Thursday May 15, 2014
What is it?
U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command’s Institute for Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development created the Instructor Development and Recognition Program, or IDRP, to coach, mentor and train Army instructors who teach at noncommissioned officer academies. The IDRP program awards Army Instructor Badges to Noncommissioned Officer Education System instructors who have completed certification and training requirements that lead to increased proficiency levels as instructors.
What has the Army done?
As a first step in recognizing Army instructors, the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) developed the Army Instructor Badge. TRADOC also authored the secretary of the Army directive that advises personnel proponent offices to select the highest caliber Soldiers for instructor duty for a period of 36 months.
What continued efforts does the Army have planned for the future?
Noncommissioned officers who serve as NCOA instructors and participate in the IDRP will be eligible for the badges based on their primary instructor time and by meeting training requirements. Basic, senior and master level badges will be used to recognize levels of achievement for instructors. TRADOC Regulation (TR) 600-21 outlines the requirements and administrative actions necessary to award instructors with badges, promotion points and personnel development skill identifiers associated with each level. The badges should be available in Army clothing sales stores as early as June 2014.
Why is this important to the Army?
Noncommissioned officers are the backbone of the U.S. Army, and NCO academies are critical in the development of Soldiers’ leadership skills. NCOA instructors provide standardized training across the Army, regardless of the students’ occupational specialty. This change in instructor development is a critical part of improving the NCO Education System, or NCOES. The IDRP supports the Army Learning Model, or ALM, by transitioning instructors away from an overreliance on direct instruction methods for all types of learning.
The IDRP goal is to incorporate the use of more learner-centric instruction and facilitator skills that are aligned with internationally recognized standards for master facilitators and instructors. This is a change from direct-instructional methods, which do not support collaboration and guided discussion between learners and the facilitator/instructor. The IDRP puts the principals and concepts of ALM into practice at every level of the NCOES. It also facilitates structured developmental tools and training for NCOs to succeed in their learning environment. This program provides added value to unit training when the instructor returns to the operational Army.
Resources:
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