The Practicum
The practicum was designed to be flexible just for you!
Each certificate (Level and Apparatus Specific) in Aerial Fabric, Trapeze, Hoop, Rope and Sling typically involves 30 hours of live training and 20 hours of practicum completed on your own/online, to combine for 50 Hours. Our Intro-to-Aerial Certificate is a 30 Hour Certificate. The one exception to this is our Rope Program. Because the early days of Rope Training is so similar to Fabric, we have included Rope 1 as part of our Fabric 1 program, for an additional 5-10 hours of training (depending on your provider). This leads to a unique Rope-Fabric Level 1 Certificate of 55 hours. Don't forget that you need to be CPR certified to complete the program! Click here for a more detailed guide for new trainees. |
Logging Hours
I'm loving the scope that my practicum plan offers. It would be very easy for me to just continue teaching and have 20 hours done in 4-5 weeks. Having this plan enables me to sit down and reflect on what I'm doing, gain insight from others, self-examine and most importantly, try something a different way. I'm really enjoying your methodology!!! |
Observation Hours: During a class observation, sit on the sidelines with your notebook so you can see all the students and take notes. Taking the class for yourself does not count! Sitting out and observing helps you focus on the teacher's point of view.
The classes you observe must be in the field of study that match the type of certificate for which you are applying. For example, if you are working on a Level 1 Fabric Certificate, you should observe a beginning fabric class. There are a wide range of things to write about in a class. Consider how the teacher organizes the class, how they cue through the skills, how they make their presence felt around the room, etc. See the Aerial Teacher's Handbook for an observation template. The possibilities are endless! If there are other teachers in the area that you can observe, we recommend you take advantage of the opportunity. If you do not have access to local teachers, we can also send you videos from our teachers teaching live classes -- just ask! Make sure to document the required information as outlined in the Practicum Document. |
Mentorship Hours: Mentorships are an optional add-on for the practicum. Choose your mentor, and choose the topic! You might discuss your curriculum, class structure, or troubleshoot student issues like physical plateaus or emotional resistance. After you complete your RTAP (video assessment), you will get a chance to meet with one of our mentors to discuss your growth points as a teacher. Make sure to count this time as mentorship time and document it along with all your hours.
Assistant Teaching Hours: Assisting another teacher (primarily spotting) is HIGHLY recommended if you have not yet done any solo or lead teaching. Just as we emphasize the value of progression for our students, it is just as important for teachers in training. Working under another instructor is a great way to ease your way into teaching. If you do not have teaching experience, start with some hours here, then progress to teaching private lessons, then semi-privates, then groups. (These hours are recommended, but not required.)
Teaching Hours: If you are less experienced in teaching, we recommend teaching private lessons at first. You can progress to lead teaching classes with an experienced instructor supervising or assisting you. If you already run your own program, by all means, continue on and teach those groups. Or, mix it up and do some private lessons and some group lessons. Apply the knowledge that you learned in the teacher training and reflect on how its making a difference in your teaching. What are you now noticing that might not have been apparent before? What moments stand out in your teaching? Please share these moments with us on your documentation forms. A minimum of 10 teaching hours are required for each 20 hour practicum.
Other Courses & Independent Study: You may take other courses, either live or online that count towards your certificate. Some of these may be elective courses approved by Born to Fly. One great example of this is the courses offered by Dr. Emily Scherb at Circus Doc. When you take these online anatomy courses, they count as hours for your certificate. In fact, we REQUIRE any Level 2 students to pass Circus Doc anatomy quizzes to receive their certificates, so we highly recommend taking them at some point during your teaching journey. You can also use these courses, among others, when it comes time to renew your certificate, which is similar to this practicum process.
We have a few online modules and are developing more for the future that can be taken once you are enrolled in the certificate program. Another way to gain hours is directed through independent study at the discretion of your training provider. They may assign you reading and answering questions from a textbook for example. This could be outside your live training time but count as independent study.
For all these hours, the important thing is to make them worth your while to become the highest-quality educator that you can be. Our goal is create a pattern for education that continues long after the hours are completed for the certificate.
Assistant Teaching Hours: Assisting another teacher (primarily spotting) is HIGHLY recommended if you have not yet done any solo or lead teaching. Just as we emphasize the value of progression for our students, it is just as important for teachers in training. Working under another instructor is a great way to ease your way into teaching. If you do not have teaching experience, start with some hours here, then progress to teaching private lessons, then semi-privates, then groups. (These hours are recommended, but not required.)
Teaching Hours: If you are less experienced in teaching, we recommend teaching private lessons at first. You can progress to lead teaching classes with an experienced instructor supervising or assisting you. If you already run your own program, by all means, continue on and teach those groups. Or, mix it up and do some private lessons and some group lessons. Apply the knowledge that you learned in the teacher training and reflect on how its making a difference in your teaching. What are you now noticing that might not have been apparent before? What moments stand out in your teaching? Please share these moments with us on your documentation forms. A minimum of 10 teaching hours are required for each 20 hour practicum.
Other Courses & Independent Study: You may take other courses, either live or online that count towards your certificate. Some of these may be elective courses approved by Born to Fly. One great example of this is the courses offered by Dr. Emily Scherb at Circus Doc. When you take these online anatomy courses, they count as hours for your certificate. In fact, we REQUIRE any Level 2 students to pass Circus Doc anatomy quizzes to receive their certificates, so we highly recommend taking them at some point during your teaching journey. You can also use these courses, among others, when it comes time to renew your certificate, which is similar to this practicum process.
We have a few online modules and are developing more for the future that can be taken once you are enrolled in the certificate program. Another way to gain hours is directed through independent study at the discretion of your training provider. They may assign you reading and answering questions from a textbook for example. This could be outside your live training time but count as independent study.
For all these hours, the important thing is to make them worth your while to become the highest-quality educator that you can be. Our goal is create a pattern for education that continues long after the hours are completed for the certificate.