Riding Instructor Magazine - Fall 2021

Page 12

Sport psychology

Ten Tips to Teaching Students to Learn Laura King CHt, NLP, Life & Performance Coach Imagine your students coming to lessons

der for them to achieve their goals? Are

“If you think you can do a thing or think you

with enthusiasm, ready to learn a new skill

there baby steps that need to be taken

can’t do a thing, you’re right.”

or improve upon previous lessons. They’re

along the way? Then, explain to your stu-

confident and eager to begin, knowing

dent why you chose the skill or exercise. If

you will build upon their knowledge. With

she sees the pathway toward that win, she

Research shows that a person can develop

your guidance, you can empower them to

will be more motivated to stick to the plan

new skills even if the person lacks so-called

learn because learning is a skill that can be

to get there.

innate talent, or if she is getting up there

improved.

~ Henry Ford

in age.

In this article, I’ll provide 10 tips to help

2. Stop Believing In the Talent Myth; Start Believing in Your Student

you help them learn more easily, effectively

For centuries, people have believed that

ogy at Stanford University, says that when

and happily, while injecting positivity into

you’ve either got talent or you don’t and

it comes to learning new things, people

your teaching and into your life.

you can’t learn something if you aren’t

have either a fixed or a growth mindset.

naturally gifted. Now scientists have ad-

People with a fixed mindset think success

opted a different view: studies show that

in learning a new skill depends on being

Start by deciding what would be in your

talent is determined far less by our genes

gifted while people with a growth mindset

student’s best interest to learn. If a stu-

and far more by our actions. Believe that

think that success in learning new things

dent wants to win in an equitation class,

your student can do it, no matter her skill-

depends on their own efforts. They found

what skills do they need to work on in or-

set or her age.

that the latter are more likely to persevere

1. Choose the Right Skill to Teach

12

Fall 2021  |  Riding Instructor

Carol Dweck, Ph.D., a professor of psychol-


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