The national office, in conjunction with the national executive committee and the national training committee, has set the standards for leadership training in this country. Imagine, for a moment, if NTCs were conducted as some appear to wish -- where every district could do their own thing based on what they think is best. I imagine that some NTCs would be just an overnighter, while others would stretch to 5 or 6 days as districts attempted to cram more and more material into the camp. The role of the senior guide would likely vary also, from someone meaner and tougher than a drill sergeant to someone who does no training whatsoever in the camp. The national office many years ago established the Staff School, and more recently National Academy, to make sure that NTCs were standardized across the country. That means that when you see someone wearing the NTC patch on their uniform, they received the same training in the same format, regardless of where the camp was held. Why shouldn't the LMA mean the same thing? Standards were established long ago for the content and format of the LTC. . . if an instructor has accepted certification to teach the LTC, shouldn't they follow those standards?
Accepting for a moment your argument that others may have a better idea of how to train, the correct way to have those new training methods become the standard is to have your district (district commander, district training coordinator, or any other member of the National Council) present the ideas to your regional coordinator who will in turn present them to the national executive committee. Ultimately, it is the national executive committee that establishes the standards for training in Royal Rangers.
I'm sorry my comments on the area of training led to yet another personal attack on RangerNet. I truly wish that folks on RangerNet could address the issues raised without resorting to these types of attacks. I welcome debate (online or back channel) about the direction that leadership training is going in Royal Rangers. That's one way that we can make sure that the best ideas are incorporated into the final product. However, please keep the debate on the issues.
Jonathan
At 07:56 PM 2/18/2002 -0600, Mark W Jones wrote:
Jonathan in the past I have ran into a lot of people that had the assumption they were the only ones that could sanction a teaching leason and teach it the way it needs to be taught. They are almost without exception a bottle neck and 100% a pain in the neck. Facts show that we only retain a few percent of what we are taught in a classroom. Hands on experience and a few years working with a good example of how to run an outpost blows any amount of classroom training out of the room. I am not selling short training. As it is very important. But to assume we are the only ones that can teach it right is building on the wrong foundation. Every minute of every day someone is doing it better than you or I will. With God's help I will do my best to serve God ...
I know your intentions are of the very best but don't sell short others training methods. God can use most anything for good. The Bible is full of people who didn't measure up to man's standards but God can!
Mark Jones
On Mon, 18 Feb 2002 10:19:16 -0600 Jonathan Trower <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
At 06:48 PM 2/16/2002 -0800, Jim Hufferd wrote:
I have heard of different styles of LTC, but had no idea the liberties that are being taken and yet make the claim that the leaders are actually being trained!!
This has been a problem for years in the US. Each district has taken the national guidelines for training and have taken liberties. Sometimes it was because of unique constraints in their district, but more often I suspect it was due to the belief that they had a "better idea" of how training should be done. Right now it is very difficult to look at a commander who has their LMA from another district and to have an idea of what he/she knows, because of the variability in training from district to district.
Rumor has it that Natl. will set some type of a time framework for the new LTA's. I sure hope they do as a lot of the styles that I have read in the last few days do not even come close to actual training. It's more like open the hatch, pour it in until you are full, now go home and digest it. A mind can not absorb that information in that short of a time. We have leaders struggling just to keep their head above water, when we do the weekly method. To keep from having to call the paramedics on our all day sessions, the leaders have their books 30 days ahead of time, do their homework & bring it with them on the day of the class.
No rumor to it. There will be a comprehensive set of guidelines for the LTA modules, and the set of modules that lead to the LMA. The LMA will require 25 hours of classroom instruction, plus the first aid course and either a 24-hour training camp-out (for Discovery, Adventure, and Expedition Rangers commanders) or a 6-hour skills training session (for Ranger Kids commanders). Part of the problem in the past was that there were no clear guidelines for things like the training camp-out, so some districts ran them like a mini-NTC while others treated it like a fun camp-out. That has been fixed in the LTA -- there is a good clear set of guidelines for the camp-out, and every other module. That should help assure that a commander in one district is receiving the same training that a commander in another district is receiving.
The modules have all been designed with the goal of 100% learning and retention of the material presented in each module. In addition, they are designed to encourage additional training, and to enable a commander to immediately apply what he or she has learned in a weekly meeting or a camp-out or outing. The 25 hours of classroom instruction is designed to provide leaders what they need to know to function as a leader at the local level. Thus, some material that some districts are currently requiring may be left out of the new LMA requirements. That's o.k. -- the average local commander doesn't need to know that stuff at the beginning. Subsequent modules that they may take after the LMA can teach them the advanced stuff, or it can be covered in sectional Round Tables, District Commanders Conferences, or Regional Seminars/Conferences. Often times, the additional material that is being required isn't needed until someone becomes a senior commander, or a member of a sectional staff. The LTA is designed to provide additional training to folks as they progress in their RR ministry, providing that training as it is needed, rather than requiring it all up front. You can see a graphic of this training hierarchy that the LTA is built around at http://hsb.baylor.edu/html/trower/traininghierarchy.jpg
Some of the top RR trainers from across the nation have had input in the design of the LTA, the modules, and the requirements for the LMA. If everyone will give the LTA a chance, and use it as it is designed, these objectives will be achieved.
Jonathan
For well over 15 years I have been training leaders in our District and stand by our policies and methods.
I have sat on the District Training Committee as an IT, and have helped to shape the policies and methods for our District. As ideas for new methods come to light we evaluate them and make a decision based on their merits.
Jim Hufferd
Sectional Commander
North San Joaquin Section
So California. District
__________________________________
Jonathan Trower
South Central Region Training Coordinator
e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
phone: 254-420-1941
RR homepage: http://mis.baylor.edu/trower _______ Let the Golden Rule be your daily rule. Please pray for your list sponsor: http://eBible.org/mpj/ To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe rangernet" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit http://rangernet.org/subscribe.htm http://rangernet.org
Mark Jones, Ozark MO, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Download a Free Royal Ranger Database visit my website at: http://home1.gte.net/mjones02/index.html
-------------------------------------------
Jonathan Trower
South Central Regional Training Coordinator
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Phone: 254-420-1941
Fax: 254-710-1091
Home Page: http://mis.baylor.edu/trower _______ Let the Golden Rule be your daily rule. Please pray for your list sponsor: http://eBible.org/mpj/ To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe rangernet" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit http://rangernet.org/subscribe.htm http://rangernet.org
