FIRC Stage 1
FIRC Stage 1
FIRC Stage 1
Chapter 1 .................................................................................................................................................... 3
How to Transfer Knowledge and Skill .................................................................................................. 3
Basic Elements of the Communication Process..................................................................................... 3
Communication Element: The Source ................................................................................................... 4
Communication Element: The Symbols ................................................................................................ 4
Communication Element: The Receiver ................................................................................................ 4
Barriers to Effective Communication .................................................................................................... 4
Teaching by Example............................................................................................................................. 5
Transfer of Learning .............................................................................................................................. 5
Habit Formation ..................................................................................................................................... 6
Control of Human Behavior................................................................................................................... 6
Hierarchy of Human Needs.................................................................................................................... 6
Defense Mechanisms ............................................................................................................................. 7
Chapter 2 .................................................................................................................................................... 9
Definition of Learning ........................................................................................................................... 9
Characteristics of Learning .................................................................................................................... 9
Effective Questions ................................................................................................................................ 9
Levels of Learning ............................................................................................................................... 10
The Instructor's Role in Human Relations ........................................................................................... 11
Chapter 3 .................................................................................................................................................. 13
Instructor Professional Responsibilities............................................................................................... 13
Training Oversight and Student Supervision ....................................................................................... 13
The Instructor's Role in Training ......................................................................................................... 13
Use Sound Educational Principles ....................................................................................................... 14
Chapter 4 .................................................................................................................................................. 15
Safety Implications .............................................................................................................................. 15
TAA Accident History ......................................................................................................................... 15
Training for the Glass Age................................................................................................................... 16
TAA Hardware and Software .............................................................................................................. 17
Document Details..................................................................................................................................... 21
Communication Symbol
Communication Barriers
Teaching by Example
Flight instructors must continuously evaluate the example they set for the student. Is a proper level of
professionalism always maintained? Does the example they set in the airplane reflect the same high level
of commitment to safety as did their words in the classroom? For example, does the instructor require,
both from himself as well as from the student, vigilance for other traffic, the performance of clearing
turns, making the appropriate position reports in the traffic pattern of a non-towered airport, etc.?
Nothing can nullify good teaching more quickly than the instructor who does not follow the procedures he
or she sets forth.
Transfer of Learning
Transfer of learning is broadly defined as the ability to apply knowledge or procedures learned in one
context to new contexts. As a result, learning occurs more rapidly and the learner develops a deeper
understanding of the task as he or she brings some k nowledge or skill from previous learning. This is
called a positive transfer of learning. However, some things can hinder new learning, referred to as a
negative transfer.
A degree of transfer is involved in all learning. This is true because learning is based on experience and
people interpret new things based on what they already know or have experienced. Many aspects of
teaching profit by this type of transfer, perhaps explaining why students of apparently equal ability have
differing success in certain areas.
This highlights a need to know a student's past experience and what has already been learned. In lesson
and syllabus development, instructors can plan for transfer b y organizing course materials and individual
lesson materials in a meaningful sequence: each phase should help the student learn what is to follow.
For the instructor, the significance of transfer lies in the fact that the students can be helped to achieve it.
Here follow some suggestions from educational psychologists:
Plan for transfer as a primary objective; the chance for success is increased if the instructor
deliberately plans to achieve it.
Ensure that the students understand that what is learned can be applied to other situations. Prepare
them to seek other applications.
Provide meaningful learning experiences that build student confidence in their ability to transfer
learning. This suggests activities that challenge them to exercise their imagination and ingenuity in
applying their knowledge and skills.
Habit Formation
The formation of correct habit patterns from the beginning of any learning process is essential to further
learning and for correct performance after the completion of training. As primacy is one of the most
fundamental principles of learning, it is the instructor's responsibility to insist on correct techniques and
procedures from the outset of training to promote proper habit patterns.
Due to the high level of knowledge and skill required in aviation, training has traditionally followed a
building-block concept: new learning and habit patterns are based on a solid foundation of experience
and/or old learning. Everything from intricate co gnitive processes to simple motor skills depends on what
the student already knows and how that knowledge can be applied. As knowledge and skill increase, there
is an expanding base upon which to build for the future.
Defense Mechanisms
Certain behavior patterns are called defense mechanisms because they are subconscious defenses against
the realities of unpleasant situations. The "fight or flight" to danger is a physiological defense mechanism.
Although they can serve a useful purpose, defense mechanisms can also be a hindrance. They alleviate
symptoms, not causes. Defense mechanisms share two common properties:
Defense Mechanisms
Characteristics of Learning
Whether defined as a series of changes or as a fluid process, learning is a complex procedure that occurs
continuously throughout a person's life. To understand how a person learns, it is necessary to understand
what happens to the individual during the process.
Learning is purposeful: Each student is an individual whose past experience affects readiness to learn.
Most people have fairly definite ideas about what they want to do and achieve; their goals are short or
long-term.
Each student likewise has a specific intention and goal. Students learn more from an activity that tends to
further their goals. Their individual needs and attitudes may determine what they learn as much as what
the instructor is trying to get them to learn.
Therefore, instructors need to find ways to relate new learning to the student's goals. In this learning
process the student's goals are paramount; thus student responses to learning will differ because each will
act in accordance with what he or she sees in a particular learning situation.
Learning is a result of experience: Since learning is an individual process, the student can only learn
from personal experiences. Thus, learning and knowledge cannot exist apart from a person. A person's
knowledge is the result of experience and no two people have identical experiences. This experience
conditions a person to respond to some things and ignore others.
All learning is done through experience, but it can take place in different forms and in varying degrees of
richness and depth. If an experience requires the involvement of feelings, thoughts, memories and physical
activity, it is a more effective experience than one in which all the student has to do is commit something
to memory.
Learning is multifaceted: The potential for learning goes beyond the training of memory and muscle,
students can learn much more than expected if they fully exercise their minds and feelings. These feelings
and experiences can easily influence a learning situation despite their no t being included in an instructor's
lesson plan.
Learning can have as many aspects as there are means for its expression. Learning can be verbal,
conceptual, perceptual, motor, problem-solving, and emotional. Each student will approach a task with
preconceived ideas and feelings, and these may change as a result of experience. The learning process
may include verbal elements, conceptual elements, perceptual elements, problem-solving elements and
emotional elements all taking place at once.
While learning the subject at hand, students may be learning other things as well. They may be developing
attitudes about aviation, self-reliance, etc. This type of learning is referred to as incidental and may have a
great impact on the total development of the student.
Learning is an active process: Consider the law of readiness: students must have a desire to learn for one
end or another; they do not simply absorb knowledge, and the instructor cannot assume that students have
learned because they were present in the classroom or aircraft. For students to learn, they need to react and
respond, perhaps outwardly, perhaps only inwardly, emotionally or intellectually.
Effective Questions
Areas of knowledge can be evaluated through oral questioning.
Good questions are:
Easily understood - Questions should be stated in simple, straightforward language. They should
be as brief as possible, yet complete enough to eliminate the possibility of misunderstanding.
Composed of common words - Questions should be designed to measure understanding of the
subject, not knowledge of English. Trick questions are to be avoided!
Thought provoking - Questions should challenge the student to apply knowledge rather than repeat
facts. They should not be answerable with "yes" or "no," or so eas y that the answer is obvious.
Centered on the major points of the objective - Questions should be built around the fundamental
material and asked at the appropriate time to emphasize key points.
Criticize Constructively: To tell students that they have made errors and not provide explanations does not
help them. If a student has made an earnest effort but is told that the work is not satisfactory without
explanation, frustration occurs.
Be Consistent: Students want to please their instructors. The instructor's philosophy and actions must
therefore be consistent.
Admit Errors: If the instructor tries to cover up or bluff, the students will be quick to sense it. If in doubt
about some point, the instructor should admit it to the students. Good human relations promote more
effective learning.
Levels of Learning
Levels of learning may be classified in any number of ways. Four basic levels have traditionally been
included in aviation instructor training. The lowest level is the ability to repeat something that one has
been taught without understanding or being able to apply what has been learned. This is referred to as rote
learning. Progressively higher levels of learning are: understanding what has been taught, application of
what has been learned, and correlation of what has been learned with other things previously learned or
subsequently encountered.
For example, a flight instructor may explain to a beginning student the procedure for entering a level turn.
The procedure may include several steps such as:
Professionalism exists only when a service is performed for someone or for the common good.
Professionalism is achieved only after extended training and preparation.
True performance as a professional is based on study and research.
Professionals must be able to reason logically and accurately.
Professionalism requires the ability to make good judgmental decisions. Professionals cannot limit
their actions and decisions to only standard patterns and practices.
Professionalism demands a code of ethics. Professionals must be true to themselves and to those
they serve. Anything less than a sincere performance is quickly detected and immediately destroys
their effectiveness.
Instructors should carefully consider this list. Failing to meet these criteria may result in poor performance
by the instructor and students. Preparation and performance as an instructor with these qualities constantly
in mind will command recognition as a professional in aviation instruction.