Practice Mode

In practice mode, the viewer should already know the structure and the format of a CRV session well enough that no instruction is necessary. At this point, any mistakes made by the viewer are left unmentioned and uncommented on during the session. All comments and corrections are taken up an a post-session review.

In practice mode, the viewer is in total charge of the session. The monitor is there only to provide start time, coordinates, and session cueing. The monitor must be trained well enough by this point that he/she will never try to take charge of the session or tell the viewer what to do. The monitor may call the viewer’s attention to something the viewer has written down, but only verbally. The monitor should never reach over and invade the viewer's space by touching the transcript.

Practice mode is a gradual process in which the monitor and viewer learn to work together. For example,, in practice mode, the monitor is still being trained to work with the viewer. (monitor training takes longer than viewer training). Therefore, as a monitor and viewer pair begin working together, it is most advantageous for the monitor to know what the target is during a session so he can continue to learn to "read the viewer". But, as practice mode continues, the monitor should wean him/herself off knowing what the target is, and begin to depend more on his/her ability to read the viewer. When operations mode comes along, there will be no such luxury as knowing what the target is, so the monitor needs to develop working without this knowledge during practice mode.

For most viewers, working with a monitor is a luxury they just do not have. Practice mode, therefore, becomes a time when they learn to act as their own monitors. Monitor training is provided to viewers so they can learn what a monitor would do for them. Then, through the period of practice sessions, they can learn to perform those services for themselves. In this way, every viewer learns to have a monitor with them for every session they do.