Whew! A lot of work...

[Coney]

I'm working on the ground school portion of my CFI initial. My instructor's program calls for me to compose and present 37 lesson plans. I'm currently working on Lesson 8: Short & Soft-Field Landings & Takeoffs. I've been working pretty hard trying to make my presentation accurate and effective, but it's really tough! I'm either taking too much time giving my preflight brief or I'm forgetting to include a point or concept that's pivotal to the lesson. I can definitely see how this will help prepare me for the oral exam. Anyway, is this sort of difficulty normal to CFIs in training? Just curious. Thanks!

[bike21]

What you are experiencing is normal and good! You are worried about your lessons which tells me you care and want to do well. Keep up the hard work and it will pay off for both you and your future students!

I spent about 2 months working on my lessons plans and CFI binder. It was all worth it for sure. I only had one student fail a ride out of 30 sent. The binder, lessons plans, and reference material was a huge help for sure!

[MidlifeFlyer]

Originally Posted by Coney

Anyway, is this sort of difficulty normal to CFIs in training? Just curious. Thanks!

You betcha! It's probably true of any teachers in training. Until you get into the flow that comes from experience, you'll probably find yourself with 2 hours of preparation for every hour that you actually teach.

[jrh]

Originally Posted by Coney

Anyway, is this sort of difficulty normal to CFIs in training? Just curious.

Yes. Very much so.

I never did a set of lesson plans during my CFI training, but my instructor stressed having a complete, accurate, logical presentation. Most of my ground lessons were me presenting a lesson or two on the ground with a whiteboard while my my instructor played the role of a student. Throughout the presentation he would ask questions and prod like a student, as well as give me tips on how to make things more clear or organized. It was tough and took a while to get through groundschool, but I was very prepared for the oral, and teaching in the real world, for that matter.

[flyingmaniac]

Originally Posted by Coney

I've been working pretty hard trying to make my presentation accurate and effective, but it's really tough! I'm either taking too much time giving my preflight brief or I'm forgetting to include a point or concept that's pivotal to the lesson. I can definitely see how this will help prepare me for the oral exam. Anyway, is this sort of difficulty normal to CFIs in training? Just curious. Thanks!

Well that was the same problem that I was having. All I did was go through the PTS and look for the pointers, the things that stood out. Then I found all the information out of the many books that I have read and applied that to my notes.