Instructor Responsibilities & Professionalism

Question 1

What are the aviation instructor responsibilities?

Answer 1

1. Help Students Learn
2. Provide Adequate Instruction
3. Demanding Adequate Standards of Performance
4. Emphasizing the Positive
5. Minimizing Student Frustration

Question 2

How do aviation instructors help students learn?

Answer 2

• Learning should be an enjoyable experience.
• By making each lesson a pleasurable experience, the instructor can maintain a high level of student motivation.
• The use of standards, and measurement against standards, is key to helping students learn.
• Learning should be interesting. Knowing the objective of each lesson gives meaning and interest to the student.

Question 3

How do aviation instructors provide adequate instruction?

Answer 3

• The flight instructor must analyze the student’s personality, thinking, and ability.
• The instructor should talk with the student to learn about their background, interests, temperament, and way of thinking.
• A slow learning student who has a lack of confidence should be assigned subgoals that can be attained more easily.
• A fast learning student should have the standards of performance raised for each lesson and demanded greater effort.

Question 4

How do aviation instructors use standards of performance?

Answer 4

• An aviation instructor is responsible for training an applicant to acceptable standards in the ACS or PTS.

Question 5

How do aviation instructors emphasize the positive?

Answer 5

• The way instructors conduct themselves, the attitudes they display, and the manner in which they develop instruction all contribute to the formation of either positive or negative impressions by the student.
• The goal of the instructor is to give the student a positive perception or image of aviation.
• An example would be an intro flight. The flight instructor should conduct a normal flight with the students, pointing out the benefits of flying. This will emphasize a positive image of aviation to the student.
• If the flight instructor was to talk about all the hazards associated with flying on the intro flight, the student might perceive a negative image of aviation and quit.
• Positive instruction = positive learning.

Question 6

How do instructors minimize student frustration?

Answer 6

1. Motivate Students - Show the students the objective of each lesson and help them see the benefits of what they will be learning.
2. Keep Students Informed - Students feel insecure when they do not know what is expected of them or what is going to happen to them. Instructors should tell the students what is expected of them. Ways to do this is giving them an overview of the course, keeping them posted on their progress, and giving them adequate notice of examinations, assignments, or other requirements.
3. Approach Students as Individuals -
4. Give Credit when Due - When the student does something well, they expect their abilities and efforts to be noticed. Praise or credit from the instructor is usually ample reward and provides an incentive to do even better. Be careful to not give praise too freely, or it becomes valueless.