Something the PATH certification process stressed was to give specific praises. Don’t say “Good Job,” say “Good job using your legs,” etc. Because the student needs to know exactly what they’re doing right. And because when someone just tells you “Good Job” over and over, you start to dismiss it. It’s also nice to switch … Continue reading
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Hierarchy of Prompts
What is a prompting? Freedictionary.com says: To move to act; spur; incite To give rise to; inspire To assist with a reminder; remind. To assist (an actor or reciter) by providing the next words of a forgotten passage; cue. For the therapeutic horseback riding instructor, prompting is what we do to encourage our students to perform a … Continue reading
How to Lesson Plan and Create Game Ideas
When I first started writing lesson plans I easily got overwhelmed – how do I decide what to teach? Where do I start? Here are some tips from my own experience as a perfectionist, easily-overwhelmed, and not-good-on-the-fly person. But first off, why lesson plan? It’s professional. You can show their parents you’re thinking about each … Continue reading
How To Talk To Your Students
Everyone speaks to their students differently depending on their personality and their student. Some people like to use different voices for different ages. Some people are lecturers. Some people treat adults like children, or vice versa. And so on. But I want to talk about the actual words you use. These are some general rules of thumb … Continue reading
Weak Sides and Adaptations
I was helping with a therapeutic driving workshop today and something they said a few things that apply to teaching therapeutic riding that are logical yet easy to forget. Weak Sides When you have a student with a weaker side: 1. Have the sidewalker (or able-bodied whip, in driving) on their weak side so they … Continue reading
Perspective
As a new instructor sometimes I get really nervous about teaching. I feel overwhelmed at all there is to know, feel pressured by myself to be this amazing teacher full of profound knowledge and wisdom, feel inadequate. At times like these I need to remember that really, all the kids want to do is just … Continue reading
Teaching Tips I
Here’s a bunch of teaching tips that I found the most important and helpful preparing for my PATH Registered Level Instructor Certification, in no particular order. Lots of Hows and Whys Praise Specifics (don’t just say “good job”) Teach from the middle of the arena Mount and Dismount using task analysis Progression throughout lesson Check girth … Continue reading
Responding to Transference: Opening up Relational Moments
I read an article today about responding to transference with your students, which is when they attribute their own feelings onto their horses or other people. For example your student says, “I think Buster is nervous,” when in reality the horse’s ears are lax and his eyes half closed. According to the author, “your response will … Continue reading