Advanced Navigation Skills
The course will take place on a Saturday afternoon and evening. The programme is as follows: Refresher to map and compass work and then navigate into the evening, probably in the Moelwyns or around Pen-y-Pass and Glyderau areas.
We will work on the Swedish Step system of learning navigation, which is to progress in difficulty as your skill develops. We will be micronavigating - that is aiming to hit small features often only 1 or 2 metres wide. We will also be doing coarse navigation, using change of slopes and ground angles for approximate estimation of location. We will also get lost and discover how to find out where we are again! The course will include the use of GPS as a reference aid, and linking timing and distance to altimeter use.
You need to provide your own equipment such as waterproofs, boots and torch. We will be out regardless of the weather, but may have to choose an area that is perhaps less wild than the one originally planned.
If you are buying kit, we recommend and use Silva compasses, Suunto watches, and Garmin GPS
Develop your outdoor training skills
Aims: To develop the interpersonal and training skills to enable you to create enjoyable learning activities with small groups in the outdoors.
Objectives: At the end of the course you will be able to:
- Devise effective learning activities for small groups of learners working in an outdoor environment;
- Write training schemes for short courses;
- Identify how people learn, and consider how to devise learning activities to engage them;
- Run training events;
- Give effective and positive feedback to enable participant development;
- Evaluate the performance of your program
Who is this course suitable for?
Those wishing to train small groups or individuals in an outdoor environment. This is an ideal programme for those intending to start qualifications such as the Preparing to Teach awards. For those who want to work as a small group trainer, this course will give you the skills to plan and run your sessions.
How will I learn?
There will be a range of learning strategies used, including practical demonstration, acting as a learner, and using a virtual learning environment to develop the technical skills.
The development of essential knowledge about learning preferences will be completed as a self-study unit through the Internet. You only need to be able to use e-mail and a web-browser to complete this aspect of the course.
The skills development will take place over two days in a variety of practical situations.
Introduction to Navigation
Spend a day learning how to use a map and compass to recognise and identify larger mountain features. Depending on how you progress we will introduce you to pacing and timing. The aim of the day will be to enable you to gain confidence in your use of the map and compass, and to gain confidence in decisions you will make from map and ground information.
We will use 1:50,000 maps in a quiet area to enable you to cover a small route, identify features and work from the map to the ground. We will then cover the application of the compass, and using both map and compass travel between important mountain features such as passes and lakes.
If you are buying kit, we recommend and use Silva compasses, Suunto watches, and Garmin GPS