As educators – we have an obligation beyond helping students to learn more about riding while developing their rudimentary basics of control on a vehicle which has the potential to be dangerous or hurtful. As coaches and professional sources of information, there is a deeper more tangible resource to be shared, based within the tangles of judgement and stemming from a good understanding of what students need.
Whether by choice or circumstance, rider education coaches are fortunate to share a passion with people who are interested in similar pursuits. In doing so, the dangers of riding should also be mitigated by sharing the truthful realities associated with riding, making an impression on a student’s behavior, thoughts, and actions. Therefore, I refer to riding educators as coaches. Students will gain more from being “coached” on techniques and behaviors versus just being told or shown what to do. We must learn to know the student. The “Art Beyond Instruction” refers to how we reach students and in this forum I’d like to share a few things that have been helpful on my personal coaching journey.
Serious Fun
Riding motorcycles is fun! I am interested, as I hope you are, in sharing the fun and a love of motorcycling based upon a feeling only increased by the freedom of riding. But with freedom comes responsibility, for both riders and coaches. If the students are having fun learning how to ride or even honing known skills, then they are already developing. A studied coach artfully understands this transformation – capitalizing on the approach to share more knowledge and recommend higher level training. When considering this, I am reminded of the first time I was a motorcycle passenger, followed quickly by the first time I was riding solo. How exciting it was to attain a license and purchase a road worthy vehicle. As I learned more, I felt great trepidation when departing on my first solo cross country ride, ending only after the joy of gaining new life-long friends and learning much during the many new experiences. In recognizing these personal experiences, I began to realize that I needed to allow my students to experience those same things – on their own. My students should be wholly focused on their own journey and should not be hearing about my personal experiences. It is more meaningful to them, and in turn does not give the wrong persona to a coach who portends to be a “Sage on the Stage.”
The environment presented to the student should be inviting and fun allowing for them to gain the intrinsic value of knowledge, riding safely without being distracted by anecdotes and stories. Time in most courses is limited, so have fun with students but stick to the needed lessons by reaching students on their level and acknowledging that the serious topics could indeed save their lives. Lay the groundwork for safe riders by sticking to the essential material and make it fun yet challenge them with contextual problem-based learning! Artfully done, they will come back for more challenges, they will want to level up.
Connecting to the Student
The relationship between the student and the instructor is one essential building block to successful learning. A good teacher can adjust his/her methods to reach all kinds of students at the place where they come from. Although it is close to an impossibility to be liked by everyone, teachers have a requirement to be positive, flexible, respectful, giving, and open minded for every student. It is the teacher’s responsibility to connect with students and acknowledge individual, societal, and situational differences seeking the prior experiences of a learner. Listening to what a student describes about themselves, is a way to understand the individual’s needs without assuming to understand them within a group. This makes introductions and conversations before and after their learning starts so very important. Students reveal who they are through conversation when coaches show interest in what they say. It is possible that every student is at a different level and ana aware coach can then honor those needs.
In the ever-changing rider’s education environment, coaches need to develop different methods for reaching every single student and explaining, in the correct vernacular, the material in artfully different ways. This also infers that as teachers we are not “one trick ponies” and can continue learning along with our students. Coaching is not simply passing information to students, there are other forms of communication like presentations, videos, and books that could do that exact task without our presence. Coaches bridge the gap between information and practice – to make learning more organic to the student by understanding their references (from prior experiences) and helping them to develop their own judgement while applying the learning in more practical manners. The art of teaching within the art of learning which is very learner-centered.
Questioning – Student-Centered Questions
While coaching, try hard to speak only when necessary. By using group facilitation techniques, the students will benefit most by discussing the topics with their peers or spending time concentrating on riding or watching others. It is okay for a coach to be more an equal member of the group, but student first-hand experiences while looking for answers or manipulating controls, is what self-directed accelerated learning is all about. An adage known in coaching is that the students will learn despite the coach in most cases which still holds true today. Set up a good learning environment students will surprise you and learn freely. If there is a need to make a correction or reinforce a specific topic, try to ask a student-centered question allowing the student to correlate the question with an intent that will best assist their learning. The idea is to get a student to think and make the decisions on their own, with only an appropriate nudge if needed.
For example, if a student is struggling with clutch control, this is a key basic skill that coaches should have already observed and analyzed consistently as a problem. A simple question to the student could be used to find out if the student has analyzed what is going on. “What do you think is happening with your clutch?” “How would you change that?” This may be an over-simplification, but the focus is to allow the student to develop critical thinking skills that can continually be used – even when there is no coach around. The holistic process is to facilitate self-learning, inspire more thought, and improve self-understanding in the process.
Questions should not be too content-centered or yes/no answerable if possible unless the reason is a quick check on learning. Learner-Centered questions should be somewhat ambiguous and provide room for interpretation and conversation as needed. Even if a student answers with something unexpected, a competent coach should be able to find a way to make the response relate back to the original question emphasizing the teaching point being addressed. The coach has an obligation to make the lesson content relevant for the student.
Creating a Desire to Learn
As an educator, it is necessary to develop your own voice, it is part of the art of being a rider’s education coach. Likewise, an essential aspect is to explore the many different methods to transfer knowledge while not sticking with merely stock-ideas on how to do something. The phrase “this is how we do it here” can be the justification for not pursuing growth and understanding way too often in our field of endeavor. More importantly, when helping students, phrases like “don’t do that” or “that’s not right” can have a degrading and long lasting detrimental impact on someone trying to learn.
Students need to feel motivated to try new things within the safe boundaries of the classroom or on the range. They should desire to gain knowledge from the precious little time being spent with a coach. Any request to “not” do something should be grounded in solid reasoning and explanation discussed well before a strange diversion is made. Students then can make informed decisions about safety and acceptability of risk on their own, which fosters developmental judgement and prepares them for riding outside of a controlled environment.
Students provide as much inspiration to teach as coaches should provide inspiration to learn. It is a two-way street that helps to develop a solid learning transaction between a teacher and a student. When that A-Ha moment happens, a student generally smiles in acknowledgement. A cognizant teacher recognizes these moments and should respond accordingly to highlight and reinforce the meaning and acknowledgment, building the desire for more of those moments. Sometimes the spark has already happened and other times it must be lit through effort, but the desire to learn is an innate characteristic in us all, and a good coach knows how to tap into it.
Learning to Grow as an Artist
Painters must practice with their brush and musicians use their instruments, so as an educator/coach, we must practice the art by doing – regularly and consistently. Practice should be accomplished using correct techniques or bad habits may develop. Correctly practicing is a cognitive process and having feedback is essential to knowing if changes are required. We should look for feedback to develop and grow as coaches. A strong recommendation is utilizing different co-coaches; consistently, to see and learn from others. When in doubt, phone a friend for affirmation, confirmation of understanding, or to question something not understood – seek a mentor!
An Artful coach uses reflection consistently before, during, and after every event. We must consider techniques that worked and what flub ups missed the mark – it is important to develop and grow as a coach. The inability to be candid with oneself in reflection or to learn from failures, is a harbinger that maybe coaching is not for you. We all make mistakes – it is what we do with that information and the changes afterwards that are important.
The pursuit of betterment through diversification and reading supports coaching judgement. Search for the topics that are components of the coaching methods used. As an artful coach researching the material will help develop a better understanding for its use, focusing on the “why” underlying the methods used in practice. Lastly, if the work supporting the passion is too much or not interesting and fun, it can be a clue to how important being a coach is to you.
These recommendations are only a smattering of what artful coaches can focus on. Being a part of professional organizations that supports our coaching focus is another great source for growing and being better. The vital point is that coaches acknowledge the need for continual growth which supports rider education and that the profession does contain elements of “Art” that must be well practiced to be effective.
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© 2017, Donald L. Green, Rider Choices
