This package of Professional Military Education (PME) exercises has been designed by the Cove Team as a resource for the development of Non-Commissioned Officers and Warrant Officers.
We know how busy Army’s people are, with limited time to research and create development activities. This package provides ready-made PME based on videos and articles with facilitator questions for group based discussions. This can be grabbed ‘off-the-shelf’ when your team has time to spare. We’ve ‘field tested’ each of the PME exercises to give you the recommended reading and discussion time. This will make it even easier to schedule time for PME.
In his 2019 Cove Address, then Chief of Army LTGEN Burr spoke about the importance of managing tempo. Ready to use PME packages helps you achieve your development goals with a low preparation overhead.
One of the things which makes the profession of arms both interesting and demanding is the requirement to be versed in a range of topics – leadership is just the beginning. Each PME activity nests within one of the five knowledge areas which The Cove addresses:
- Art and Science of Thinking
- Art and Science of War
- Leadership, Ethics and Society
- Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
- Organisation, People and Projects
Each edition of NCO/WO PME takes between 1 and 2 hours to complete. Each one lists a variety of texts and podcasts to read and listen to prior to having a 1 hour discussion on the content.
These exercises are suited to NCOs and WOs in the regimental, training, and staff environment – not just combat brigades. Some cover more challenging material than others, so select them with the experience and aptitude of your team in mind. Effort was made to select source material that will generate insightful, and perhaps sometimes heated discussions amongst your team with the primary focus of individual development. Each exercise recommends further PME for those interested in continuing the conversation.
Click the links below to access each PME package:
Edition 1: The Art of Mentoring
Edition 2: Self-Awareness and Emotional Intelligence
Edition 3: Interview with RSM-A: Warrant Officer Grant McFarlane
Edition 4: Leadership vs Likership
Edition 5: We need to talk about Marine A
Edition 6: Non-Combatant Evacuation Operations
Edition 7: Bystander Behaviour
Edition 8: Motivation – The Carrot and the Stick
Edition 9: Resilience
Edition 10: Teaching the Adolescent Brain
Reflection
Reflection is an important element of learning. It allows us to consider theories or events, and understand how they might apply to us. One way to conduct reflection is using the 'What, So what, Now what' process. In this instance, this process could be used like this:
- WHAT did I learn from considering this scenario?
- SO WHAT does that learning mean for me as a military professional?
- NOW WHAT am I going to do about (or with) what I’ve learned?
Writing this down in a journal, essay, blog post or our Cove Reflective Journal App is a good way to consolidate your learning. For more on reflective practice, try here.
Other Activities
Want more material? For JNCOs to conduct with their soldiers, here is a link to our Quick Military Education resources. For Junior Officers here is a link to our Junior Officer PME sessions.
Concluding Comments
If you have suggestions for improvements – additional readings or reference material, alternative discussion points, new delivery methods – or just wish to provide feedback, please contact the Cove Team via the.cove@defence.gov.au. We'd love to hear from you if you undertake these activities on how it went,.
