We are all familiar with the term, “Death by PowerPoint” and for good reason. Poorly designed and poorly presented PowerPoint presentations can suck the life out of the most dedicated student. PowerPoint is one of the most misused and misunderstood instructional tools out there. It’s really fun to bash PowerPoint; it’s much less popular to admit it can be a highly effective instructional tool if used well. Here I offer you a guide to using PowerPoint well.
Instructor 101: The Basics
I wrote “Lessons Learned as a Professional Instructor” over three years ago. It is still one of my favorite things I have ever written. I wrote it at a time when I made my living surrounded by other professional instructors. At the time I was burdened with the idea that all instructors possessed some level of professionalism and pride in their craft. The paramedic class I have almost finished has taught me this is not the case. Here are some basic recommendations for running a high-value class.
AAR: Chuck Haggard’s OC Spray/Less-Lethal Weapons
Early last month I had the pleasure of attending the OC Spray and Less than Lethal Weapons for non LE Instructor Course taught by Chuck Haggard of Agile Training & Consulting.
2021 Goal Progress: April
In January of 2021 I committed to some New Year’s resolutions: spend 15 minutes per day learning Spanish, workout 3 times per week, shoot my bow 3 times per week, read 73 100 128 books, and stay off tobacco. This is my progress so far in the year. Aside from just my results there’s some really good information at the bottom of the article.
2021 Goal Progress: March
In January of 2021 I committed to some New Year’s resolutions: spend 15 minutes per day learning Spanish, workout 3 times per week, shoot my bow 3 times per week, read 73 books, and stay off tobacco. This is my progress so far in the year.
2021 Goal Progress: February
In January of 2021 I committed to some New Year’s resolutions: spend 15 minutes per day learning Spanish, workout 3 times per week, shoot my bow 3 times per week, read 73 100 books, and stay off tobacco. This is my progress so far in the year.
Dry Practice Tools: The Mantis Blackbeard
With ammunition at record-high cost and record-low availability, hitting the range might not be an option for many of you. Articles abound about how to continue firearms practice during the shortage, most involving some sort of dry practice. It seems like everyone is on the bandwagon and dry practice is no longer just for weirdos like these guys. Some exciting new tools are available to make dry practice more productive and engaging; one of the most interesting is the Mantis Blackbeard.
Military Guys Can’t Teach CCW
I recently saw a post on a gun blog† that said military and former military personnel are unqualified to teach civilian firearms classes. There is a kernel of truth to this statement, but while the words have traveled widely, their meaning has been left in the dust. Let’s look at the argument that military guys can’t teach CCW, then let’s clear this up, shall we?
On Being a Beginner (Again)
Though this post might look like an article about archery, it’s actually about being a rank beginner at a physical skill. Though my goal in taking up the bow was to learn archery, I’ve already learned something much more important: what it’s like to be a beginner. It sucks to suck, but there are some valuable lessons here for instructors.
2021 Goal Progress: January
In January of 2021 I committed to some New Year’s resolutions: spend 15 minutes per day learning Spanish, workout 3 times per week, shoot my bow 3 times per week, read 73 books, and stay off tobacco. This is my progress so far in the year.