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Sea Kayak Instructor Level 1

Aim
To provide a national certification in the instruction and administration of the Paddle Canada Level-1 Sea Kayaking Skills course.

Upon Successful Completion
The Sea Kayak Instructor Level 1 is certified to:

Teach the following courses:
Sea Kayak Skills Introduction to Kayaking
Sea Kayak Skills Level 1


Assist and/or Apprentice (Mentorship) on the following courses:
Sea Kayak Skills Level 2
Sea Kayak Instructor Introduction to Kayaking


Prerequisites
At least 18 years of age.
Paddle Canada Sea Kayaking Level-2 certification.
Paddling Experience: 30 days in level-1 conditions (including overnights).
Current certification in First Aid with CPR (8 hrs).

Course Length
4 days minimum

Class Ratio
1 Instructor Trainer : 6 Participants

Location
Sheltered waters with uninterrupted easy landing options.

Conditions
Light winds (0-11 knots)
Current (0-0.5 knots)
Sea state calm to light chop.

Program Overview
Technical Skills
• All Level-1 Instructor candidates are expected to have a high degree of
proficiency with Level-2 Skills, including boat handling, rescue skills, navigation, and weather interpretation.
• Paddlers will be evaluated on their Level-2 Skills throughout the instructor
program through observation and, where appropriate, specific skills testing and homework.

General Leadership Skills
• Level-1 Instructor candidates must demonstrate strong leadership skills in a
variety of situations during rescue scenarios, group travel in Level-1 conditions, and the daily routine of running a Level-1 Skills program.

Communication
• Speak clearly and effectively with students using a variety of verbal and nonverbal communication tools in a variety of conditions, both on and off the water.
Decision Making
• Make appropriate low, medium, and high consequence decisions based on
gathered information, a clear understanding of the desired outcome, and their judgement.
• Reflect on these decisions, drawing important lessons to be incorporated into
future decisions.

Conflict Resolution
• Manage intra-group conflict, honouring the need for privacy and empathy, while working toward the stated goals of the group.

Role Modeling
• Model appropriate behaviour in their social, verbal, psychomotor, and ethical
actions

Logistics
• Choose appropriate locations and routes for the skill level and expectations of a Level-1 Skills course. The route plan considered such factors as tides and currents, weather, obvious hazards, speed of the group, and points of interest.
• File a detailed Paddling Plan with a responsible adult. The Paddling Plan will include
alternative routes and locations, bearings for significant crossings, and any group specific considerations such as health, age, and disabilities.
• Pack appropriate safety equipment including communication, first aid, shelter,
insulation, food, and water. Paddlers will also inspect the kayak, and kayak
accessories of each participant before leaving the beach.

Instructorship
Specifically, this course will focus on basic instructor skills including:
1) Organizing and presenting information on the water, at the beach and in the classroom
a) Course progressions
b) Time lines
c) Lesson Plans
2) Analyzing and providing appropriate, timely, and constructive feedback to participants
a) Detect and correct
3) Communicating effectively through a variety of media including voice, physical
demonstrations, and other teaching aids.
4) Presenting the content in such a way as to motivate and encourage participants to
continue paddling
a) By playing Games
b) By balancing challenges, fun, and rewards.

Instruction
Present a written lesson plan for a Paddle Canada Level-1 skill training course.
The lesson plan should include:
• Clear articulation of specific learning outcomes
• Discrete, measurable, realistic, and achievable
• Clear criteria for assessment
• Timelines
• Clear progressions
• Opportunities for a variety of learning styles
Each segment should be organized with:
• A clear introduction
• A middle that identifies common errors and solutions
• Guides to identifying common errors
• A defined end
Organize and present a 20-30 minute on-water session teaching one of the strokes
appropriate for a Level-1 skill Participant.
Organize and facilitate a 15-20 minute session on one of the theoretical knowledge sets appropriate to a Level-1 skill award.
Paddlers must be given at least 24 hours notice of their topic.
• Each session will have a clearly delineated beginning, middle, and end.
• Each session will include a detection and correction session based on Level-1 skill assessment standards
• Strokes will be demonstrated in a manner consistent with any explanation
• Strokes will be of demonstration quality
• Clear boundaries will be set for practice sessions
• The instructor will offer feedback to each student
• The instructor will foster a rewarding learning environment by using positive language
• The instructor will foster a rewarding learning environment by using a range of appropriate teaching aids and techniques including on water activities and games.
• The instructor will role model ethics and values consistent with the Paddle Canada community of sea kayak instructors.
• Offer relevant, constructive feedback to other Participants during debriefing sessions, phrased in a non-threatening manner.
Group management
• Organize the group according to the environment.
• Set and use appropriate communication tools.
• Set and manage appropriate boundaries.

Risk Assessment
• Identify objective and subjective risks
• Weigh the significance of each element of risk
• Develop appropriate strategies for reducing, avoiding, and/or retaining these risks should include:

Incident Management
• Assess the scene, articulating potential hazards
• Communicate clearly with the group any actions and directions
• Remove hazards or remove the group from the hazards
• Implement a clear and organized response to the incident according to these
priorities
• Self
• Uninjured students
• Injured students
• Follow up on the incident with the group
• Critically assess the incident, highlighting successes and weaknesses, and any lessons learned for next time. NOTE: This is more important than getting the
scenario right.

Teaching Theory
• Demonstrate a practical awareness of basic teaching concepts throughout the program by justifying actions and decisions in relation to these concepts.

Assessment Skills
• Assess a variety of technical and soft skills in relation to clearly defined objectives.
• Provide timely and accurate feedback to Participants.
Familiarity with Paddle Canada policies, programs, accreditation, and re-certification
• Mission statement
• Registering a course
• Course Report
• Maintaining certification


Instructors
The following instructors are accredited to offer this course:
Sea Kayak Instructor Trainer Level 1
Sea Kayak Instructor Trainer Level 2
Sea Kayak Instructor Trainer Level 3


The following instructors may assist/apprentice (Mentorship) on this course:
Sea Kayak Instructor Level 2
Sea Kayak Instructor Level 3
Sea Kayak Instructor Level 4
Sea Kayak Instructor Trainer Introduction to Kayaking


Assessment
The Instructor will be evaluated by:
• Observation throughout the course.
• Written test of knowledge of course content of approximately one hour in length. Participants must achieve a mark of at least 80% to pass.
• Written and oral presentations demonstrating ability to communicate course content.
• Ongoing evaluation (by observation) of the participant’s performance in the areas of safety, care of equipment, group dynamics and leadership.
• A minimum of 2 demonstrations of teaching ability by each participant, 1 of which shall be an “on water” session in which the participant teaches a kayaking skill. The participant must select a site appropriate to the skill being taught and to the skill level of the students. In addition, development of appropriate teaching progression and strategies must be demonstrated.
• Teaching topics may be previously assigned or chosen, or may be assigned at short notice from a previously issued list. The course staff will determine the methods and number of tests in each content area.
• Retesting may occur at the discretion of the Course Director.
• Post Course evaluation may be undertaken only by the Course Director or designate within one year of the end of the course.
• The following grades will be used for the evaluation of each test item:
• P –Pass W –Weak F -Fail
• Prior to the assessment, the Instructor Trainer will clearly outline the criteria for grading. To achieve Instructor status the participant should achieve a P in all tests. One W may be accepted at the discretion of the Instructor Trainer.
• Participants will demonstrate all the skills at a high level of proficiency suitable for instructional demonstration purposes.
• Rescue and general paddling 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 paddling environment make demonstration of good judgment an important skill for the completion of the course.
• If re-assessment is conducted by a designated instructor, the designated instructor must currently hold the appropriate level of certification.