Using, Adapting and Creating Progressions covers the ways that you can structure, deliver and prepare for lessons. Learn how to put together activities to develop new skills, structure presentations and deliver information. Understand how to create longer teaching sessions to explore the mountain and continue to develop skills.
Copying, Choosing & Creating
Let’s explore the decision-making process and progression building from the perspective of the instructor, based on their experience level. The NZSIA follows the “copy, choose, create” theory, which reflects how an instructor’s lesson construction and decision-making evolve as they gain experience.
Copy
A new or less experienced instructor needs a starting point. At this stage, the instructor typically relies on lessons or progressions to copy. This means that the decision-making has already been done prior to the lesson by a trainer or more experienced instructor.
The steps or progressions used by newer instructors have often been suggested by someone with more experience. Many experienced instructors have a set of memorized activities that they regularly use as the basis for beginner lessons. These progressions have been tested and proven successful over time. A less experienced instructor can copy these proven lessons and also experience success.
Choose
As an instructor gains experience, they will likely have tried and tested multiple ideas or progressions. At this point, the instructor starts to reflect on these lessons and make educated decisions about which activities or progressions to use. This reflection helps them select activities that are better tailored to the individual needs of the students.
This growing knowledge of activities is often referred to as a “toolbox”. The more experience an instructor gains, the larger this toolbox becomes. By combining their expanding toolbox with the ability to analyse students and reflect on previous lessons, the instructor becomes more versatile in their teaching, ultimately enhancing the learning experience for their students.
Create
At this stage, the instructor is able to adapt in the moment. The experience they have gained, coupled with developed decision-making skills, allows them to build customised progressions as the student progresses.
Each step or activity will be chosen after the performance has been analysed. The ability to adapt pre-learned progressions and activities to fit the student’s current needs is crucial. Moreover, the instructor can adjust these activities to accommodate multiple students at once, relating to their different goals and individual needs.
