you have success?” Suddenly Bill is thrust into a leadership role. Bill and Steve started at the same ability level, but something clicked for Bill. Maybe hearing it from his perspective will help Steve break through, too. Maybe Bill, not too far removed from Steve’s struggles, will phrase something in a way that resonates with Steve, in a way that you, the instructor, couldn’t. On the other side, perhaps the experience of sharing what he
Reviewing fundamentals at the outset of the lesson can help you make sure groups set out from a similar starting point.
Slow down, young grasshopper! “When people advance quickly,
we’ll sometimes skip important steps,” says Gardner. Tis approach will usually backfire later. In a one-on-one obviously you won’t have a group split, but you will still have walls and a roof that are built upon a shaky foundation. In a group setting, it is very possible that, while the group started enthusiastically and quickly, some will experience trouble later. And you will be catching some people up and revisiting steps that you originally skipped. Take sidestepping, for example. “If you wait until they have skis on, some may figure it out, but others may not have the coordination,” says Gardner. He suggests teaching the movement of sidestepping to beginning groups with skis off – when everyone is on a (mostly) level plane of ability. Sidestepping is a new concept for never-evers, so why not practice in boots first? Everyone experiences
figured out through trial and error will help Bill retain the new skill. Maybe the act of teaching the material he just learned will help to ingrain it and help his muscle memory. And maybe, once two students team up they will build rapport with each other. Teacher-to-student interaction is great, but when you facilitate interaction between students, your group can soar even higher, and this sort of cohesiveness and camaraderie may be just the things that keep your group together when an ability split does emerge. Rather than getting frustrated with the student who is “holding the group up,” the group bursting with inclusivity and unified spirit may rally around the student who needs help and lift him or her up. Resist the urge to over-instruct that person at everyone else’s expense, says Gardner. “Don’t veer away from someone who needs it.” Once someone starts to soar above the others, that’s a great cue to help the others keep pace – if that’s possible and what they want. “I will sometimes pair the strongest skier with the weakest,” says Graham. “Tis helps learning happen not only from a peer perspective, but also when a student steps into a teaching role then skill acquisition can be anchored more quickly.” If some students begin to improve more quickly than others,
The challenge for us as instructors becomes how to mold all the individual traits, characteristics, and desires into one happy, healthy, cohesive group – a group where everyone learns and wants to return for more.
some degree of success, and the group gets to celebrate that success together, which may build camaraderie. “Introducing a solid foundation of information about equipment, environment, and possibly the Skills Concept can help any lesson evolve with ease,” adds Graham. Okay, beginners are obvious, you say. What about higher ability
levels? We’re not going to play boot games with Level 7s. Gardner suggests doing some review with higher levels before diving into your lesson content. “Maybe cover basic stance,” he says. “Tey may have had an instructor before you who told them something different about where their center of mass should be.” Providing students with a little bit of review at the beginning of
your lesson puts everyone on the same page and brings everyone to a similar starting point. Warm up, review, and discover the paths that led the individuals to this group.
PAY ATTENTION TO EVERYONE “We tend to get excited when someone takes off in a lesson,” says Gardner. “We gravitate toward that person.” All of a sudden that student gets a disproportionate amount of instruction and attention, and it should come as no surprise when you wind up with an ability split; your golden student advances well beyond the rest of the group. Compare this approach to this: Bill, a student, latches onto a drill, but Steve struggles. Te instructor says, “Bill, you had some success with that last drill. Can you share with Steve what helped
46 | 32 DEGREES • WINTER 2017
it’s important that you make sure every student continues to get feedback. Gardner marvels at a mentor of his who is always able to pick out a nugget for every student at every stop – and keep it all straight in his mind to deliver effective feedback. You also may decide to modify tasks and drills. For example,
say you’re working on hop turns. Some in your group can do 20 consecutive hop turns, but others have trouble getting their skis off the snow and begin compromising form in order to accomplish the task. For those experiencing difficulty, have them link hockey stops in a narrow corridor so they practice similar rotation and edge-setting movements as the hopping students. “Be able to modify tasks for someone who can, or for someone who can’t, perform,” says Gardner.
DON’T FEAR THE SPLIT Tink of it: Even if everyone in the group starts at exactly the same level, each student brings his or her own body type, attention span, background experiences, athletic ability, comfort level in snow and cold, fears, goals, and expectations to the lesson. Te challenge for us as instructors becomes how to mold all the individual traits, characteristics, and desires into one happy, healthy, cohesive group – a group where everyone learns and wants to return for more. “I hear instructors talk about how bad splits are and how difficult they can be,” says Graham. “A split can happen at any moment.” Instructors typically gather student profiles at the beginnings of lessons. Where are you from? What sports do you play? What are
COURTESY OF ASPEN SNOWMASS
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