Page 15 - Top Cover Issue 15

MAY 2019 TOP COVER 15

BLOW-UP DOLLS AND A HAMMER

Is there a place for social learning on the National Firearms Instructors Course? By Chris Beighton
& Andreas Heath

Image copyright: Albert Bandura, Stanford University / greatexperimnetblog.blogspot.com
experience, so the programme has to
take them from ‘zero to hero’ in a week.
The role of the NFIC is to help
trainers develop the skills and
confidence to meet challenges like
this, and here’s an example from a
recent programme. Trainees had
just completed a round-up exercise
which refreshed their memories
about some of the learning theories
they had studied two days previously.
Importantly, the exercise also contained
some new information about how to
do things. This new information was
discovered by the trainees in the course
of the activity; in essence, they had
Albert Bandura’s social learning experiments featuring Bobo the doll are among to work out how it fitted with their
the most well-known findings in psychology research existing knowledge.
After sharing of ideas, the group as a
but ultimately, the things we do are firearms has this kind of work ethic at whole eventually undertook the task of
fundamentally underpinned by the its heart – often learn best in the same deciding what lessons could be learnt
behaviour of others, in our work way. So rather than telling trainees from this round up in the design of the
environment. This is perhaps illustrated what they need to learn and how to week-long Glock course. As a group
by that famous police saying, said to learn it, there are times where a social of 12, their challenge was to make a
probationary constables up and down learning approach can be used more mind map which was both clear and
the country as they graduate to their successfully. The NFIC programme at useful enough to be photographed,
areas: “Forget everything they told you KPC is a good example. shared and, crucially, used in the design
in training school, this is where you of the Glock military course. There
learn the job.” Social learning at work was a tight time limit, and explicit
So unlike the sort of individualistic One of the key aspects of the responsibility was handed over to the
learning that often takes place in NFIC programme is the design and group to stick to it, rigorously.
formal education settings – remember delivery of a week-long introductory I think this exemplified social
toiling away on your own on exercises skills at arms course. This is based in learning at work. The results were
at school? – cops typify successful the Training and Tactical Firearms good, of course, largely because the
social learning because they often work Unit’s suite of rooms, range and trainees on the NFIC are motivated,
best with others in teams and groups, other facilities. Volunteers from the experienced officers with substantial
and perhaps no more so than firearms military sign up for the programme knowledge of the area and the ability
officers. In fact, they often rely on and are trained in using a Glock pistol. to apply it. But from the trainer’s
situations where everyone is part of a These volunteers are invariably highly point of view, it also exemplified how
jigsaw which must fit together to work. motivated, very enthusiastic, and powerful social learning can be.
What to do and how to do it is a often skilled and experienced in other The trainees had to make sense of
shared thing, not just a rule to follow aspects of firearms use. the input together, albeit in a guided
in isolation. People who work like However, few, if any of these way. This means they really knew what
this – and our experience suggests that volunteers have any actual handgun it was and ‘owned it’ in a responsible

WWW.PFOA.CO.UK