Canada instructor insurance program, and
• outline the volunteer opportunities with Paddle Canada (for example, Program Development or other committees, Board of Directors, etc.).

Course Plan Development

Candidates will individually develop a detailed course plan for a complete Paddle Canada Camping Leadership skills course. This assignment may be completed after the instructor course; however, certification will not be issued until the assignment, and all other criteria have been satisfied.

The course plan will include:

• a list of course objectives,
• a clear and logical progression of skills and theory topics taught,
• a detailed lesson plan of 4 practical camping skills and 2 theory topics (must be different than any formal teaching topics that were assigned),
• a list of 3-6 benchmarks for each skill,
• estimated timelines,
• possible teaching locations for each skill or activity, and
• a simple risk assessment and emergency response plan for a hypothetical Camping Leadership skills course. The plan could be built around 2-3 likely incidents on a Camping Leadership skills course.

Teaching Skills Demonstration

The candidate will:

• develop and present a minimum of three formal demonstrations of their teaching ability by teaching both practical camping skills and knowledge topics based on the Camping Leadership Skills syllabus,
• develop and demonstrate an appropriate teaching progression for the skills taught and a learning strategy that meets the participants needs,
• demonstrate an ability to move beyond using simple teaching frameworks (for example, IDEAS, Whole-Part-Whole) to more complex teaching strategies (for example, guided discovery or discovery learning),
• provide a detailed teaching outline or lesson plan for each topic assigned,
• foster a rewarding learning environment by using positive language,
• use a range of appropriate teaching aids and techniques including activities or games,
• model ethics and values consistent with the Paddle Canada community of instructors,
• offer relevant, constructive feedback to participants during debriefing sessions, phrased in a non-threatening manner,
• select a teaching location appropriate to the skill being taught and to the skill level of the participants as well as clearly communicate all boundaries for practice sessions, and
• articulate and demonstrate how to maximise learning by assessing the teaching environment and making use of natural or artificial features present. For example, is able to articulate why moving the class to a specific location will make learning a specific camping skill more effective.