Citizen Safety Academy Gateway Instructor

There are many instructor development courses available, but most suffer from at least one of three common shortcomings. First, they often spend too much time on shooting and not enough time on teaching how to teach. Second, they often focus on teaching intermediate-level shooters without enough attention paid to the nuances of managing a class full of brand-new, first-time shooters. Third, many instructor courses tend to ignore the cultural and demographic dynamics of today's market of firearms trainees. With the recent explosion of gun purchases by urbanites, millennials, trauma victims, and others who don't fit the traditional stereotypes of gun ownership, firearms trainers must adapt to the rapidly-evolving 21st Century market. CSA developed what we call the "gateway" instructional model in an effort to fill those gaps in the training community. Instructor candidates will learn and demonstrate organizational and teaching skills via participation in practical exercises during the course (including leading a line of live-fire shooters through a course of fire). Candidates will also have to pass an instructor development examination and a shooting qualification course of fire. The course also includes an Instructor's Guide that participants can take home with them for future reference. Topics Covered Every class is a little different, so we often have to make adjustments based on time and facility constraints; but our standard Gateway Instructor Development curriculum includes the following: Adult learning theory Effective communication skills / public speaking Depoliticizing instruction, content, and facilities Designing and using effective training aids Connecting with inexperienced, fearful, and non-traditional students Making classroom lectures interactive and engaging Effective use of multi-media in the modern classroom Concepts from the pivotal text, "Telling Ain't Training," by Keeps and Stolovitch Classroom management Range management Teaching basic principles of lawful defensive force Managing students with past trauma or emotional triggers Effective assessment / written examination design How to control and command a firing line The "Less is More" principle Effective range commands Student-centric range exercises Differentiating between skill drills and performance drills Managing students with physical limitations or disabilities Teaching both left- and right-handed students Managing firing lines with revolvers and semi-autos of different action types Effective use of assistant instructors Safety protocols and emergency procedures And much more!

Instructor candidates must possess and demonstrate a solid background in firearm safety and shooting skills acquired through previous firearm training and/or previous shooting experience. Candidates will be required to demonstrate how to safely handle, load, and unload both a revolver and a semi-automatic pistol.