The Patrol Method
Lessons and questions of Scout leadership and operating troop program
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LATEST POSTS
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Hard to really tell, but you are correct, something seems off. -
Certainly not clear. I would argue that it is not even a good method. The adults do not, and cannot learn through the eyes of a plc by pretending to be them. Adults have skills and experiences which the scouts do not have; they think differently so the experience is nothing like what the scouts will experience. The adults get zero training with this method in how to guide, and mentor youth in any of these exercises. IF, the method was to be employed, not only must it be abundantly clear that the exercise is simply to understand the task the scouts will be engaged in, but that is not the training. What must be incorporated is discussion and training in how youth have undeveloped executive functioning skills, and lack the experience of the adults. Training in how to mentor the youth to not just fulfill the task, but grow and lead their fellow scouts. The training and focus cannot be the tasks and exercises with clarity that "this is what the scouts will be doing and you will learn through their eyes by experiencing it now". That is crap. What needs to happen is: 1. A dissection on the differences between how adults with skills and life experiences will engage in a task vs how youth without those skills and experiences. 2. How to guide youth to develop the skills, reflect on the experience, make adjustments and grow. Focus is not the task or exercise, but how to interact with the scouts as young leaders to help them develop. The training exercises need to focus on the scouts, not the tasks. When I led modules in IOLS, this is how I did it. Sure, if the adults did not know the basics, we did those but the main focus was how to encourage the youth to use, practice, and lead the skills within the patrol method. We also had participants reflect on their troop practices which may deny these opportinities to the youth. I recall one participant who had been a SM for many years (never did IOLS), tell me afterwards that he realized that the troop had been doing the same activities/camping locations and plans for so long that the scouts did not have to do any planning nor use any of the skills they should be developing. He realized that the "well oiled troop" was not the goal and actually the journey needs to include more failure for the scouts to grow.
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By BetterWithCheddar · Posted
In keeping with the theme of the thread, we've had a good experience with youth basketball coaches. Some are great. Some are OK. None have been bad. Most of the youth coaches in the school district are just dads who played high school basketball. They're required to take a 2-hour coaching seminar in the Fall, but that mainly covers youth protection and first aid (not X's and O's). My son's coach this year is actually an Eagle Scout. He speaks fondly of his time in Scouting but hasn't enrolled his own son in Cubs. I guess that begs the question - why isn't Scouting able to sustain the program with former Scouts returning as adult volunteers? -
What is your role in the troop? A SM Conference can be held at any time. -
Long weekend, I was out of town on scouting business. I had a scout parent come to me with a unique problem that I am really chewing on. The parent is pissed and ready to pull his three boys out of scouting (transferring troops is not an option). Two of the boys are just along for the ride, the third boy is the scouting engine of the family; however, the third boy has flatlined on advancement and it doesn't make sense. The scout is in a nationally highly ranked high school, ranked in the top 10 in my state, competitive entry, he beat out 750 other kids for his freshman slot in the school. That tells me that the kid is smart and driven. You don't get into schools like this without being smart, having drive, and being able to complete tasks. The scout has been in Scouts BSA for 4 years come March, has 49 camping nights, reportedly has participated in every service project for the past 3 years, and has dropped out of sports to focus on scouts. Scout has wanted to go to NYLT for a couple of years now and the window to register is quickly closing per my council website. The scout is stuck at 2nd class, and for some reason can't get simple things like 1st class 5a and 5b signed off. The parent swears that the scout is not being held back on purpose, he said he's long term friends with a lot of the other troop leaders, he's a member of the charter org, etc ... None of this makes sense to me because outside looking in it sounds like the scout is being held back on purpose by the troop leadership; however, how can I argue with the parent. What does the crowd think?
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