Only one third of adult trainees transfer what they learn merely 1 year after training, and the amount of knowledge applied is less than 40% of what they learned. Transfer of learning becomes more critical for those in train-the-trainer programs where future success or failure is shaped by previous outcomes. Consequences compound even further in safety-related contexts, such as skydiving, where certain aspects of training correlate with injury rate. The problem addressed in this study was the low transfer of learning that exists in adult training. The purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental study was to examine the effect of course modality on learning transfer, specifically among skydiving teachers-in-training in coach rating courses in the United States using a Solomon four-group design, guided by the theories of andragogy and connectivism.

After owning two businesses for two decades plus, I finally got a real job... dream job actually! Combining my passions of technology, education, and skydiving, I was hired in January 2017 by the United States Parachute Association as Director of IT. Although I continue to support KRWA projects, I am no longer taking on new programming projects. But I'm still skydiving and teaching instructor rating courses through Xcelskydiving and of course writing! Also, I am still available for public speaking events... just email me. This blog site serves to display my numerous previously published works as well as satisfy my continued urge for sharing my insights... you know, those thoughts you have at 4 o'clock in the morning.

In the third century BC, Aristotle penned the timeless words, “The more I know, the more I know I don’t know.” Aristotle’s statement and the others like it are the hallmark of those who are recovering casualties of the Dunning-Kruger Effect, a phenomenon explored in a series of experiments inspired by a bank robber who knew that lemon juice could be used as invisible ink and covered his face in it thinking it would render him invisible. The crux? People with below average skill or knowledge tend to grossly overestimate their own abilities.

I don’t know how many times I get this response when someone finds out I’m a skydiver.  “Oh, I would love to jump, but I’m afraid of heights!”

I heard this so many times that I developed a rehearsed retort: I used to say, “So am I.”  So I tried to mix it up and reply, “I’m not afraid of heights, but I am afraid of widths!”

Only one third of adult trainees transfer what they learn merely 1 year after training, and the amount of knowledge applied is less than 40% of what they learned. Transfer of learning becomes more critical for those in train-the-trainer programs where future success or failure is shaped by previous outcomes. Consequences compound even further in safety-related contexts, such as skydiving, where certain aspects of training correlate with injury rate. The problem addressed in this study was the low transfer of learning that exists in adult training. The purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental study was to examine the effect of course modality on learning transfer, specifically among skydiving teachers-in-training in coach rating courses in the United States using a Solomon four-group design, guided by the theories of andragogy and connectivism.

I was a single mom with my own programming company working from home for all the years while my kids grew up. And when my kids were young, I vowed I would try to say "yes" to them. It was hard juggling being at home working and when to walk away from work which was endless. One day, my daughter, in the middle of a sunny day, asked me to play with her on our new-to-us swingset, and teach her how to swing on that dual bucket-type swing. I struggled but relented and said YES. Seriously, bad timing.

The debrief is a great opportunity for instructors to facilitate the learning process by encouraging the student to recognize their achievements and what they did correctly as well as help them realize what is needed to move forward in their skill development. The student must become more aware of their strengths and weaknesses and take responsibility for their training. The Debrief, much like the Ground, can be divided into both the Content and the Presentation. The instructor’s role during the debrief should be one of a facilitator. Asking questions and directing the student to the right information through self-realization will be of greater benefit to the student.

I was watching a soccer game last night at dinner in a Mexican restaurant. (I know, I'm strange, right?) I was watching how each pass to another team member seemed like a node in a network. 

I put cream in my coffee every morning, bu tnot just any cream. Whipping cream. Not just whipping cream. Hand-whipped whipping cream. It takes time. 

When taking first time skydivers on tandems,  I never succomb to the notion that I should grab my student's arms or leg lock them, control them in order to affect the flight or the environment or outcome. I just fly my own body. If their arms are in one area, I find space in another, either in front or behind, and just find clean air. I find space that they don't want, and take it. I fly it. I find where there is free space and own that.