The instructor professional development (PD) clinic allows active instructors to maintain certification. PD clinics will be specific for the particular stream they are addressing.

The principal focus of PD clinics is the enrichment of instructor skills and ensuring instructors are using the current best practices. In the event that a clinic participant’s teaching and/or paddling skills are below the current standard, the instructor trainer will provide the participant with a detailed plan to bring their skills up to the standard and one year in which to meet the standard.

Clinic Topics

• Course administration and risk assessment/management.
• Stroke/brace skill development with individual coaching.
• Self-rescue and assisted rescue: review required skills and intro new techniques/theory.
• Tricks and tips for teaching theory topics such as weather and navigation.
• Practical benchmarks and expected key outcomes.
• Assessment strategies.
• Assessment of clinic participants as required.
• Round-table discussion of current paddling issues.

Prerequisites

• All clinic instructors must be certified instructor trainers at the level of the corresponding instructor course.

• All instructors and clinic participants must be paid-up instructors with Paddle Canada.

• Clinic course length is one day (6-8 hours).

• A minimum of 60% of the clinic time will be spent on the water.).

Professional Development Clinic Schedule
Below is a very general sample schedule to give an idea of how a single-day certification maintenance clinic could be offered.

• 9:00 am - 9:30 am Registration, paperwork, meet and greet, overview of the day.
• 9:30 am - 11:00 am Theory clinic. Possible topics could include:

• Updated teaching theory/techniques
• New program updates
• Course administration update and reminders
• Insurance primer
• 11:00 am - 12:30 pm Personal skill development or skills polishing
• 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm Lunch
• 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm Strokes and skills review.
• Review of benchmarks
• Updated teaching techniques
• Tips and Tricks
• 4:30 pm - 5:00 pm Course review, student feedback and wrap-up.

Proceeds will be donated to the Bruce Trail Conservancy and the GBBR.