BSAC PIE/TIE week after next

[Paul Beal]

Originally Posted by Chris Bone

Your not wrong mate when I did my AIE we had a PADI MI who let a student enter the water first on what was meant to be their first boat dive, said student the lost their mask, PADI MI then let student number two decend to depth unknown to retrive said mask.

We had a PADI OWSI who was diving with us as a guest while he sorted some money out to join BSAC. We got him to take a fairly inexperienced person in for some experience dives and I ended up having serious words with him about letting both students giant stride in before him and then him doing a star jump and then bringing his legs up and hitting the water on his backside!!

Of course I am by no means generalising PADI instructors, a troll has already started that one in the General forum!

Paul

[Spacehopper]

Originally Posted by Chris Bone

God I hope this isn't a Troll, PIE is Practical Instructor Examination.

Nope not a troll, just curious little me who is not a BSAC member and had no idea what a PIE or TIE is. I assume then that T = Theoretical, as in written exam or lectures.

Whatever, I'm sure you'll do OK Woz, you can always do a demo with Lego.

[tiewrapdiver]

OWIC = Open Water Instructor Course
TIE = Theory Instructor Exam
PIE = Practical Instructor Exam

Hope that helps

[Col]

I was wondering who is it that sets the questions to the TIEs?
Is it from HQ or are they set by the instructors from each region?

[Hickdive]

The theory paper is set by HQ. Its basically DL level diving theory with a few questions on instructing. Anyone who has passed their DL theory and paid attention during their IFC & OWIC will have no problems.

Although a lot of the faces on the ITS circuit will be familiar within the region, ITS events are organised nationally and aren't part of the Regional Coaching Scheme.

[Chris Bone]

Originally Posted by Hickdive

The theory paper is set by HQ. Its basically DL level diving theory with a few questions on instructing. Anyone who has passed their DL theory and paid attention during their IFC & OWIC will have no problems.

.

Any old DL's out there beware the OWI exam is on the new DTP, the nitrox and O2 admin questions caught a few people out.

[MattS]

Big up for getting stuck in with the exams Woz

Some tips

PIE
1. Get your kit rigged the night before and get some sleep.
2. When you are asked to go put your kit together use the time wisely. Talk to the guys you will be teaching - check their kit before you get to the waters edge, ask them about the lesson you will be teaching, check they are confident with their weighting - they may usually dive in a twinset etc.
3. Don't overload your slate. Personally I just use prompt points, seeds, dry, kit, buddy check, entry, demo, student1, student2, exit, reap, thankyou.
4. Think how you might make the lesson a little different to keep you assessor interested.
5. Be prepared for the unexpected, like a fin strap breaking.
6. Above all relax, the instructor is trying to pass you.

Despite various slatings on the ITC and OWIC, I found the exam pretty painless. I just taught it as I would any other lesson. I got compass, and noticed the 40ft steel containers at 90 degrees to my dry run about 30 seconds too late. I noticed the examiner smiling as I quickly grabbed the opportunity to teach the limitations of a diver's compass ;-) and then someones fin strap broke just as we were getting in the water. I thought it would take a while and de-kitted the 'trainees' while we sorted it - another little tick on the examiners slate. If anything unexpected like this happens, just work through it - the show must go on.

TIE
1. Rehearse the night before. I left the lecture a little late and ended up doing the rehearsal to my very bored dearest. It sounded crap, very broken, but I did not have time for a re-write. It turned out to be invaluable on the day as I naturally avoided the bits that had caused the most yawning.
2. Be progressive. After the intro make the next slide a review of an earlier subject if possible - in a previous lesson we talked about air pressure...for instance. This wants to be no more than a paragraph.
3. Have landmarks, to keep you on course and stop you waffling - like a run time slate, I need to be there, doing that, at that time. Most importantly have a finishing point and stick to it. I watched a candidate do a really good lesson, just a few minutes short, and IMHO she ruined it by then waffling on about nothing in particular until the examiner had to stop her some 10 minutes over.
4. The examiners ask the questions, so you don't have to allow time for complicated answers. Answer questions succinctly.
5. Remember to smile

Theory Exam
1. Do the easy ones first. Run through the paper and answer all the stuff you know instantly. Then go back and do the longer deco questions and stuff you are not sure on. All the questions carry one mark, however long they take,
2. Take a calculator, scrap paper and a dig out those BSAC tables.
3. There are a few obtuse questions, I guess they are checking the nice to know stuff. Do yo know what lights a boat shows while covering night divers? I didn't. The paper I took had been proof read a lot better than the ones we see in branch. They had definite right answers.

Muppets are great, you actually get to teach them rather than having to play act. On my IFC and OWIC I suggested forward roll entries

HTH

Good luck for the day.

[tiewrapdiver]

Originally Posted by Hickdive

Its basically DL level diving theory with a few questions on instructing.

I seriously thought the questions were easier than DL standard, and the tables questions werent quite upto sports diver level, nothing extremely taxing on the table questions at all.

A lot of it is common sense, but there are a few nasty questions chucked in, i got "what lights does a boat show at night for diving operations?"

Tim

[RickG]

Originally Posted by tiewrapdiver

there are a few nasty questions chucked in

Got that right - I found a question about Nitrox (Dalton's triangle IIRC) that I hadn't come across before - I'm fairly sure it isn't on the standard BSAC SD/DL syllabus!

[Chris Bone]

Originally Posted by RickG

Got that right - I found a question about Nitrox (Dalton's triangle IIRC) that I hadn't come across before - I'm fairly sure it isn't on the standard BSAC SD/DL syllabus!

My nitrox question was what is the max operating depth for EAN32. ie 35m.
taken from ST6.