NNAS TUTOR AWARD is a 1-day course for anyone who currently teaches or wants to learn to teach navigation skills, specifically the NNAS Navigator Bronze and Silver Awards. It can also be useful to those working towards leadership qualifications such as the Lowland Leader, Hill & Moorland Leader and Mountain Leader, or if you just want to gain practical ideas about how to teach navigation.

Launched in 2016, the National Navigation Award Scheme (NNAS) Tutor Award was created because it was recognised that having a qualification from Mountain Training does not automatically indicate someone is good at teaching navigation, as teaching navigation is not part of the training or evaluation process for most MTUK qualifications.

The NNAS Tutor Award is designed to support the skills that are fundamental to good navigation by providing a ‘toolkit of ideas’ to enhance navigation instruction at all levels. On the NNAS Tutor Award we’ll look at different methods for teaching navigation to beginners from simple games to learning strategies. We’ll look at how a Bronze and Silver Navigator Awards courses can be delivered and learn more about the Navigator Awards and the NNAS itself.

The course is a mixture of classroom and practical outdoor sessions and offers the opportunity for candidates to discuss their own methodology as well as learning new techniques from others; peer-experience and sharing of ideas is an important aspect of this course.

In order to deliver NNAS Navigator Awards (Course Directors), you must be working for a Registered Course Provider (or become a Provider yourself), have completed the Tutor Award and hold one of the relevant outdoor qualifications specified by NNAS.

KEY TOPICS

• Introduction to NNAS
• Roles and responsibilities – Provider, Course Director, Tutor
• ODA, Navigator awards, Ratios
• Implications of SCQF accreditation and record keeping
• Map copyright advice
• Sustainability, environment and access syllabus elements
• Reference books: NNAS Tutor Handbook & Teaching Navigation
• Enabling inclusive courses and making reasonable adjustments
• The importance of using progressions in skills, environment, map scales and working in groups through to going solo to build navigation confidence
• Broad range of assessment methods and options: accompanied/unaccompanied, solo/pairs, group etc
• Written papers and route planning exercises

ITINERARY

• 9am – 9:30am – introductions over tea/coffee
• 9:30am – 10:30am – the NNAS Tutor Award and overview of the NNAS courses (classroom)
• 10:30am – 10:45am – refreshments
• 10:45am – 1pm – Bronze Award navigation skills – outdoor exercises and practical ideas for course delivery (outdoors)
• 1pm – 1:30pm – lunch
• 1:30pm – 4pm – Silver Award navigation skills – outdoor exercises and practical ideas for course delivery (outdoors)
• 4pm – 4:15pm – refreshments
• 4:15pm – 5pm – learning outcomes, course discussion, questions…

Maximum group size is 10 people and minimum is 2 people.
Maps and compasses provided.
All Timings are approximate.

COURSE LOCATION – AUSTWICK

The courses are based at Austwick in the Yorkshire Dales, which is located just off the A65 between Settle and Ingleton. We’ll use the Village Hall as our base, and then utilise the many paths, tracks, lanes and access land around Austwick and Crummackdale to look at ideas to teach various navigation skills and techniques using orienteering, Harvey and Ordnance Survey maps.

YOUR TUTOR – MARK REID

Mark Reid has been delivering NNAS courses since 2008. Over 1,500 people have attended his NNAS courses. Mark has a Geography Degree from the University of Lancaster, is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, sits on the NNAS Board of Directors and is passionate about navigation, with a special interest in Cognitive Navigation.

PREREQUISITES

First and foremost is an interest in teaching navigation. Whether you are an aspirant or qualified Lowland Leader, Hill & Moorland Leader or Mountain Leader, or simply have a keen interest in teaching navigation skills, then this is the course for you. You don’t have to become a NNAS Course Provider or Course Director to attend the course, although the NNAS Tutor Award enables candidates to work on NNAS courses if they are, or should become, involved in the NNAS Navigator or Outdoor Discovery Awards.

We will cover all the details about which hill or mountain walking qualification is required to become a Registered Provider and Course Director (and the difference between the two). In addition to being a mandatory qualification for NNAS Award Providers and Course Directors, successful completion of the NNAS Tutor Award also enables (after approval by NNAS) those without a hill or mountain walking qualification, but with experience and interest in the outdoors, to help teach on a Bronze award under the guidance of a NNAS Course Director.

Successful completion of the NNAS Tutor award workshop counts as 1 CPD point for Mountain Training Association members.