TEACHING
TECHNIQUES
LESSON
TWO
Teaching
and Learning Styles
Most
instructors love teaching, as I’m sure you do…..after all, isn’t doing what you
love the greatest key to success?
While
loving to teach and sharing knowledge with others is one of the most important
aspects of a good instructor, there are other positive characteristics that a
skilled instructor should develop. Love
of teaching may be the first characteristic, but the truly great teacher will
quickly and continuously add the expansion of her knowledge of riding skills
and disciplines, as well as how to teach those skills, to her list of
characteristics to acquire.
Your
love for teaching and your knowledge of teaching techniques will help you raise
your level of self-confidence and your ability to retain your sense of humor,
flexibility, patience and understanding of your students. To make yourself an outstanding instructor
you must continually practice to improve both your riding and teaching skills.
One
of the ways a novice instructor can gain more confidence and see “ways to
improve” is to watch other instructors at work.
Watching seasoned instructors handle class and individual situations can
give you insights into how you may wish to handle a particular event. You’ll learn things you’ll want to add to
your personal approach, and you’ll see and hear things you’ll want to avoid
doing or repeating.
Don’t
be afraid to “network” with as many riding instructors as possible….meet for
coffee, or lunch, or even make it formal and start a “riding instructor” club
in your area. The more you know about
“how to teach” the better teacher you are going to be. Get involved with teaching, listen, apply and
learn.
WHAT’S EXPECTED?
As
a riding instructor you are expected to be dynamic, energetic, motivational,
patient, understanding and a good listener.
Your
enthusiasm for your career is going to show in your dynamics (interactions)
with your students. You must maintain an
energy that creates a desire within your students to learn and do better. You will be their main motivational
force…they are going to take their cue from you… wanting to get started,
wanting to practice and practice, and wanting to learn more and more.
Take
time to be a good listener…your students will give you clues to their needs and
wants, and from those you’ll better understand how and what to teach them.
If
your students aren’t asking questions, then you ask them questions. This will help you in many ways…to better
understand them as individuals, to better understand their needs and to better
understand their level of lesson comprehension and retention.
Finally,
students expect you to exhibit a genuine interest in them and a desire to help
them learn and improve their riding skills.
Part
of this interest and desire includes providing appropriate and timely feedback
and corrections during a lesson.
Positive
feedback is vital to any riding student, but it must be genuine. (e.g., for
something a rider has done well—not a constant drone of “you’re doing fine,
you’re doing fine.)
Corrections
should also be provided in a positive manner to encourage the rider to perform
the skill better the next time. Negative
feedback and harsh corrections can easily halt the learning process.
YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES
Riding
instructors are responsible:
• For preparing a well-thought out
lesson plan
• For being organized
• For the safety of everyone involved
with the lesson or class
• For providing a positive and “fun”
riding experience. (Never forget that
your students can quit you anytime…if they aren’t having a good time, they’ll
probably discontinue…if they discontinue, your business suffers. While you are
always going to have students coming and going, you seldom if ever want to be
the cause of their leaving your program.
You are in business and that means “making a profit”. Profits come from paying customers.)
• For arriving on time, starting class
on time and ending a riding lesson on time.
• For challenging students to attain
greater skills and new ambitions
• For improving your own riding and
teaching skills.
HOW DO WE LEARN?
When
students are asked what makes an instructor a “great” instructor, the teaching
style characteristic mentioned most often is: a style of presentation that is
interesting and keeps my attention. But
what does that mean? Its meaning can be
learned by understanding how the student responding learns best….it has
different meanings for each individual being taught. So if you are going to be a “great”
instructor, you must constantly consider each individual student’s style of
learning. You must prepare your lessons
based on the characteristics of the student.
Everyone has a different style of
learning.
As
an instructor, your personal style of learning will influence your style of
teaching. You will tend to want to teach
to your style of learning—the visual learner will want to teach using visual
tools or demonstrations, the auditory learner will want to teach by verbally
explaining and the kinesthetic learner will want the rider to “try the skill.”
You
should analyze your learning style to determine how you will be most effective
in teaching. Once you understand your own
learning style you’ll find it easier to prepare lesson plans that take into
account all learning styles equally.
The
auditory learner learns best by listening.
She will remember what she hears
or what is said better than what she sees demonstrated or what she
“experiences.”
A rider who is an auditory
learner will be talkative and may let his or her attention wander when an
instructor is demonstrating a skill or task without including verbal
explanation. Auditory learners will
strike up conversations with other students or friends outside the schooling
area; keeping such conversations to a minimum may be a challenge for you, so be
prepared.
Auditory
learners interpret the meanings of speech by listening to the tone, pitch and
speed of conversation. Such learners
will memorize what has been said.
Knowing all the lyrics to songs and enjoying musical activities are
characteristics of auditory learners.
As
an instructor, you can help auditory learners by asking them to give verbal
explanations of what they have just learned.
Ask the rider to talk through the steps of the task, either to you or to
another student. Allowing a student to
explain the task or exercise to other riders in the class not only helps the
learner, but it also helps develop the student’s confidence.
With all students, use inflection
when speaking. A monotone will cause
riders to “tune you out.” Vary the speed
of your speech and tone of your voice to help keep students listening.
Many
students will have difficulty comprehending or processing instructions,
especially if they are delivered rapidly.
Speak in a manner that is easy to understand; this includes using short
sentences and speaking slowly.
The
visual learner learns best by “seeing.”
Visual
learners need to see the instructor’s facial expressions and body language to
fully understand the explanation of a skill, and they will want to see the
skill demonstrated. They retain what
they see better than what they hear.
With
the visual learner, the most effective lesson can often be the lesson in which
you “ride and show” all the concepts being considered. Demonstrations of any kind are the most
useful teaching tool.
If
verbal directions are not accompanied by a visual demonstration, a visual
learner may let her attention wander and frequently not get any of the messages
you hope you are delivering.
A
rider who is a visual learner frequently misunderstands verbal directions, or
asks for instructions to be repeated.
Visual
learners are typically quiet and love activities that involve pictures, puzzles
or colors.
You can best reach your visual learners by
providing visual aids or demonstrations while providing verbal
instructions. Whether in a private
lessons or a group, be prepared to demonstrate all skills being taught, and/or
allow the visual learners to watch other students perform before they are asked
to do ride.
Use
color coding (e.g., barrels, poles, cones of different colors) or different
objects to direct activities during a lesson.
Visual learners will catch on much more quickly, and will enjoy the
lesson more if they are directed to “jog to the yellow cone,” or lope or canter
around the blue and white barrel, and then stop at the green pole.
The
kinesthetic or tactile learner learns best by “doing.”
These
are learners that actually have to perform a skill or task to understand the
skill or task.
Kinesthetic learners need
movement and will quickly start to fidget or lose concentration is asked to sit
still for long periods of time…they are not good at all at listening to long
lectures about a riding skill.
Kinesthetic learners tend to be
well coordinated and enjoy taking things apart and putting them back together
again. The student who wants to see all
the parts of the saddle and remove the stirrup leathers is probably a
kinesthetic learner. The kinesthetic
learner will be the first to learn to tack a horse using different types of
equipment.
On the other hand, the kinesthetic
learner may be very slow to pick up a “pattern” until she has had a chance to
“ride” through it several times.
As a riding instructor, use the horse to
assist the kinesthetic learner. Allow kinesthetic
riders to try any and all skills without a lot of explanation on your
part. Getting them started in the
exercise is much more effective for them than trying to explain the exercise
over and over again.
LESSON
PLANS
Lesson plans are the backbone of
successful teaching session. They help the instructor determine the focus and
intent of the lesson, as well as how the lesson goals can be adapted to meet
the needs and abilities of the individual riders.
Rider assessment – determine
goals and objectives
All riders should have their “riding skills”
assessed prior to the development of a lesson plan and their first actual
riding lesson.
Discuss thoroughly the rider’s
“believed” abilities. You must decide
just how much the rider actually knows about riding, and just how skillful you
think the rider.
Put the rider on a very safe
horse (their own horse if they happen to own a horse) and watch them ride
following your directions. From this
initial “experiment” in teaching, you should have a pretty good idea of how
basic or advanced you can make your lessons.
Ask the rider and/or the rider’s
parents to explain their long-term goals; what do they hope the rider will
accomplish, and at what level? Your
approach to riders who simply want to take trail rides will be much different
than the approach needed to help a rider win at the highest levels of
competition.
Based on this information, you
can develop lesson plans with short and long-term goals and objectives for the
rider.
Goals
are broad-based statements that describe the projected achievements of the
rider over the course of a session (short-term goals), riding season or year
(long-term goals), or several riding seasons or years. Goals determine the purpose, aim and
rationale of the activities you have your riders complete during lessons.
Long-term
goals
typically encompass a riding season or year (composed of multiple lessons) or
several seasons or years. Examples of
long-term goals include:
• Rider will be able to compete
at entry level shows in Hunter Under Saddle classes. Or rider will be able to complete in entry
level shows in western pleasure.
• Rider will eventually be
able to compete at a level in which “qualification” can be achieved for
national standing.
Once the long-term goals have
been established with the input of the rider, short-term goals and objectives
can be determined.
Short-term
goals
typically encompass one riding time-period which is composed of several
lessons—six to 12, for example. Short-term goals are the steps that are
necessary for the rider to ultimately reach their long-term goals and are based
on the rider’s current riding ability and how they can improve their riding
skills.
If the rider’s long-term
riding goal is to be able to ride in entry-level shows, but this is the first
time they have ridden a horse, the rider’s short-term goal(s) for the first
time period might include:
• Rider will be able to correctly ask for and sit all three
gaits.
• Rider will be able to correctly stop
the horse.
• Rider will be able to explain the
rules an demonstrate all gaits and exercises for horse and rider required for
the competition intended.
Objectives
are specific statements that describe what the rider will learn during a specific
class. Objectives are a description of the skills a rider must learn and
perform in order to reach short-term and ultimately long-term goals.
An objective that is written
correctly will contain three parts:
1. Conditions: a phrase that describes the specifications(s)
under which the behavior or skill is to be performed.
2. Verb: an action word that connotes an
observable rider behavior.
3. Criteria: a statement that specifies how well the rider
must perform the behavior or skill.
The conditions part of an
objective specifies the requirements under which a rider will perform a
behavior or a skill. Examples of
conditions include:
• Working in a group of
horses and performing on command.
• Working a pattern individually.
The verb included in an
objective must be an action verb and must describe an observable or measurable
rider behavior.
An example: the rider must demonstrate “transitions” from
the walk to the jog and from the jog to the lope. And then demonstrate
transitions downward from the lope to the jog or walk.
In addition to being able to
demonstrate their skill, you want your students to “understand” a skill or
“appreciate” the reason behind a skill.
You can measure their understanding by using the action verbs of “name”
or “explain” specific cues, such as weight shifts or rein placement. It is always a good idea to have the student
“relate” the horse’s footfall sequence for each exercise being taught.
The criteria define how
well the student must perform in order to satisfy the intent of the objective.
If the objective is relatively
simple…such as learning to work a gate, then the level of expertise may be
minimal to satisfy your lesson plan. If
the objective on the other hand is to complete at a nationally ranked show, the
student will have to perform the exercise flawlessly.
When examined as a whole,
well-thought out and written long-term goals, short-term goals and objectives
for each rider should provide answers to the following questions:
• Where is my rider going?
• How is my rider going to get
there?
•
How will I know when my rider has arrived?
Once you have determined the
individual long-term goals, short-term goals and objectives for your students
as individuals, you must consider teaching them in a group situation—unless you
opt to only give private lessons.
How you structure your business
is up to you. You may plan to only give
instruction at your facility and to one student at a time. If that is the case, lesson plans are done on
an individual basis and are written for that student’s specific goals and
objectives.
However, if you are planning a
group lesson, then your lesson goals and objectives need to be inclusive of all
of the riders in that class. For group
instruction, the key to being successful as an instructor, is to be sure your
riders have similar skills levels and experience as well as similar goals…both
short term and long term.
Establishing
Goals and Objectives
The following chart may be of
assistance to you in preparing lesson plans if you are in a situation requiring
you to give group lessons. (If you are
working for a city or county recreation department, or a school, you may be
required to submit written lesson plans, plus a measurement tool to show
effectiveness of the program.)
Develop lesson plans with
measurable goals
Once the number of riders in your class
has been established and you’ve reviewed your assessment of their abilities and
determined their long-term goals, short-term goals and objectives, you are
ready to outline your lessons..
1. Plan ahead: Plan the goals for
the program BEFORE the first lesson is given.
• If you have
new riders, the goals may need to be revised once you’ve more thoroughly
evaluated their ability/skills.
•
Consider skills the riders currently have - skills you want them to learn and
the logical progression of skills from point A to point B
•
These goals need to encompass all of the riders and take into consideration
their individual long-term and short-term goals.
2. Plan the goal for each lesson
BEFORE the day of the lesson.
• Ask yourself
how the lesson goal fits into the long-term goal?
•
Ask yourself how you can make the lesson goal
• Set only one goal for each
lesson. The
lesson goal should be relatively narrow in scope.
Examples
of goals:
• Riders will learn the correct cues to
get their horse to trot.
• Riders will
begin to learn how to perform a posting trot.
•
Riders will improve their balance by placing rings on poles and moving rings
from pole to pole.
Establish a limited number of
objectives (one to three) for the goal of each lesson
These objectives must be measurable and
encompass all of the riders that will be riding in class.
Selection of activities and
skills suitable for the rider
Once you have established the
goal and objectives for the lesson, you will need to select the activities
and/or skills that will meet that goal and objectives.
Generally the riding portion of a
lesson can be broken down into the following parts:
● Warm-up/stretches
● Review of skills
● New skill (not all lessons will include a new skill)
● Game (not all lessons will include a game)
● Cool-down
The exercises, activities and
games utilized in a lesson should allow the riders to practice the skill that
was the focus of the lesson and need to be appropriate for the riders’ current
skill level. However, this practice does
not need to merely be a repetition of the skill; it can take the form of an
activity or game. For example, if the
focus of the lessons is to learn to ride perfect circles, then an obstacle
course can be designed that requires the riders to circle various objects while
negotiating the course.
Using “themes” for your lessons
is another way to make the learning process and practice more fun for the
riders; however, every lesson DOES NOT have to have a theme. If you do use a theme for a lesson, try to
include the theme in some way in all parts of the lesson.
Examples of Themes
Themes could be “circles”, or
“speed”, or “shapes.” If the theme is “circles”
for example, try to use circles in all your exercises…ask you students to
explain to other students, or you, how a circle is defined, how it is used in a
horse show competition, how the horse is cued or directed to perform a circle. Have the student explain circles while riding
circles.
Activities, Exercises and Games
Activities:
tasks performed by the riders to practice old or new skills during a
lesson.
Exercises:
tasks performed to improve physical abilities during a lesson including stretching
muscles, improving flexibility and balance, developing strength and relaxing
parts of the body.
Games:
tasks that are fun, and possibly competitive, that encourage riders to
further practice their skills and ‘stretch’ their physical abilities.
Resources for Games and Lesson
Planning:
•
The Association of Horsemanship Safety and
Education (available at www.cha-ahse.org)
• Games on Horseback by Betty Bennett-Talbot, Steven Bennett (available at www.amazon.com)
• 101 Arena Exercises—A
Ringside Guide for Horse and Rider by
• United States Pony Club
Games Handbook
(Available at www.ponyclub.org/rulebooks.php)
Assignment:
Create a new student profile. Explain how you determined the student’s
current abilities, goals and objectives.
Write out three lesson plans. Each plan
should describe the short term goal to be reached during that lesson and
describe how accomplishing that goal will lead to the skill needed to prepare
for the next lesson.
Describe how you will “evaluate” your
student’s progress and determine level of accomplishment in reaching the
objective.
Send report to: cathyhansonqh@gmail.com
Be sure to include your complete name and email address on all your
reports and material sent to the instructor.