APPENDIX 1: TEACHING CHILDREN
LEARNING STYLES When was the last time you saw a group of young children sitting, enjoying a lecture? Before the last stage of mental development that begins with adolescence, children cannot reason by using abstract concepts. They need to relate everything to something concrete, something real, in their environment. They need to see, feel and do. The same principles apply on snow. An instructor will experience successful teaching with children by: • • • • • • • •
Using verbal directions that are short, simple and keeping them to a minimum Demonstrating manoeuvres many times during a lesson Encouraging children to repeat successes over and over Encouraging children to experiment with movement Using games instead of technical jargon or exercises intended for adults Helping the younger children experience feeling by manual assistance Giving children ONE goal at a time (baby steps). Giving positive, specific feedback (applauding the child’s successes with comments that pinpoint the details of the success)
LESSON PRESENTATION Introducing Yourself When you are introducing yourself to your class, take some time to get to know something about each one of them, and to let them get to know you. You can even make it fun. Here are some suggestions for making those first few minutes a success and for laying the groundwork for a good teaching environment. •
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Make eye contact with the children. This will require you to remove your goggles or glasses if you are wearing any. If necessary, go down on one knee or bend over to the child’s level so that the children can see your face without craning their necks. Consider giving each child a nickname if you feel comfortable with nicknames. Tell them why you chose this name. This will make them feel special and important. Be prepared to adopt a nickname yourself, and be prepared to have some children object to another name. Some children will be receptive to a name game (e.g.: toss a foam cube or other soft object (like a glove or a hat) from one to another and have each person say either his name or the name of the person to whom he is tossing the cube). Get to know the children’s interests. Ask them about their favourite “thing”— an object, activity, person or animal. Find out what other sports they enjoy.
Use of Games and Activities Games and activities are important when teaching children. Although it is not necessary to use games throughout the entire lesson, we must keep in mind that children learn best through play. A new skill (or refinement of an old skill) will be more appealing to a child if it is wrapped up in the form of a game. Make sure you consider the age of the group when deciding the games or activities you will be using during the clinic. Balance the games with time just to ride and enjoy the movement without structure. The children will be reinforcing their skills with no conscious effort. Make sure the activities/games you choose help develop one of the five skills of riding. Once you have determined the skill that will be the focus for the lesson, select activities and games that will develop that skill. It is important to correlate the game to the skill, and the game and skill to the age group. Some activities may be used to help develop more than one skill. If children enjoy a game, they will not mind repeating it.
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