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-