An Cosantóir Dec 2017 / Jan 2018 www.dfmagazine.ie
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By CPl lEE CoylE
I
recently underwent the Specialist Instructor Course
(SIC) Grade 2 that was being held over two weeks in 2
Bde BTC, Athlone. This is a course that was established
following a Independent Monitoring Group (IMG) report
that highlighted the need for such a course.
The course has evolved over a number of years since its
first incarnation in 2014 as the Training of Trainers Course,
held in NUI Galway. This became the Military Instructional
Training Course a few years later and is now the Specialist
Instructor Course. The course has different grades, with
SIC 1 being achieved during a Potential NCOs course or a
cadetship and SIC 2 following at a later stage, aimed at
enhancing the instructional skill set for the delivery of
instruction and the conduct of training in Defence Forces
units and schools.
The course has many objectives: developing the student's
ability to carry out instruction; highlighting the importance
of the instructor as a leader; developing instructor skills to
maximising student performance; introducing the instruc-
tor to the assessment and development process; and teach-
ing how to conduct constructive and positive evaluations
from an instructor's perspective. It also provides instructors
with an awareness of new developments in the field of
specialist military instructor training.
In my role as a journalist with An Cosantóir, I spoke with
the instructors and my fellow students about their views
on the course.
I asked instructor, Capt Liam McDonnell, 2 Bde BTC, if he
could describe the course simply in one word. Without hesi-
tation he said, "Leadership," and then went on to explain:
"The course is centred on the development of leadership in
instructors. It is important for the onus to go back onto com-
manders at all levels and to be able to make decisive deci-
sions when needed."
The first duty of a lecturer is to hand
you after an hour's discourse a nugget
of pure truth to wrap up between the
pages of your notebooks, and keep on the
mantelpiece forever.
- Virginia Wolf