WELL THAT DIDN’T WORK: UNRAVELING THE CAUSES OF AN UNSUCCESSFUL LESSON
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he locker room at lunchtime is a bustling hive of activity. We’ve got 25 minutes to transition from one lesson to the next, warm up, and eat some food. But what seems to take most of our time and energy is the requisite debrief: “So, how was your lesson?”
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While it’s fun to regale each other with tales of epic successes and brilliant runs, where the conversation really gets interesting is when the lesson did not go well. Sometimes one student lags behind, other times the instructor and client just don’t click. Maybe something you’ve taught reliably for years suddenly fails to work. Or a client started off doing well, then hit a brick wall. Tere are myriad reasons why someone may not be learning, and it’s fascinating and worthwhile to explore what might be going wrong – because understanding the causes of educational missteps can help you prevent or correct them. So, pass the ketchup and gather round this virtual locker room lunch table while we explore the dreaded unsuccessful lesson.
stuff out, practicing it, and being good at it. Obstacles to learning usually occur during the cognitive stage – when we’re trying to sort out what to do and how to do it. Te reason this is called the cognitive stage is because there’s a bunch of brainpower involved. It takes a lot of mental work to learn a new skill, even when it’s a physical skill. At this stage of learning, students are entirely dependent on the instructor to help them along. Students need to understand what to do, and they need accurate feedback because they can’t yet feel it for themselves. Consequently, the relationship between instructor and student is very tight during this stage. Students need a lot of information, feedback, and encouragement. Teir learning is unsteady and vulnerable. And this is precisely why they may have difficulties along the way.
WHAT GETS IN THE WAY OF LEARNING?
At the beginning of the lesson, connect with each student individually and see what you can learn about their motivation and values.
HOW WE LEARN As outlined in “Learn the States of Motor Learning to Help Students Succeed More Quickly” (Fall 2016), there are three stages of learning: the cognitive, associative, and autonomous stages. In other words, figuring
Obstacles to learning can be rooted in many factors: the student’s attitude, their trust in the instructor, their understanding of the task, their physical abilities, and the environment around them. You play a central role in every aspect of this relationship. Regardless of what your students bring to the table, it’s up to you to guide them toward the most productive and fun situation you can create. Let’s take a closer look at some of the key factors that can make or break a snowsports lesson.
MOTIVATION, VALUES, AND WILLINGNESS
Before they even pull their boots on, students need to want to try to learn. Without that,
AFFECTIVE ROADBLOCKS TO LEARNING
Values Q The instructor has framed the
OHVVRQ WR UHflHFW WKH LQVWUXFWRUȇV goals and values, not the student’s.
Q The end goal, e.g., riding switch, is not something the student values.
Q The instructor does not connect with students and does not relate to their values.
Motivation Q Student prefers to do what they’re already doing.
Q The instructor is not able to tap into the student’s motivations.
Q Instructor lacks or loses credibility.
Fear Q Of falling/injury Q Of looking stupid Q Of trying again when previous attempts failed
Social pressures Q It’s not cool to try. Q It’s not cool to fail.
nothing else can follow. Tere are many reasons why someone won’t engage in the learning process. Perhaps the whole notion of the lesson was someone else’s idea, or the student thinks they are already good enough and don’t need instruction. On the other hand, maybe the idea
of trying and failing is daunting. Skim the accompany list of motivation-related reasons and you’ll likely recognize some from your own experiences.
Whose Values? Te root cause of several of these issues can be a mismatch between the student’s goals and what you are teaching. You already know that goal setting is a crucial part of PSIA- AASI’s Teaching Cycle, but this is especially
WHAT’S YOUR ADVICE FOR WHEN A LESSON GETS OFF TRACK?
(YHU KDG D VWXGHQW ZKR Ȃ GHVSLWH \RXU EHVW HffRUWV Ȃ MXVW GLGQȇW ȊJHW LWȋ" +RZ GLG \RX KDQGOH LW" :KDWȇV \RXU DGYLFH IRU IHOORZ instructor who might have a similar experience? Join the conversation on The Community at:
tiny.cc/tglsgy
54 | 32 DEGREES • WINTER 2017
KARIN KIRK
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