Last Updated25 October 2024

Structuring Lessons and Sessions explores how to construct lessons, put together activities to build new skills, structure presentations and delivery of information, plus create longer teaching sessions to explore the mountain and continue to develop skills. This chapter also explores some of the differences between instructing and coaching, and how to structure coaching-orientated sessions.

Distributed Learning & Practice

Distributed learning and distributed practice are general terms used to describe a mix of teaching/learning methods, across a number of geographic locations and repeating sessions. It includes the use of technology, distance learning, as well as the usual face-to-face instruction.

Within SBINZ, Distributed Learning is a concept that instructors can utilise to help them work with students and athletes over a longer period of time, such as a programme that runs one day a week for the whole season or programmes that follow a set curriculum at multiple locations. The term session helps us to define the difference between these programmes and our regular lessons.

Curriculum-Based Programmes

Distributed Learning can accommodate a variety of geographical locations for part (or all) of the instruction. An example of how this is used within the snow industry in New Zealand is the FUNdamentals programme.

Most Level One or Level Two instructors working in New Zealand will have come across the nationwide initiative known as FUNdamentals. The concept is that children learning snowsports can move from one ski area to another, whilst following the same ski or snowboard curriculum. The curriculum may differ slightly, to suit the terrain and characteristics available at that area, but the progression through the levels is consistent.

Children within the FUNdamentals programme can easily move from one ski area to another, whilst following a structured system that provides a sense of achievement from every session they participate in. It also helps to place the students in the appropriate ability level at a new location.

Another example of a curriculum programme within New Zealand is the Skills Active initiative on the NZQA framework. Skills Active takes real life skills and cross-credits them to the national educational framework known as NZQA. Experienced instructors at snowsport schools in New Zealand may find themselves delivering sessions based on these credits. Participants in the Skills Active programme are usually younger workplace employees or students from a local Polytechnic.

Students’ motivations for both of the examples above are similar in that they are based on reaching a recognised level of achievement, defined by the curriculum.

Repeating Session Programmes

Many snowsport schools offer regular coaching programmes with repeating sessions. An example of this would be a one day per week programme for local high school students or a developmental coaching programme that runs every weekend. Students/athletes within these programmes will have a wide variety of motivations, however, they will typically be performance-based in some respect. This may or may not be established through the use of a longer term plan, similar to what is often used in coaching (see Instructing vs Coaching & Training).

Typically, repeating session programmes maintain the same instructor/coach for their duration. The continuity gained from spending time with the same instructor and within the same group is invaluable. Students/athletes develop relationships with each other, as well as with the instructor, and inspirational learning environments can be shaped as a result. This type of programme is ideal for utilising more learner-to-learner interaction, rather than just instructor-to-learner.

Structuring a Session

With either of the above programme examples in mind, structuring a session is key when creating a beneficial, or better yet – inspirational, learning environment.

The overall goal for each session is to meet the needs of the students, utilising the resources and terrain available on the day. Instructors and coaches should take into account variables such as the snow and weather conditions, size of group, the level and the goals of the students, and how busy the trails/lifts are.

When structuring a session it can be beneficial to follow the Plan-Deliver-Reflect process.

Plan

Planning sessions at this level typically still happens on the same day as the session, however, some forethought on days prior can be valuable.

The GROW model can help you to plan a solid session:

GOAL: What does the student want?
REALITY: Where is the student now?
OPTIONS / OPPORTUNITIES: What is possible to do with time and terrain available?
WILL DO / WORK ON: What can be done now, in this session?

This model is a simple process to follow when planning the session only. It is still very important to remain flexible during the session and continually adjust to the students’ or athletes’ needs.

Example

Your regular Friday programme with advanced riders from the local high school is starting in two hours. Last week, your students expressed that they want to learn some new tricks in the park (Goal). They have built some confidence on easy boxes and small jumps in the previous sessions, and have worked on various spins and flat ground tricks out of the park (Reality). Unfortunately, the current conditions are not favourable for park riding due to whiteout conditions but the Terrain Park Crew do have a small tube available that hasn’t been set up in the park yet (Opportunity). You chat to the Park Crew and arrange to get the tube setup in an out of the way spot for your group to have a session on (Will Do). Halfway through the session, the weather clears enough to finish with a few laps in the park and try the new tricks on different features.

Deliver

Delivering a session is similar to teaching a regular lesson. The biggest differences will be the use of a pre-set curriculum (such as Skills Active) and/or the relationships and dynamics that have been built through a repeating session programme. Both of these create prior knowledge that the instructor can utilise when teaching.

The structure of any session can still follow the Play-Skill/Adventure-Summary Lesson Format…

PLAY: This should ideally progress from the warm-up into the first few runs. Applying one of the simpler skills that has been worked on previously is a good way to prepare the body and mind for the main part of the session. The length of time spent here is relevant to the overall length of the session.

SKILL / ADVENTURE: This part of the session is to introduce new skills or break-down a new trick, followed by time to experiment in taking it to different terrain. The Activity-Analyse-Adapt Cycle is useful to utilise when moving from introducing a new skill to applying it in new terrain through adventure. Remember that following activities will vary continually, depending on the performance of the students/athletes in the previous activity.

SUMMARY: A great session summary will involve reflecting together with the students/athletes on what the initial goals were. A question-based approach will help give the students/athletes ownership of the process.

The Stages of Skill Acquisition will help to shape a fluid session, relative to performance. The introduction of new skills through activities and/or progressions is where the cognitive stage of learning occurs. Mileage through adventure is where that skill can progress through the associative stage of learning and potentially reach the autonomous stage. Recognising these stages within the students is extremely valuable when creating an inspirational learning environment.

Reflect

This happens when the session has ended and the group has dispersed. It could be back in the locker room or driving down the mountain at the end of the day.

When reflecting, it is valuable to look back at the G.R.O.W. plan that was setup prior to the session…

GOAL: Regardless of what goals were reached, reflect on any other achievements that occurred along the way, however small they may be. These will be useful in future sessions.

REALITY: Was the session actually realistic? If the established goals weren’t quite reached, this could be a contributing factor.

OPTIONS / OPPORTUNITIES: Were all the options utilised to the full extent and opportunities recognised as they arose?

WILL DO / WORK ON: What aspects of this session would be beneficial to continue working on during the next session and are there any opportunities to continue the learning in the meantime?

Continuing the Learning

Repeating session programmes create opportunities for further development in between each session. With good planning and the use of technology, continued learning can be easily facilitated, creating a true distributed learning process.

Online technology provides instructors and coaches with the flexibility to offer meaningful, continued learning to students outside of the face-to-face sessions. Video shot during the sessions can be easily uploaded to a cloud platform and a simple self or peer analysis process can be facilitated.

Online snowboard videos can be utilised as a tool to help shape students’/athletes’ understanding of snowboarding technique or the industry. Off-snow activities can be encouraged such as practising spin variations on the garden lawn.

These examples of continued learning do require some basic facilitation and should be reflected on during the next on-snow session.

Example

Your 10-12-year-olds in the regular Sunday youth programme are learning to spin backside 180s. In the last session with them, you had them try backside 180s off as many different bumps and natural features as possible with the focus of looking back at the takeoff, whilst you filmed them with your phone. Later in the week, you upload all the footage and send them all messages to watch the footage and take note of their heads. You ask them to tell you which videos do and do not show solid backside 180s with the head looking back at the takeoff. Lastly, you ask them to film themselves at home doing a backside 180 with their boards, on the carpet or garden lawn.

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