I received the following from Steve Smith: [SS] Walter great article today in the Globe and Mail about teaching. It is in the Globe life section Mon.Mar.9th.They are talking about skiing but it could be any sport. It starts with are you a watcher, thinker, feeler or doer. I don’t know how to copy it and share (as I get it electronically ) but I’m sure you do, anyways it is a good read. Steve [WS] Thanks Steve! The article can be found by clicking on this link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/fitness/tremblant-ski-school-teaches-old-dogs-new-tricks/article23338383/ I asked our resident expert on teaching theory, Dayle Mazzarella, for his thoughts about this article. Here is what he had to say: [DM] I’ve a few things! 1. The Canadian Ski article
a) Roger Castonguay’s “style” of teaching by his own admission, only works with very advanced or very talented individuals. That is not a style of teaching anyone should emulate. It is seriously limited in its effectiveness.
b) Anyone can learn using Kathy Prophet’s “style” – including the people Roger can reach. Her style, which is organized, sequential, and detailed, works with anyone.
c) A style that reaches only a relatively small percentage of the population is like having a cast that only reaches a few of the potential fish. Would we teach it?
The paragraph “There is not empirical evidence supporting … matching learning style and teaching style” is supported by the attached article, “Are Learning Styles a Symptom of Education’s Ills”. [WS] See attached document at end of this article[WS] 2. Style vs Substance: Whole – Part – Whole Teaching is virtually the only methodology supported by research insuring optimal learning for all students. Following is the substance of good teaching embodied in a whole-part-whole methodology: (How one does this is style.)
a) Explain and/or demonstrate what you want the student to know or do by the time the lesson is done. (How one does this is style.)
b) Explain and/or demonstrate what past knowledge and/or skill will be used as a building block. Explain and/or demonstrate how the new skill will be used in the future. This is called motivation – “what’s in it for me” and “what do I know that will help me do this more easily and make it less intimidating”. (Often referred to as the anticipatory set.) The whole is completed, putting the parts to follow in context. (How one does this is style.)
c) Break the skill and/or knowledge down into as many separate components as possible – (structured practice). Explain and/or demonstrate each step separately in a sequential manner. ( How one does this is style.)
d) Now have the student do each of the steps in a very closely controlled environment so that errors are minimized. This step is usually, in the case of casting, done by having the student pantomime the steps with the instructor. For most students, this step requires lots of repetitions. ( How one does this is style.)
e) Now have the student teach those steps to someone.
f) Have the student “put it all together”. Students begin putting it all together so that each step “flows” seamlessly into the next. Do the “whole” skill.
g) Have the student practice the new skill 7 or 8 times over the next several days.
Style is how one does those steps! It is about what analogies one uses, which props, which “tools” in their bag they use while following the basic sequence. For instance, in the structured practice, an instructor may choose to have the student use a rod and line, a rod with no line, half a rod, a pool noodle, a paint brush, a pencil, etc…. The instructor may use pantomime, or have the student simultaneously do the steps with the instructor. These are examples of style. Following the basic steps above are not style issues for someone who wishes to become an exceptional teacher, any more than the 5 Essentials are style issues for those aspiring to become optimal casters. Every piece of research we have in the past 30 years continues to support the above methodology as the basis for optimal instruction. Virtually every successful coach in any sport, from high school to professionals, follow these basic principles of good instruction. Dayle [WS] Thanks Dayle and Steve! The document mentioned by Dayle can be found below: [embeddoc url=”http://wildoutfitting.com/testwp4920/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/LearningStylesResearch.pdf” viewer=”google”]