While working with Motorcycle Rider Education Students, RiderCoaches should continually grow professionally to enhance learning and improve our instructional delivery. Our primary purpose remains to communicate with students the necessary clear objectives, providing an exemplary model, and assessing where a student is in knowledge and performance on the way to curricular success. Many have learned that this “Gap Analysis” is vital for individual development; However, our students’ collective behavior makes each class independently different and molds us as RiderCoaches.
Experience teaches us to account for group dynamics, even when we must attend to an individual student’s needs. One student can have an immense effect on the class as a whole, to either the negative or positive extremes. Upfront, learning a new class is an art form. When a group of people comes together with someone considered a Subject Matter Expert (SME), it is not unusual for some initial uneasiness. It does not take long when the pressure of learning a new task exposes what was initially a well-behaved mannerism to crumble into a disjointed and confused group or grow into a finely oiled machine of learners.
Student group dynamics will continue to develop throughout the course. Students as a group will acquire traits equal to the total of all its parts. Because every group is unique, there is no way to identify in advance what could happen at any given time. The professional RiderCoach has the obligation of flexible instruction, meeting the needs of each student and as a whole the class. Moreover, because of group dynamics, replacing the ridercoach could create an entirely different environment. A living organism exists relying on coaches and students to be symbiotic in learning.
To assist in building these symbiotic learning situations, what follows are a few ideas on approaching group dynamics in Motorcycle Rider Education:
- Every group is different, but most have someone who rises as a leader to be trusted. As facilitators, we should provide a model of the subject matter expert but not dictate or try to control the dynamics of the group. As a member of the organism, we should project a positive, respectful attitude that can assist the class as a model, who will likely behave similarly.
- By keeping students engaged, learning will happen. As facilitators, we should continually observe students’ behavior, looking for drift, monitoring the group dynamics to ensure students react to the material, and consider the value of the content. Injecting light humor is a great tool to gauge responses.
- Be creative with activities! Coaches do not have to reinvent the wheel, but language and knowledge of executing even scripted activities allow students to participate instead of droning out to a lecture or presentation. Use the class dynamics to pull them into physically participating instead of discussing a topic to death.
- What reward will motivate the student? A little recognition goes a long way while working on a new skill. However, authenticity is necessary to make sure that simple platitudes do not become the norm. Give compliments when actions need to be distinguished, but not so much that students feel like it is merely a hollow gesture.
- Be friendly enough to be non-threatening to the group, yet not so friendly that any one person receives more attention or favoritism than another in the group. It can be easy to develop friendships with those we teach as we have common interests. On the other hand, it is essential to be professional and not create any perceived partiality. Be a help agent, not best buddies.
RiderCoaches can provide leadership, creative ideas, guidance, and learning as we work with students to meet the learning objectives necessary in Motorcycle Rider Education. Managing student personalities and our own can create an exciting and beneficial learning event for everyone involved with the growth of the living-learning organism. Using a few or all of the outlined techniques helps us build our tool kits of creative teaching to better address the course objectives, provide an exemplary model, and fill the gaps in student knowledge.
