Physical Needs

The lowest and most meaningful level of need are those associated with physiological needs.  Individuals are first concerned with a need for food, rest, exercise, and the need for shelter or protection from the elements.  Until these needs are reasonably satisfied, students will not be able to concentrate on learning and self-expression.  A few examples would be a hungry student trying to concentrate in the classroom when all they can think about is when lunch time will arrive, or, a wet student without the proper gear trying to remember where to slow for a turn when they are in the beginning stages of hypothermia.

Safety Needs

Protection against being hurt or threatened become important to provide a feeling of safety and security to an individual.  If a student is intimidated by a coach’s persona or attitude it can be extrememly disconcerting and hamper learning.  Likewise, if students are having incidents on the range and are crashing or dropping motorcycles, a student may begin to feel as if their safety is at risk.  It is essential for a coach to recognize behaviors and physical signs of possible incidents before they happen and make adjustments to maintain a perceived low risk learning environment.

Social Belonging Needs

If an individual is physically comfortable and does not fear for their safety, then social needs become the primary influencer of behavior.  The need to belong and associate with others and be recognized is associated with friendship and love as provided by positive interaction with others.  Many studies have distinguished that good group interaction in a safe learning environment is more effective for retention of knowledge than studying as an individual without any other interaction.  This is why group interaction in rider education can be a prime motivator for positive or negative peer pressure, making proper facilitation from coaches essential to quality rider education.

Self-Esteem Needs

Individual self-esteem needs have a direct relationship with student-coach interaction.  The need is two-fold in that 1) a student has a need for self-confidence, independence, achievement, competence, and knowledge; and 2) those needs also feed a student’s need for a reputation-needs status associated with recognition, appreciation and respect from other students and the coach.  A positive learning environment provides these needs in a manner acceptable to each individual as well as the group.

Self-Actualization Needs

At the top of the hierarchy of needs is self-actualization which can also be categorized as self-fulfillment, or meeting one’s own potential for continued development.  This is the broadest of all human needs and will be the greatest challenge to a Rider Education Coach.  Meeting this need with a student is the most rewarding accomplishment a coach can achieve and is typically why many decide to enter the profession in the first place.  By satisfying the needs of the learning, through getting to know and meeting a student’s expectations, there is less frustration in the student’s activity and therefore more focus is directed to their learning making the learning environment more effective.

Next week we will discuss a few of the typical student defense mechanisms a coach can see during a learning process.

Until next time, Ride and Coach Safe!