This is a comment I made in reply to someone else's post on a teaching blog. I will never be a great paddler but at least the experiences I am getting with the Hambleton Paddlers will make me a better teacher!! Thanks guys! LOLxx
"Taking up new hobbies has taught me a lot about how some of the kids we teach feel when faced with tasks we think are simple. Because of this, I am trying to integrate both more challenge and more scaffolding into my teaching.
Two years ago (so I could encourage my kids not to end up scaredycats like their mother) I took up kayaking - and I went on my first grade 2 white water on Sunday. I was terrified! But the coach and the more experienced paddlers broke the rapids down into small chunks by positioning themselves in eddies along the river. This meant I knew rescue was close at hand, and also meant that I didn't have to pick my own routes - so I was able to run most sections and felt a great sense of achievement (I was still nervous, but not so much that it stopped me doing anything the others did not).
As well as the obvious links between this and Assessment for Learning, there are clear links with the personal development through outdoor pursuits sections of the new KS3 curriculum, as well as commitment to lifelong learning... gosh! this little comment ticks a lot of educational pedagogy boxes!!"
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
It's good to see people learning more about them selves whilst learning how to paddle. One of the ideas of last saturday was to push people a littel bit further than they have been before, and you all did extreamly well.
Thanks for the comments, I am sure everyone involved (on the river trip, and even up to the BCU) really appreciates them.
Scott is quite right, you were all pusshed that bit further, and you all did well. Therefore, prepare to be pushed that bit further again this weekend!!
In days of old (when knights were bold) we were called "instructors" (i.e. Lecturers) - stand at the front and state (very few did, but that was really the starting point).....the reason we are now classed as "coaches", is because we have to be able to tailor your development to you. We have to be able to question ourselves, and look continually to further you and us (bad English), this clearly is why even at level 1 they are insisting on so much more "training" to be a coach, and why your 2* asks you to stretch yourselves with extra disciplines.
The method of putting "scaffolding" around you is one of many to get you through a set of rapids, but these principles can, and are applied to many other areas, even on flat water. E.g. when practicing the "T-rescues" i placed Tom, Andy G, and myself near the groups so we could help.
This also comes down to safety training, and river leading, which is clearly something that I would hope all paddlers develop.
On Sat i would expect to start to cover "eddie hopping", hanging draws, and further develop river reading.
Thanks again
Post a Comment