Skiing with Kolb and Maslow
By Guy Dale BA(Hons), CSIA Lv 4, APSI Lv 4
As ski associations around the world approach ski teaching from their own perspectives, they areconstantly trying to improve and refine their ski teaching philosophies. Many associations are now looking outside the sport to identify how we homosapiens as a whole learn, not just narrowly how the skier learns. I believe that the changes which are being made by a number of associations in the ski industry will ultimately be of benefit to the industry. The changes over the last few years in different ski countries all seem to be heading in the same direction with a destination that really caters for the needs of the ski learner.
These philosophies are expressed in David Kolb's' Experiential Learning Model' and Abraham Maslow's 'Hierarchy of Needs.' These allow the learner to be at the centre of the learning experience and allows the instructor to recognise their learner's needs before being able to move to the next step in the learning process. I am a firm believer that both these learning models are very important for the ultimate success of the learner and of the learning facilitator, the ski instructor. I believe that both of these models interact with each other and, if you are aware of both and implement them through your lesson, you and your learner will together achieve much more.
To demonstrate why I believe this I firstly have to break down both models. Once I have done this we will be able to see how one model complements the other and each plays an important role in the learning journey.
David Kolb - Experiential Learning
Experiential learning maintains that the centre of the learning experience is one's own subjective experience. Experience guides how you learn and enables you to understand and appreciate what has been learnt. So in Kolb's Experiential Learning Model, the learner's experience is at the centre of the learning process. Unlike traditional learning environments such as the class room, the learner is at the centre of the learning experience whereas in the class room it's the teacher who's at the centre of the process, by presenting information to the students rather than imparting knowledge through hands-on experience. Or, put another way, Experiential Learning is different and distinct from role or didactic learning, as in these types of learning the learner plays a comparatively passive role.
'Learning is experience, everything else is information' – Albert Einstein
Kolb's Learning Cycle typically has four stages the learner has to go through, but these are more like incremental steps.
Firstly there is Concrete Experience. This is how the learner feels when they are going through an experience. This sets them up to reflect on and process that experience. So it could be their first encounter with a type of movement or action in skiing, for instance turning of the leg. Or something just as important as putting on a ski for the first time and experiencing how it interacts with the snow. So concrete experience is how the learning feels, going through that experience. This is where learning is actually taking place as they go through that new sensation or experience. It's important to note that different people will experience the same experience differently.
Secondly there is Reflective Observation. This is when the learner reflects on and thinks about the teaching experience they have just been apart of. This allows them to view the experience from different angles. This can be reinforced by the learning facilitator or instructor getting the learner to go through that experience a number of times, giving them the opportunity to reflect on the experience a number of times and maybe picking up something that they didn't previously. Allowing the learner to do this will set them up stronger for the third stage.
The third stage is Abstract Conceptualization, which is where the learner, after reflecting on the experience from different angles, can form ideas about how to apply what they are learning from the initial experience. Creating the understanding of how a certain movement, e.g. turning of the leg or understanding how the ski slides on the snow, will help them to achieve their goals, and apply the knowledge effectively. Through doing this, opens them up to the fourth and final stage of the learning process.
The final step is Active Experimentation. The learner puts into practice the knowledge acquired through stages 1, 2, and 3 through practical experimentation. They are then able to test their new understanding and build on their new concepts by actively experimenting within different situations. So as the learning facilitator, the ski instructor, can set up different environments, whether it be differences in snow, pitch, groomed or un-groomed piste, for the learner to understand through experience the cause and effect of their new concepts. This will also bring about their ability to problem solve and adjust to certain situations.
Abraham Maslow - Hierarchy of Needs
Abraham Maslow first talked about the Hierarchy of Needs in his book 'A Theory of Human Motivation'.
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is a motivational theory and his assessment of why we do the things we do in order for us to behave the way we do. So what exactly are these needs and how do they fit into this hierarchy? Maslow believed that we homosapiens have a set of motivational systems which are independent and unrelated to reward or unconscious desire.
The Hierarchy of Needs is broken down into five stages. At the base of the pyramid are the Physiological Needs including things such as the need for food, water, shelter, warmth and sleep and we will be motivated to fulfil these essential needs first. However, when one need is fulfilled we will then seek to fulfil the next one, and so on, using the former satisfied needs as a platform to do so.
The next level up the pyramid are the Safety Needs, including protection from the elements, security, order, law, stability and freedom from fear. We will only feel motivated to fulfil these needs once our essential physiological needs are met. The Physiological Needs and Safety Needs are classed together as the Basic Needs. These are the primary things that motivate us each day.
The next level of the pyramid are the Love and Belongingness Needs which motivate us to fulfil friendship, intimacy, affection and love. This can be from a work group, family, friends or a romantic interest. When these needs are fulfilled we are then motivated to seek out other needs.
The next level are the Esteem Needs that are the motivations for achievement, mastery, independence, status, self-respect and respect from others. Maslow asserts that the Esteem Needs can take on two forms depending on the motivations and character of that person:
(a) a need for strength, achievement, mastery and competence, and
(b) a need for reputation, status, recognition and appreciation.
Fulfilment of both these needs will lead that person feeling a sense of self-confidence, worth and a value to the world. Love and Belongingness and Esteem Needs fall under the second grouping called Psychological Needs being the second grouping after Basic Needs.
At the top of the pyramid is Self Actualisation. This is also the last grouping of the three, called the Self-fulfilment Needs. When our motivations are fulfilled at this stage of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, it maintains that our full potential has been achieved, including our creative abilities. We seek self-fulfilment, personal growth and peak experiences.
Every individual is, of course, different and so reaching the motivational level of Self Actualisation will lead individuals into different directions. For some individuals such as skiers and ski instructors, self actualisation can be achieved in sport and in the goals they have set themselves. Conquering a ski-run a certain way, refining or learning a new skill, or perhaps increasing their ability to interact with the terrain around them. Self Actualisation can, of course, also be attained in academia or within a corporate setting.
So how do these philosophies complement each other and why do I believe that they are both important in ski teaching? By being aware of Maslow's 'Hierarchy of Needs' and how these affect the learner, we can better implement Kolb's 'Experience Learning.'
The first Stage of the Hirerachy of Needs are, of course, for the learner to have satisfied, but are, never-the-less, something to be aware of, for example, when the learner arrives for the lesson is he/she cold, hungry, thirsty or upset? How are their energy levels? If these needs haven't been satisfied the lesson will not be as effective and productive as it should.
The Safety Needs should be met at all times as the duty of care resides with the instructor and teaching safely must be a priority. In guiding the learner through the experiential learning model and building a new concept from the knowledge acquired through experience by doing, further experimentation with the new concepts must be free from fear with an emphasis on security and stability. In a high end lesson, the risks when skiing more advanced to expert terrain increase and so to should the instructor's awareness of the learners confidence levels. Always check in with them.
Love and Belongingness Needs can be seen in the understanding and rapport the instructor can build with the learner in helping them feel comfortable and confident, satisfying this need will enable progress to the Esteem Needs of achievement. This is an important aspect within a good ski lesson. The mark of a successful lesson is that the learner has, at the end, a feeling that they have achieved something. With this they will satisfy other needs of Esteem such as independence, self respect and respect from others. Through using Kolb's Experiential Learning model, if the learner has built on or developed a new concept and feels confident in their understanding and ability to put it into practice and experiment with it on their own, the Esteem needs have been satisfied.
If they leave the lesson realising their full potential and seeking personal growth through a peak experience then they have reached the last stage of Self Actualisation in Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. This is the pinnacle and will rarely happen as Maslow believed that attaining full Self
Actualisation would require the learner to be the best they can be, at their Peak Experience, which inevitably can only be achieved with lots of practice and experimentation, leading to creative variation and leading them to their next experiential learning journey.
What exactly is a peak experience? If we look at the Experiential Learning model the peak experience wouldn't come from the experience stage of the cycle, but from the experience of the whole cycle itself. Leading to Self Actualisation in the Experiential Model Maslow believed that for people to achieve Self Actualisation they would need to do five things:-
1) Experiencing something with full absorption. The first stage of the Experiential Learning model is experience. We know that learning through experience by doing is most effective when the learner is actively involved and absorbed in the task at hand.
2) Trying new things, not sticking to the safe path. The learner has to approach the task with an open mind. The instructor as the facilitator of the task can help with that through guiding questions to help them understand and justify why the experience will lead them to their goal.
3) Listening to your feelings and evaluating experiences. This relates to the second stage of the Experiential Learning model, Reflective Observation. As you evaluate an experience you are learning and developing through that evaluation of what you've experienced.
4) Avoiding pretence. Being honest to develop a true concept. This relates to the third stage of the Experiential Learning model, Abstract Conceptualization. This is where the learner is making sense of what has happened not what they thought would happen, but what actually happened.
Through being honest and true to what actually happened they will then be able to learn from the experience. Once this has happened, only then can they build a true and realistic concept. Again. as the facilitator, the instructor can use guiding questions to help them reach this point. What happened? How can we utilise this? How does that work in real life? Why did that happen? Did you notice?
5) Taking responsibility and working hard. This can be seen in Active Experimentation, the last stage in the Experiential Learning model. Once the concept is formed the learner can go off and experiment to consolidate their understanding of their new concept and to figure out how far it goes. They will be able to develop a greater understanding of the actual, realistic consequences of the whole experience, or new ability gained.
The Importance of the Basic Needs.
Within the lesson environment, the ski instructor will create an experience for the learner in order for them to reach an already agreed upon goal. For the learner to firstly go through that experience effectively, the individual must have active involvement with the task and recognise the objectives set. They might not be able to do this if their basic Physiological Needs and Safety Needs are not met. If we take the need for food and warmth as an example, the learner won't be able to fully commit and apply to a task if they are feeling cold and hungry to the point where movements and performance are adversely affected. This can be seen with great effect in young children. If they are hungry or cold, their involvement and ability to concentrate at a task dramatically decreases. Therefore they will not have active involvement and as a result won't gain the most they can from the experience set. As soon as those needs are met however, their involvement and engagement in the lesson will increase. It is important to note that the length of their engagement in an experience despite the lack of certain basic needs can also depend on the creativity of the ski instructor, and their ability to effectively, 'take their mind of it.' This, unfortunately, can only last so long.
One of the most powerful emotions is fear, which relates to our Basic Safety needs. This need requires us to feel safe and secure in an environment without any perceived threats. If there are perceived threats we need to feel confident that our skill level can handle and avoid them. If the instructor is leading an expert lesson, facilitating the experimentation of a newly formed concept, it's important not to rush into terrain where the sensation of fear or uncertainty will undo the learners progress. When someone is overcome with fear, which can be triggered by both rational and irrational triggers, it's very disabling. It can freeze a person, drain them of energy, confidence, cloud judgement and potentially cause harm. At that point fear is all pervading. The relevance of this is that no matter where you are on the Experiential Learning Cycle, and if the learner has satisfied all their needs up to the Esteem Needs, fear can undo everything and reduce them to having their Basic Needs unfulfilled, thus blocking any further progress until all those unfulfilled Basic Needs are again satisfied.
Maslow believed that we are motivated to fulfil and achieve certain needs and that when one need is fulfilled an individual will seek to fulfil the next need on the scale. This, to me, is true about the progression as a skier.
Once a skier has completed the experiential learning cycle and reached experimentation in a set task or objective aimed to increase their skills in order to interact with the terrain more efficiently, the feeling of accomplishment and understanding will leave them feeling fulfilled, leading them to seek more fulfilment in achieving the next stage in developing and advancing their skill level. I believe that by being aware of the theories of Maslow and Kolb the ski instructor is better equipped to teach skiing techniques in a natural and progressive way that will enhance the whole learning experience for both learner and instructor.
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