Sam Booth

HARVEY have recently published the second edition of the National Navigation Award Scheme Outdoor Navigation Handbook for Tutors. I couldn’t find a summary of the changes, but the main changes from my point of view are:

• Lots more detail in the opening chapter about the NNAS
• New content around smartphone apps and GPS technology, throughout
• Revisions to content around magnetic variation, throughout
• Reduced duplication of content (eg. around “involving all students for all of the time”)
• Moved “navigation in poor conditions” from Bronze to Silver
• Changed maximum tutor-student ratio for Silver award from 1:6 to 1:8
• Changed Gold award to not require separate training and assessment courses
• Changed Gold award to require a distance learning paper
• New content around Mountain Training qualifications and skills courses

Detailed Comparison

• Contents
• Foreword
• Preface (removed)

The National Navigation Award Scheme

• The Structure of the NNAS (revised with more content)
  • Public Awards (most of the 1st ed. content is now under this heading)
  • Provider Awards and Courses (new section covering the Tutor Award, Gold Conversion, AGM Workshop and other Tutor Resources)
  • Other Considerations (new section covering Accessibility and definition of “Providers”)
• The Remit for Course Delivery
  • Interpretation of Award Levels (revised with more content)
• Navigator Awards across other Adventure Activities (renamed and revised with more content relating to non-walking activities)
• NNAS-Overview of criteria for each course (renamed and revised)
  • Additional qualifications to meet minimum tutor competence
  • Change of minimum tutor to student ratio for Silver (from 1:6 to 1:8)
  • Gold Training and Gold Assessment no longer listed separately

Principles of Effective Teaching

• Overview
• The Planning and Delivery Process
• Course Delivery (three sections removed)
  • Involve All Students for All of the Time (removed)
  • Allow Students to Make Mistakes (removed)
  • Evaluate Student Performance (removed)
• A Staged Approach to Tutoring Navigation (revised)
  • New skills/techniques relating to location/mapping apps
  • New skill relating to simple static bearings added to Bronze Stage 2
• Overview of Tutoring Skills
• Teaching Theory Indoors
• Planning a Walk
• Occupying the Whole Group
• Whole Group Exercises (small revisions)
  • New exercise called “Position”
• Individual and Sub-group Exercises (small revisions)
  • More detail added to “Leap Frog” exercise

Maps for NNAS Courses

• Principles for Map Use
• Map Copying

Equipment for NNAS Courses

• Compasses for Walkers (revised with more content)
• Other useful tools (three sections merged and revised: Romer, Altimeter, Map Measurer)
• GPS and Digital Mapping in the Navigator Awards (new section)
  • New table added to clarify “minimum content” relating to GPS and Digital Mapping at each award level

Tutoring the Skills of the Bronze Navigator Award

• Bronze Navigator Award Syllabus
  • Learning Outcomes (new learning outcome relating to mobile phone location apps)
  • Training Guidance Notes (new section)
  • Assessment Guidance Notes (revised with more content)
• Choice of Areas for Tutoring and Walking
• Introducing the Map (revised)
  • Removed paragraph about map flash cards
  • Removed paragraph about how teaching map orientation with a compass form the outset may lead students to conclude that other methods are unnecessary
• Orientating the Map against Handrails
• Maintaining Position on the Map (revised)
  • Removed two paragraphs about map cases and pointing devices
• Checking Route Finding Accuracy (revised)
  • Removed paragraph about explaining to students that an excessive number of collecting features are being used for learning purposes
• Distance Measurement (revised)
  • Removed paragraph relating to accuracy of pacing and timing
• Measuring distance on the Map (removed)
• Measuring Distance on the Ground (revised)
  • Reduced detail in “By Timing” section
• Scales
• National Grid
• Teaching Grid References (two sections merged and revised: Grid References and Grid Reference Teaching Aids)
• Interpreting Relief – the 3rd Dimension (renamed and revised)
  • Contour Work Indoors (section removed)
• Using a Compass to Orientate a Map (revised)
  • Section on Magnetic Variation revised with more content
  • Section on Orientating a Map with a Compass has been simplified
• Checking the Direction of Handrails
• Navigation in Poor Conditions (section moved to Silver)
• Relocation
• Planning a Bronze Navigator Award Course (revised but sample course structure remains the same)
• Sample Routes for the Bronze Navigator Award

Tutoring the Skills of the Silver Navigator Award

• Silver Navigator Award Syllabus (revised)
  • Maximum tutor-student ratio changed from 1:6 to 1:8
  • Learning outcomes relating to back bearings have been revised
  • New learning outcomes relating to smartphone apps
  • Revised learning outcome relating to environmental impact
  • Assessment Guidance Notes revised to cover smartphones and environmental impact
• Principles for Tutoring the Silver Award
• Tutoring the Use of Contours (revised)
  • Visualisation (section removed)
  • Added clarification around back bearings in Silver syllabus
• Coarse and Fine Navigation (revised)
  • Added paragraph about using pacing/timing as a catching feature
• Dangerous Terrain (revised)
  • Added paragraph about symbols used to denote rocky ground on OS maps
• Tutoring Compass Work (revised)
  • Added section on Magnetic Variation
• Tutoring Issues
• Introducing Compass Work (revised mostly in relation to magnetic variation)
• A Suggested Tutoring Order
• Navigation in Poor Conditions (moved from Bronze)
• Distance and Time Estimation (revised)
  • Added two paragraphs about smartphone apps
• Developing Pacing Skills (slightly revised with detail about underfoot conditions)
• Steep Ground and Contour Lines (slightly revised with detail about symbols used by OS for rocky ground)
• Route Planning
• Relocation strategies (new section)
• Sample Routes for the Silver Navigator Award

Tutoring the Skills of the Gold Navigator Award

• Gold Navigator Award Syllabus (major revisions)
  • Removed requirement for separate training and assessment courses
  • Added note about distance learning papers
  • New learning outcome about electronic navigation devices
  • New learning outcome about climate change
• Training Guidance Notes (revised)
  • Removed two paragraphs about open-ended questioning
• Choice of Maps (revised)
  • Removed some details about orienteering maps
• Choosing Suitable Routes
• Compass Exercises
• Contour Only Exercises
• A Variety of Exercises
• Gold-specific Assessment Issues

Assessment of the Navigator Awards

• Assessment Protocol (revised)
  • Added paragraph about research findings relating to accuracy of tutor observation
  • Revised section on Questioning
  • Revised section on Documentation to include Candidate Management System and SCQF accreditation
  • Changed maximum tutor-student ratio for Silver award from 1:6 to 1:8
• Other Assessment Issues (revised)
  • Removed paragraph with exercise involving sending candidates ahead on the route
  • Added paragraph about the new distance learning paper for the Gold award

Tutor Development

• Certificates in Coaching Orienteering
• British Orienteering Teacher Courses
• Mountain Training Qualifications and Skills (new section)
• Mountain Training Skills Courses (new section)

Terminology and Sources of Relevant Information

• Commonly Used Navigational Terminology (new section)
• Sources of Relevant Information

Thoughts

Amendments to spelling and formatting are excluded from this list. Updated phrasing is only included if it changes the meaning of the content. Obviously this list is provided without any assurances to its accuracy.

The revisions all make sense to me, with one exception. In the “Principles of Effective Teaching” chapter, one of the sections that has been removed was about the benefits of allowing students to make mistakes. I see too many tutors who are too quick to intervene when they see candidates struggling, which is one of my pet peeves, because it robs the candidate of the opportunity to correct their own mistake (a valuable learning experience). There has been no additional content added to say “don’t allow students to make mistakes” but I would have preferred to see this section stay in.

Comments, as always, are welcome. Feel free to point out if I’ve missed something, or to leave your thoughts on what the changes mean.

You can buy the book from the HARVEY online shop.