feel great at first and reassure students that they are making progress despite being less comfortable. Select terrain where there isn’t a temptation
to revert back to the old moves simply in order to survive. Lastly, recognize and praise success so students can tell when they are doing things right. In time they will begin to feel it for themselves.
What to do when a student does not want to learn? Now it’s time for you to diagnose what’s behind this behavior. Is this student tired? Or uninspired by the task? Or is there a social reason he’s reluctant to join the group?
true with students who are reluctant to learn. You’ll need to dig deeper than just asking, “What do you want to work on today?” Your first step is to dig into what the
student really wants, which may or may not be the same thing as they initially state. From there, figure out how to connect their goal with something specific they can learn that will get them closer to their goal. Lastly, you need to describe that connection because it’s most likely not apparent to the student. Each of these steps should evolve out of a mutual conversation, and will involve some close listening on your part. For example, a teenage snowboarder wants to ride better in the bumps, but the first thing you notice is that he is woefully in the back seat. So you want to fix his stance, right? But if you start doing basic stance drills, the student may become bored because you are not addressing bump riding. Make the connection between the task and the goal as tight as possible. In this case, you could do stance drills on an easy bump run instead of a groomer. Dial up the intensity of the drills so the rider is replicating the athletic style he is interested in. As you work through different activities,
be sure to explain how each part of the lesson relates to the student’s overall goal. Keep the fun factor high and emphasize relevance all through the lesson. Tis helps gain buy-in and will be more fun for you, too.
Fear
Te only way to learn a movement is to do it. But fear inhibits movements, sometimes to the point where a person can’t even try. While the emotion is complex, the resolution is simple. Make either the terrain or the task easier. Keep backing things off until the guest is happily within their comfort zone. We tend to forget that riding and skiing can be terrifying for some people. Tese folks can still learn, but will make progress more slowly. Tat’s okay. Just do what you can to keep them in their sweet spot so they can keep moving and learning. Setbacks can have a lasting effect on a fearful student (see “Breakthroughs and Breakdowns” on page 24), so it pays to be proactive and do what you can to ensure success.
Out With the Old… Or Not? Te process of improving often involves giving up an old movement in order to develop a new one. For example, lots of skiers make perfectly functional wedge turns, but at some point they need to let go of that competency in order to learn something that will ultimately make them better. But in the meantime, the student can feel like they are going backward. Why should they give up something they are already good at? Making a transition to a more effective, but less familiar, movement requires trust in the instructor. You can ease this tension by recognizing that the new move might not
This Is Supposed To Be Fun? We all know that instructors have our own culture. We think it’s fun to spend hours skiing on one ski or doing toe-to-toe turns. But don’t lose sight of the fact that your students probably do not share this idea of fun, and they may not be as thrilled as you are to dig into the nitty-gritty nuances of the sport. Resist the temptation to get caught
up in having your students do every single thing in textbook fashion, and keep playfulness and fun as the central themes in your lessons. It’s okay if your student stems most of her turns when she skis off the groomed – as long as she’s having fun and making progress, it’s a success.
UNDERSTANDING THE TASK
We learn physical movements by getting the idea in our head, trying it, evaluating the results, and trying again. Remember that the first stage of learning a new task is the cognitive stage because the brain is working hard to sort out new information
COGNITIVE ROADBLOCKS TO LEARNING
Q The explanation doesn’t make sense – it’s too technical or is framed in a way that the student can’t relate to.
Q Your demo is at too high a level and doesn’t isolate the desired movement.
Q Students think the terminology PHDQV VRPHWKLQJ GLffHUHQW
Q You’ve already taught them enough for the day. Their brains are full.
Q The student does not understand how the focus you’ve given them relates to the bigger picture.
Q The student has pre-existing knowledge that is at odds with what you are teaching.
THESNOWPROS.ORG | 55
KARIN KIRK
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124