Instructors Never Stop Learning

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by David Millican, PCI #1006T/EMSCI #343T
Denton (TX) Police Department
IPMBA Education Coordinator

In 2020, we will celebrate the occasion of the 30th Annual IPMBA Conference. Much has been said about the history of this organization in recent years. Many of the “old guard” have moved on in their lives to spend more time with their families and enjoy the retirements they have earned through years of service to their communities. Many of our newer generations have not borne witness to the creation of this great organization.

At the 2019 IPMBA Conference, I had the honor of being elected to serve on the board and was appointed to the position of Education Coordinator, at least through the 2020 IPMBA Conference, which will take place in Dayton, Ohio. This is kind of ironic because I attended my first IPMBA Conference back in 2006. Five officers from the Denton Police Department loaded up a 15-passenger van pulling a 10-foot box trailer containing more than a half-dozen mountain bikes and headed for guess where? Dayton, Ohio.

What was significant about the officers in this van? The driver, who had 27 years of law enforcement experience, popped in a first-generation iPod containing jazz artists that I had never heard of. Then a lieutenant, Mr. Tom Woods, as many may know, is a talented connoisseur of music. He would name that tune in six notes and play the drum chord on the steering wheel as we rolled across the country. In the passenger seat of the van was Dave Hildebrand, the sergeant of these misfits. He seemed to be in tune with the rhythm of this trip, which had been repeated many times. In retrospect, I realize I was the “newbie” being initiated to an event that had taken place some 15 times before.

It wasn’t until several years later that I came to appreciate the history riding in the front seat of that van. I knew that Tom Woods was a founding member, past board member and chairperson when IPMBA was a program of the League of American Bicyclists. I knew he had helped write (and appeared in) the first IPMBA Complete Guide to Police Cycling. And I knew he was one of a small cadre of Instructor-Trainers. If that wasn’t significant enough, over the next several years, Sgt. Dave Hildebrand (also an Instructor-Trainer) was elected to the board and served in several positions, including IPMBA President. Those were big shoes to fill, and not just because I left half a toe in Delaware, Ohio, during the 2017 Conference.

After nearly 14 years of being a part of IPMBA, and two years after earning Instructor-Trainer status myself, I finally decided to accept the torch previously carried by Tom and Dave and apply for the IPMBA Board. The responsibility of being elected to the Board and being asked to serve in the capacity of Education Coordinator is not something I take lightly. I did not achieve this goal without a great deal of interaction and participation with this organization. Since joining in 2006, I have been involved with and learned about almost every aspect of IPMBA. By serving as your Education Coordinator, I hope to learn even more. I also have great faith in the ability of our Instructors to be our EXPERTS in the field of public safety cycling.

Some people seem to believe that when they become an instructor in any given discipline, they have reached the pinnacle, when, in fact, the opposite has taken place.

Newly certified IPMBA Instructors have just entered another phase in their public safety cycling careers. They must learn not only how to teach the curriculum, but also how to instruct the students. Students come in all shapes and sizes, metaphorically speaking. Each one will excel in different areas and skills. How best can we help them become successful in what we love, public safety cycling?

Webster’s dictionary refers to an instructor as a “trainer, teacher, tutor, coach, demonstrator, advisor, counselor, and guide”. As an instructor for IPMBA, you will be all of these.

Teacher. Instructor. These two words are often used interchangeably, but are not exactly the same. A teacher is someone who imparts knowledge of a subject to another person, while an instructor is someone who imparts the ability to accomplish a skill or task. An IPMBA Instructor needs to be both.

As school students, we all had teachers we disliked. This was often because we could not relate to them. As instructors for and teachers of adult learners, we must adapt our methods and strategies so they can relate to us and learn according to their natural learning abilities.

In simplistic terms, some people are visual learners, some are auditory, and others are kinesthetic, meaning they learn through physical activity. This is the reason IPMBA teaches its instructors to employ the “Tell-Show-Do” method of instruction. This requires the instructor to explain and demonstrate skills prior to having students perform them. Using different styles helps us reach a greater number of students. It also enables us, as Instructors, to keep learning new ways of teaching the same things, both from our students and our fellow instructors.

Instructors must create an environment that will stimulate the students’ appetite for learning. One way to accomplish this is to provide real-world examples of why a skill station is necessary. By applying a skill to a situation, the instructor gains credibility. For example, have the student visualize doing a dynamic curb descent while responding to a hot call. Instructors should ask of themselves, for instance, “Why is the cross-over rolling slalom necessary, and how does it relate to bike patrol?”

Instructors have a tremendous responsibility when it comes to the quality of the course and the student experience. If they do not maintain the high standards that have been established for the curriculum, instructional quality will deteriorate, negatively impacting the skills and job performance of those who complete the class. IPMBA felt this was so important they established two guidelines within the Course Administration, under “Instructor Responsibilities”.

· Educational Quality: The Lead Instructor is responsible for the educational quality of the IPMBA Courses and must ensure that the content is presented in its entirety. The Lead Instructor must ensure that the course content and instructional program comply with the standards and guidelines set forth in the IPMBA curriculum.

· Course Integrity: The quality of the IPMBA Course relies heavily on the Lead Instructor. He or she must maintain the integrity of the course and ensure that the course requirements are met by each passing student. The Lead Instructor must provide oversight to ensure the quality of the educational experience.

As instructors, we also have the responsibility to provide accurate and timely information about IPMBA courses to prospective students, current students, and other stakeholders, including members of the community. That means we must stay current with changes in course subjects, literature, skills, and technologies, such as e-Bikes.

Wikipedia describes learning as the “process of acquiring new, or modifying existing, knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, or preferences”. The phrase “modify existing knowledge” illustrates that learning is a continual process. To borrow Ed Brown’s favorite quote, “when you’re through learning, you’re through.” What have YOU learned today?

IPMBA’s vision is that by developing comprehensive training programs, strengthening its instructor network, and embracing new technologies, it will continue to be the premier public safety cycling training organization and strive to incorporate the bicycle as an integral part of public safety service delivery.

In order to remain true to this vision, the IPMBA board and staff are continually learning how to be a better organization and serve the needs of our members and instructors.

Photos courtesy David Millican.

David has been with the Denton Police Department for over 20 years and is currently assigned to the General Investigations Unit. He attended the IPMBA Police Cyclist Course taught by Tom Woods in 2003 and the IPMBA Instructor Course (also taught by Tom Woods, among others), in 2007. He was elected to the IPMBA Board in 2019 and is currently serving as Education Coordinator. He can be reached at education@ipmba.org.

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