Member Tara Byrne, of Park City Ski & Snowboard Team, recently completed a graduate school class that focused on human behavior and the biophysical, mental, and emotional changes that occur at each developmental stage of life. She applies an understanding of these stages to effective snowsports instruction considering age as well as learning styles and objectives to create a positive learning environment.
Children, due to their brain plasticity, adapt to new activities with relative ease. They learn well with validation and reinforcement. Youth respond to directions that correspond to their learning styles. It is crucial to assess if a client learns kinesthetically, visually, or by listening. For example, kinesthetic learners absorb best with whole body movements and understand where their bodies are relative to the space around them. Visual learners need to see an example of how to perform a task. This learner benefits from following behind the instructor to trace movements. Auditory learners listen to the description of the exercise and translate what they have heard into actions.
The adolescent stage is clearly a challenge for instructors. The focus of this age group shifts to the importance of social interaction, making it vital to ensure that learners are engaged with other teens during a lesson to keep them motivated and satisfied. Socializing for this group is not “fooling around” and is necessary to ensure their satisfaction and desire to remain with the sport.
As with younger people, adults also differ in how they learn. Middle adulthood represents many physical changes. A successful lesson for a person in middle adulthood includes making sure the client has adjusted to biophysical changes in his or her body that will impact performance on snow.
Late adulthood is a period of continued biophysical decline making it crucial for an instructor to assess the client’s readiness. Learners in this developmental stage acquire satisfaction through mastering achievable tasks. The instructor can assist in attainment of this goal with proper preparation. This may be as simple as making sure the client’s gear fits comfortably before conducting a lesson.
An effective instructor will take age as well as learning styles and objectives into consideration when planning a lesson. With this in mind, we can strive to create a positive learning environment that will improve the likelihood of achieving both immediate gratification as well as the long term success that will keep a client coming back for more.
Tara Byrne
Park City Ski & Snowboard Team
