Last Updated26 February 2024

Effective Communication will cover the ways that you can be an effective communicator. Learn some important communication tools, discover different styles of communication, and delve deeper into different feedback and questioning tools that a ski instructor can use.

Teaching Styles

The way in which instructors present information can greatly change the experience for students.

It’s important to first understand the different communication modes (talk-show-feel) and consider which modes are more beneficial to the current students.

A good instructor will adapt their teaching style to suit their audience and help them adjust for other variables such as group size and length of lesson.

Here are a range of distinct teaching styles that instructors should be aware of:

Command

This is an instructor-centred style of teaching. The instructor will control all variables and set parameters for the task. The instructor chooses when to do the task and is specific with what the task is, where to do the task, how to do the task and why it is being done. The advantage for the student is that the information is very direct and transparent relative to an end result. The disadvantage for the student is that the process can be less inclusive or engaging. This style of teaching can be used for both adults and kids; however, it is best used when the instructor needs to take control of the entire learning process, as the students will likely have a very limited baseline knowledge.

Task-Practice

This is similar to command but slightly less instructor-centred. The instructor will still control most variables and parameters for the task. Typically, this will include safety considerations, an introduction to what the task is, how to do the task and why we’re doing the task. Where this differs from command is that the student is given time away from the instructor to independently develop their skills. The student will often now choose where and when they want to continue with the task. This style can be used for adults and children in both private lessons and group lessons of all sizes.

The advantages are that students grow a sense of personal achievement through independence. The disadvantages are that the student can quickly forget or adapt inefficient ways to achieve the task. This style of teaching is best used for students demonstrating signs of ownership of a new skill who need an opportunity to gain mileage. To use this style, the students will have a little knowledge of their own to help themselves during times of independence away from the instructor.

Example

Helping a beginner with their first turns: Having provided instruction and feedback, your students now have an understanding of how to turn. Now they can achieve the task with your guidance, it’s time to continue the task without your assistance and choose where they want to turn for themselves.

Self-Analysis/Check

In the self-analysis/check the learner participates in both performing the activity and checking themselves for success, according to the instructor’s criteria. When compared to the task/practice style, where the students learn to perform a task, or the reciprocal where they learn to use criteria and give feedback to each other, the self-analysis/check style teaches the student to assess their own performance. Thus, the style focuses on two dimensions of behaviour: individual practice and self-assessment.

The self-analysis/check style is guided by the learner’s intrinsic motivation and self-feedback. In order to be successful in a task, the learner must have sufficient knowledge of the correct technique and make technical adjustments (body positioning, timing, etc.) when needed.

Example

The instructor sets the activity of making a wedge-to-parallel turn where the student becomes parallel before the fall line/middle of the turn. The student must analyse if they were successful or not and, if not, why it was not successful and make adjustments for better performance. Thus, improving the student’s ability to assess their own performance and take responsibility for their own learning process.

Use of scaling questions can really aid the instructor in getting the student to self analyse their performance.

Reciprocal

This style of teaching is also focused on a student-centred approach. The instructor pairs individuals together and assigns what the task is, how to do the task and why the task is being done. The students have slightly more control over where and when they do the task. The performance of the task, observation and feedback take place between the individuals working together. This works best in larger groups, with even numbers. Split the group into pairs and make sure you remain available to spread your attention evenly around the pairs.

The advantages are that the students feel more in control of their own development and gain a sense of independence. It can also increase the amount of feedback students are receiving as they are not relying solely on the instructor. The disadvantages can be that students may not trust each other enough to get feedback from each other. If a task is beyond their capabilities then feedback between students might become inaccurate.

This style of teaching is best used with students who demonstrate a higher understanding and knowledge surrounding the current topic as this will allow them to effectively help each other.

Example

Your students are skiing in basic parallel and the group focus is on making round progressive turns on some easy blue runs. You decide to get your students to work in pairs and each student will have a go at leading and then following each other while making a round progressive turn shape. You set it up so that each student can give feedback to their partner about whether they felt their fellow student’s turns were round and progressive or if there were some turns that were a little more quick and sharp.

For the reciprocal style to work, you must regularly check in with the pairs and make sure that they are keeping the feedback that they are giving each other specific to the task.

Inclusion

As the name suggests, in the inclusion style, all learners are included in the learning process. This is made possible by offering different choices or options to students on the level of challenge or skill required to complete the same or similar activity. This results in all students being challenged regardless of the learner’s current skill level. In short, the inclusion teaching style answers the question of ”How can the same content be differentiated so that all learners benefit from it?”

Example

A group of lower intermediate level students are given the activity to develop their ability to direct balance towards the outside ski whilst turning. The activity chosen was to challenge balance by stepping or stamping the inside ski. The instructor offers different options of when the inside ski is stepped or stamped. It could be in a traverse between turns at the end, middle or from the start of each turn. The students then decide which activity provided the right amount of challenge for their comfort level.

The teaching style is particularly useful when teaching a group type lesson where there is a split in level or ability.

Guided Discovery

This is a more student-centred style of teaching. The instructor has a specific end goal that they will guide their student(s) towards by offering clues or providing options for their students to choose from. The instructor will know what and why the students are striving to achieve; however, how, where and when the students achieve this will be based on their own choices. This differs from command and task-practice by placing the student more at the centre of their own development. The student will make choices that result in more efficient skiing based on trial and experience within the lesson.

The advantages are that the students are more responsible for their successes and achievements within the lesson. They are still provided with guidance from the instructor but offered opportunities to experience both efficient and inefficient options in their skiing. The disadvantages are that with a lack of baseline knowledge, the students can often be confused with the choices they have and potentially choose to develop something inefficient for their skiing.

Example

A student who was only doing shallow wedge turns is starting to turn their skis for longer and, as a result, they will turn across the mountain more. The instructor knows that this will mean the student will start to feel the forces of skiing and the result will be that the outside ski will start to feel more pressure at the end of the turn. Rather than just “commanding” the student to feel the outside ski has more pressure, the instructor is going to guide the student to discover that this weight shift is happening. This can be done by asking simple questions like “When you are turning, which ski feels more pressure?” Once the student discovers this themselves, rather than just being told, the empowerment and motivation for learning will be far stronger for the student.

Problem Solving

This is another student-centred style of teaching. The instructor presents a problem that needs to be solved by the students. The difference from guided discovery is that in problem solving there are two or more solutions that could solve the problem. The instructor may not even be aware of the solution yet. When presenting this style, the instructor explains what the problem or scenario is, which will indicate to the students why they need to solve a problem. The instructor does not present how, where or when to do the task. These details are upon the decision making of the students. Finally, solutions need to be shared with all members of the group, to open students’ minds to different ways of skiing.

The advantages are that this promotes exploration, experimentation and versatility within the students. The disadvantages could come when offering a problem that is beyond the capabilities of the students to solve, whether it’s beyond their knowledge base or skill base. This has potential to disregard the safety of your group.

This style of teaching is best used with students who are confident with their skiing, in an environment they know well. Students should demonstrate a clear understanding and continued use of the Snow Code when riding. These factors will allow them to commit to potentially new and creative ways of skiing to solve the problem.

Example

Skiing with good skiers who want to ski bumps. They are confident skiers, comfortable on the easy bumps terrain you are skiing. At the top of the run you all stop and highlight the inconsistently-sized and shaped bumps. You turn to your group and offer the following problem: “What’s the smoothest and fastest line through these bumps while keeping your skis in contact with the snow?” It’s now up to your students to use their knowledge of their own skiing and the terrain in front of them to choose a line that works best for their skiing.

For this style to work well, you will need to bring the group together immediately after skiing their line, review the problem you presented and ask your students to explain what their solution was, i.e. What’s the smoothest and fastest line through these bumps while keeping your skis in contact with the snow? Without this step, this style of teaching is incomplete as your students will not be able to learn from each other’s solutions. One of the students may have ridden a fast zipper-line approach with the skis in contact with the snow throughout, whilst another skier may have used a larger turn size at a slower speed while keeping the skis in contact with the snow. The act of sharing solutions will complete this style of teaching and will open your students’ minds to more creative skiing.