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CONSTRUCTIVE INSTRUCTOR ADVICE: HOW TO GET A WAYWARD LESSON BACK ON TRACK


Editor’s note: Ski and snowboard instructors strive for spot-on lessons that have an aura of success from the very beginning. It doesn’t always work that way, and in “Well THAT Didn’t Work: Unraveling the Causes of an Unsuccessful Lesson (32 Degrees, Winter 2017), Karin Kirk explored how learning can go awry and what to do about it. A callout asked other snow pros to weigh in on The Community (tiny.cc/tglsgy) with their own insights, so here’s a great conversation on “how to get a wayward lesson back on track.”


“What a good question! I have thought I had a student(s) who just didn’t get it. No matter what I did or said, they continued to have the same outcome! But therein lies the issue. It was I who didn’t get it. I didn’t take the time to hear their goals. I didn’t adjust my pre- determined plan to match their perception of success. I didn’t find a way to challenge them within their comfort zone in a fun way. I didn’t allow the student to be in control of their learning. To come back to the point of the question, I try to get the wayward lesson back on track by being a snowboarder with my student. I return to something that we can have fun doing and drop any of the wayward lesson content. By connecting to the student as two snowboarders rather than instructor-student, the frustrations of the wayward lesson fade. I have learned


Greg Fatigate LETTERS


I enjoyed the "Splits Happen" article in the Winter 2017 issue; after all, who hasn't experienced a split? Author Mark Aiken brought up many valid points, but there was something very important missing – namely, consideration of your student's learning styles and Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. Taking the time to understand how and why our students learn the way they do helps minimize those seemingly inevitable splits. When we teach each individual student in the format in which they learn best, the chances of a split decreases. For more information on learning styles and multiple intelligences, read the PSIA-AASI Children’s Instruction Manual. Jani Sutherland; Northern Intermountain Children’s Chair; Member, National Children’s Task Force


6 | '(*5((6 ȏ 635Ζ1*


to never underestimate the power of a mini jib session at any level.” – Greg Fatigate; Snowboard Level III, Alpine Level I Smugglers Notch Resort, VT


“Greg hits the nail on the head. A lesson goes south because of my failure, not my students. First I have to rebuild some trust by admitting something isn’t working. Ten, get the learning partnership working again by having the student(s) debrief with me why it isn’t working, and what might change things. One thing I’ve learned over the years is that the more “experiential” tone I set for the program in the first place, the less likely the process will go off the track, because it is the students that are driving the program, with me as their guide. My “teaching tactics”


Sherm White


Just wanted to provide some feedback on the Winter 2017 edition of 32 Degrees. Once again a great issue with some very helpful, informative, and interesting articles. I do have a couple of comments on the article “Montana Road Trip” by Rich Noonan and Mike Ewing. "I had the pleasure of skiing them around Lost Trail Powder Mountain located on the Montana/Idaho border last winter." First off, the picture on page 90 shows


Mike and Rich standing in front of the ski patrol station on top of Saddle Mountain at Lost Trail, not at Teton Pass as the caption indicates. Second, on page 91 the table of ski areas and member schools indicates that Lost Trail is not a member school. Tis is incorrect! Lost Trail is a member in good standing and has been so for at least 30 years. Our former ski school director Jerry Hinman is a past division and national president. Our instructors include Level III-,


are guided by what unfolds as we ski.” – Sherm White; Alpine Level III Smugglers Notch Resort, VT


"Te track isn’t usually the problem. It’s an empty train. A fail is more likely caused by heading off without the student’s buy-in and engagement. If the instructor didn’t learn enough about the student first, it can easily happen. [Arapahoe Basin instructor trainer] Leon Littlebird’s assertion “Te best teachers learn first” is so true. When the train leaves the station without the passenger, well, they don’t get there. An instructor more involved with the curriculum instead of connecting with the learner will usually arrive with an empty boxcar, regardless of the direction of the track. It’s not unusual for the student to show up without a definite idea of where they want the train to end up, and it’s fine with them. But they always know if they’ve been left behind. My grandpa was a railroad conductor. Te train didn’t leave till he said “All aboard!” – Patrick Brockwell; Alpine Level III; Taos Ski Valley, NM


II-, and I-certified instructors, with current members also serving as division education staff and members of the division board of directors. Tis year, Lost Trail will host Level II


Alpine prep, Children Specialist I and Ski Like a Girl (SLAG) clinics, as well as a Telemark Level I exam. Hoping that we might get a little credit for our little/BIG ski area and snowsports school. Stu Hoyt; Telemark Level III, Alpine Level III, CS1, Senior Specialist 1; Northern Rocky Mountain Division Board of Directors; Lost Trail Snowsports School, MT


Editor’s note: Thanks for setting the record straight, Stu! Those mistakes were ours, not Rich and Mike’s. In double-checking the list of member schools, we discovered D IHZ PRUH HUURUV DQG KXPEO\ RffHU apologies and these corrections: Lost Trail 07 :KLWHfiVK 07 DQG )URVW )LUH 1' are member schools; Turner Mountain (MT) and Montana Snowbowl (MT) are not member schools at this time.


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