An Cosantóir

Dec 2017 / Jan 2018

An Cosantóir the official magazine of the Irish Defence Forces and Reserve Defence Forces.

Issue link: https://digital.jmpublishing.ie/i/907882

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An Cosantóir Dec 2017 / Jan 2018 www.dfmagazine.ie 18 | 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

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