PROVIDE INSTRUCTION
To deliver an effective prescription for improvement, provide clear, concise instruction and follow it with feedback based on effective, respectful communication. Te goal is always to maximize ski time and keep time spent standing and talking on the hill to a minimum, using your talking time very effectively.
Giving too much information often inhibits learning as much as not giving enough information. Your job is to strike a balance: take topics that may be complex and communicate them simply and accurately. Te paradox is that the more you know about a subject, the easier it is to simplify and achieve this targeted middle ground.
PROVIDE FEEDBACK
Tink of everything you know about skiing and everything you see in your student’s turns as the underwater part of an iceberg. Te feedback you choose to give should be only the tip. By bringing to the surface more than the information most relevant to your students’ goals, you risk overwhelming them and diluting your coaching. Te difficult part of sharing observations, especially corrective feedback, is conveying the message in a manner that is honest, sincere, – and most important – well received. Your description should be simplified, movement-specific, and relevant to the skier’s goal. As you learn to hone this skillset, always bear in mind the old teaching adage, “Tey don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” When giving feedback, your description should:
■ Be solicited, not imposed ■ Be timely ■ Use non-judgmental language ■ Be specific rather than general ■ Contain the right amount of information ■ Take into account your student’s ability to change ■ Include a check for understanding
For feedback to be effective, the student must welcome it – so ask his or her permission before sharing your insights. While guests usually take lessons with the understanding that they will receive feedback from the instructor, not all points in the lesson are appropriate for giving feedback. Tis concept ties into the learning partnership between the instructor and student. Your role in this partnership includes asking the right questions that guide the partnership to a stronger position. Ask if, how, and when your student wants to receive feedback. In fact, you might use the “Five-P Approach,” in which you ask permission to give feedback; inquire, if in a group lesson, how to deliver it (publicly and/or privately); and ask if the guest has a preference for the manner in which you give feedback (e.g., directly, with care for a fragile ego, visually, aurally, or kinesthetically). Asking the guest to paraphrase direction you’ve provided is also wise (more on this later). Te most effective feedback is prompt, while the student’s memory of sensations is still fresh. However, there are times when you should hold back on giving feedback. Your student may be focused on mastering an earlier task, overloaded with information, or need more time to process previous instruction. It’s important to first earn your student’s trust so feedback is received as constructive guidance instead of criticism.
94 PSIA ALPINE TECHNICAL MANUAL
TheSnowPros.org
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