I’d like to begin this article by discussing the Theory of Everything (ToE). In physics, ToE it is the ultimate overarching single explanation for how things work, yet as of now it has been unprovable; still a theory. To help begin to resolve this conflict, a framework revealing the deeper underlying realities is being formulated to continue the inquiry, hopefully to its theoretical end.
The topics discussed in this series of articles, are only part of the theory of everything for rider education and should be considered as “strings” that lead to better understanding and application of what we presently know. Likewise, the search should continue for more information to enhance learning for students and coaches alike. If a coach has little desire to improve and learn, can that same coach expect any more from students?
With that in mind, there are always known obstacles to learning that should be identifiable and considered by coaches. Some of these factors that reside in the feelings of students are: 1) perceiving unfair treatment; 2) impatient to move on to more interesting topics; 3) worry or lack of focus; 4) discomfort physically from illness or fatigue; 5) apathy because of poor instruction; and 6) the anxiety of learning.
Establishing a climate conducive to learning is essential not only rider education but all education and as Knowles (2015) attests, “crucial to effective learning is the richness and accessibility of resources – both material and human” (p. 54). The student is the ultimate resource in the student-teacher learning transaction and if they are not engaged, the richness of the learning will be lessoned.
Perceptions of the Student
Students are highly aware of their surroundings and if they believe that their course is obligatory or that their efforts are not considered and evaluated equally among their peers, they will not learn well and motivation will decrease. This can also happen if a student perceives that the requirements being asked of them are considered unreasonable. By aligning the goals of the course with difficult yet possible steps, the challenge can foster motivation and promote learning. Goals that are too difficult can reduce effort and retard learning, discouraging a student from moving forward.
The Impatient Student
Impatient students typically fail to understand the reason behind the preliminary steps in learning being necessary for future topics. This could be considered seeking the ultimate goal of the objective without understanding the means necessary to achieve it. Riding a motorcycle can be a very complex process and the basics should be mastered first if the entirety of the task is to be performed competently and safely. All too often the impatient student can miss vital aspects of knowledge that may cause great harm to them and others on road. This behavior can be corrected by a coach that properly presents preliminary information clearly, one step at a time, so that the reason and goals are met before moving on.
The expectant mastery of all elements, relating to each step, should be clearly identifiable and demonstrated in the performance of the subsequent step. Impatience can develop if a fast learner is restricted from moving forward based on another student’s pace of progress. It is equally important that a student be moved forward to the next step when a goal has been attained – as it is for a student to complete a step before the next one is undertaken. Disinterest and mistakes grow rapidly with unnecessary repetition is mandated after a skill has been learned sufficiently.
Worry and Focus
Worry and focus can have an extremely detrimental effect on learning. Students who lack focus on a task that requires practice, because of worry or emotions, will gain very little from going through the motions with something else on their minds. Emotional issues can be caused by personal problems, psychiatric disturbances, lack of interest in the training, or a dislike for the coaching methods.
Student experiences outside of the course affect behavior and performance during the course; the two cannot be separated. Every outside factor of interest, motivation, fear, and trouble will be incorporated into the learning environment where the coach cannot be responsible for impact. However, a coach in tune with a student’s behavior and willingness to know, can understand what is going or may divert the student’s attention to the task at hand; creating positive outcomes.
This is not an easy task, but worries about the course can certainly be mitigated to allow learning to proceed at a normal pace. The most effective methodology is to be alert to the student’s needs, be clear about objectives for each section of the course, and explain both progress and deficiencies along the way. Emotional upsets are rare during a course if the student is focused and understands their individual progress.
Discomfort in Learning
Anything providing discomfort during learning, can distract from the process and none more so than physical discomfort in the classroom or on the range. Discomforts like illness, injury, or fatigue slow down the process of learning because students are distressed, diverting attention from the task at hand. When the learning process is designed to fit as much material as possible into a confined time period, any distraction can reduce the possibility of meeting the course objectives. Other discomforts like extreme temperatures, noise and confusion, poor lighting, and cramped spaces can also divert concentration from the real reason for attendance to the course. Mackeracher (2004) details in depth how even the environment and context can affect learning in her book Making Sense of Adult Learning.
Even a minor illness can interfere with riding a motorcycle by affecting vision, hearing, and concentration during instruction, which are ultimately essential in the performance of good riding techniques. Fatigue from inadequate sleep, continued mental concentration, and physical exertion can cause deterioration of performance throughout a long day in a course. Once fatigued, breaks from learning must be more frequent to compensate for loss of concentration. Because fatigue is so important, most curriculum writers consider its context within the length and frequency during periods of instruction. Generally speaking, complex mental tasks can and will cause fatigue as rapidly as intense physical tasks. If there is a perceived decline in student mental acuity, the coach must decide the value of substitution, change, and or continuation of learning activities.
Apathy
During a rider education course, learning activities should only be continued if the students are alert, receptive to learning the material, and performing at a level that is acceptable and consistent with the curriculum and experience. Students can quickly become apathetic when the coach has inadequately prepared for the course, the instruction appears deficient, there are coaching contradictions, or the coach is insincere. To maintain a student’s motivation in efficient learning environments, interest must be maintained by providing well-planned activity.
Students have expectations that the product being received is well planned, usually detecting immediately when a coach did not put effort into being professional and being prepared. Poor knowledge base or half-step efforts by a coach, lead to disconnects, skipping of necessary material, misplaced emphasis, unnecessary repetition, and typically denigrates the coach’s professionalism in the eyes of the student. Instructions may be too general for the student to understand or so elementary that a student loses interest, making the learning ineffective.
As discussed previously, to be effective, coaching must be at the level of the student to be meaningful. Adjusting to a learning style that is comfortable to the student enhances the learning outcomes. For example, covering motorcycle controls with a novice who has no exposure to a motorcycle is much different from someone who has grown up in a motorcycle family. The content is the same but the presentation can be changed to accommodate for the student’s previous experience or lack thereof.
Lastly, apathy can be caused not only by poor preparation and presentation, but also distracting mannerisms, personal untidiness, or the display of irritation toward the student. One sure way of having a student lose confidence and attention is to have a coach to “talk down” to the student in a derogatory manner. In the student-teacher learning transaction, the coach should be an equal to the student and not resort to a role of hegemony to gain compliance.
Anxiety
A student with anxiety can place some additional burdens on the coach to ensure that the student relaxes and learns instead of worrying. Anxiety can decrease the student’s perceptive ability and can deter the connections of previous experiences to what is being learned. If the student is comfortable and confident in the coach and the motorcycle, effective learning will take place. Providing a safe non-threatening environment is one of the first and most important tasks for the coach to establish for learning. This can take some time, but a coach who recognizes that a model of student-driven development helps to identify the student’s needs upfront, can also create an atmosphere where there are less obstacles to learning.
Next Time
In the next article in an attempt to continue with the ToE thread of perceptions from this article, we will explore some of the factors which affect student perceptions. Until then, Ride and Coach Safe!
References:
Knowles, M. S., Holton, E. F. III, Swanson, R. A. (2015). The adult learner: the definitive classic in adult education and human resource development. New York, NY: Routledge.
Mackeracher, D. (2004). Making sense of adult learning. Toronto, Canada: University Toronto Press.
