"Have you got it?" Overcoming the futility of training mariners about collision regulations

Authors

  • Roger Boshier University of British Columbia

Abstract

Despite aids to navigation, there are too many collisions involving deep-sea ships, tugs, workboats, fishing vessels, and recreational boats. Nautical trainers claim to teach collision regulations (COLREGS), but training has little to do with learning. Most mariners have only a surface (or no) understanding of maritime "rules of the road." In British Columbia, collisions have caused multiple fatalities and traumatized rescuers. Lecturing is not a good way to prevent collisions at sea. The British Columbia Institute of Technology's Marine Campus is committed to "excellence in training." The author reflects on his experience as a student there and suggests the institution adopt less authoritarian and more participatory, engaging, and respectful ways of fostering learning. Teaching COLREGS is as much a theoretical as a practical problem. Marine institutes should back away from training, put less focus on teaching and more on having people learn together.

Résumé

Malgré les aides à la navigation, il y a trop de collisions impliquant les navires de haute mer, remorqueurs, bateaux de travail, de pêche et les bateaux de plaisance. Les formateurs nautiques prétendent quʼils enseignent les règlements pour prévenir les abordages (COLREGS), mais la formation a peu à voir avec lʼapprentissage. La plupart des gens de mer n’ont quʼune compréhension en surface (ou même aucune compréhension) des “règles de la route” maritimes. En Colombie-Britannique, les collisions ont causé plusieurs morts ainsi que de nombreux sauveteurs traumatisés. Le cours magistral nʼ’est pas la bonne façon de prévenir les collisions en mer. Le campus marin de l’Institut de Technology de la Colombie-Britannique sʼest engagé à offrir une formation dʼexcellence. Lʼauteur reflète sur son expérience en tant quʼ’étudiant auprès de lʼInstitut et suggère à lʼInstitut dʼadopter des méthodes moins autoritaires, plus participatives, engageantes et respectueuses afin de favoriser un meilleur apprentissage. Lʼenseignement des règlements pour prévenir les abordages est un problème théorique autant que pratique. Les instituts maritimes devraient prendre du recul face à la formation, placer moins dʼ’importance sur lʼenseignement et mettre plutôt lʼemphase sur le fait que les gens doivent apprendre ensemble.

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Published

2010-04-04

How to Cite

Boshier, R. (2010). "Have you got it?" Overcoming the futility of training mariners about collision regulations. Canadian Journal for the Study of Adult Education, 22(2), 47–63. Retrieved from https://cjsae.library.dal.ca/index.php/cjsae/article/view/971

Issue

Vol. 22 No. 2 (2010): Staying the course

Section

Articles

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