Page 114 - Mind, Body and Spirit 2015-16

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www.raptcassociation.org.uk
It would be remiss of me not to acknowledge the other two small teams within the ASPT training wing. Firstly, our four training wing clerks, Sue M, Liz, Angela and Sue T. These four ladies are the fabric that underpins the success of the ASPT and push every second of every day in support of the mission. Then there is the even smaller team of WOs – WO2s Gaz Till, Jay Gordon and Paul Newton, these three are “the measuring eyes that guide the hands and feet” of change. To you all thank you, for your continual endeavors and dedication, your unity of effort sets the tone for the school.
So as we move towards this new chapter in the history of the RAPTC in the delivery sense, having realized that unless we change our thinking towards training delivery we will not be engaging with the students in the way that the modern soldier learns and in so doing, not optimizing our capability. There is a palpable optimism and focus amongst the school staff for this timely change, because of the thinking behind it.
ASPT OC COURSE DESIGN CELL
Capt (MAA) L Sawyer RAPTC
‘Change – The game is afoot’
How can the Course Design Cell best
facilitate the ASPT learning environment; a
question which the team and I have been
looking to answer for the past 2 years, more
on this later. The CDC has seen a complete
changeover of staff during my tenure as
the OC and I have been lucky enough to
work with some very talented individuals
along the way. Special mention must go
to Sgt Jay Bambury and SMI Stu Jackson
who I believe have both left a lasting legacy.
QMSI Amery is now managing a very capable team with SSgts Greaves and Cubbage, Sgts Stoby and Steele. We are also very fortunate to have Miss Bridgitte Swales who is a Senior Tutor- Assessor and the Vice Chair of the United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association in the team to help us further develop our knowledge and skills in speci c key areas. So to return to the original question; fully developing a blended approach to learning that facilitates the learners needs whilst promoting a collaborative approach to teaching will inevitably give us the best results and meet the learners expectations. The modern learner is one who needs to work collaboratively, untethered with remote access to learning material. They learn best through peer learning for short periods that utilise pictures and lm. The Virtual School (VS) is an online resource that offers this whilst the new course design following a training review will set the conditions for a fun, dynamic
“The Modern Learner”
and learner focussed experience at the ASPT. Giving the student access to information and responsibility for their own learning is de nitely the way forward. The School is now live with Defence Business Infrastructure (DBI) WiFi although the students have been making successful use of the VS school for the last 9 months which has seen a sharp increase in exam performance.
Ihave been in post now for around 9 months and I can safely say that the PT School is a busy but very rewarding environment. My ambition since joining the RAPTC has always been to serve at
the ASPT but never thought it would be in this role and have been surprised at how much I am enjoying my time here. The teams I get to work alongside are fantastic and do an excellent job. In fact they are probably not appreciated enough for the work and hours they put into ensuring that the courses are fully up to date and relevant to the ever changing environment we operate in. Working in CDC has really opened my eyes and educated me fully on the inner workings that we predominantly pay no attention to on the outside of Defence Systems Approach to Training (DSAT).
Ongoing Projects
Currently the ASPT is undergoing a major change in terms of the way training is taught and delivered. We are moving things into the 21st century and are progressively adopting a “blended
learning environment” where all teaching both theory and practical is conducted seamlessly together. We are aiming to bring teaching away from PowerPoint presentations which can get tedious and implement a more dynamic interactive solution. A signi cant amount of work and nance is being injected into this project which will inevitably enable students to utilise the DLE (Defence Learning Environment) more ef ciently with the outcome being a more educated/knowledgeable PTI. The amount of resources students will have access to on a daily/nightly basis will be second to none. Tablets and smart boards will be included in the refurbishment which will really enhance a students learning experience during their time at the ASPT.
WO2 (QMSI) C Amery RAPTC