Guest post from ICI/PRO Member / Contributor Christine Nielsen
HEAR – SEE – FEEL
There are many models which attempt to explain and categorize the ways in which people learn new material. Most of them are very arcane and debates abound in the academic community about their validity. Through years of teaching and coaching I have found that using Fleming's VAK/VARK model has translated into real world changes in my effectiveness.
In this model learners are categorized into three groups:
Auditory in which a person learns through listening…
Visual in which ideas, concepts, data and other information are associated with images…
Kinesthetic/tactile in which learners absorb information best by doing, experiencing, touching, moving or being active in some way.
We assume that most of our learners are auditory. They must be since we talk to them all the time, right? Wrong. Auditory learners are only approximately 30% of the population. Thus, while we must continue to refine our verbal cueing skills we must also find ways to make information accessible to the other learners in our classes.
Visual learners make up almost 60% of our classes. What changes have you made to your presentation style to accommodate their needs?
Here are a few of the things I do:
A head on view of the instructor is virtually useless to a visual learner for many of the topics we discuss. For that reason I often turn my bike almost sideways – 75 degrees or so – which allows people to see exactly what angles my body is making, where my weight is located, what my pedal stroke looks like. I sometimes then do an exaggerated version of the “wrong” shape/form and then “correct” my form. I started doing this in intro classes but I actually find it more useful and instructive with advanced students because they are more attuned to the nuanced changes I am asking them to make. I don't leave the bike turned for an entire class – usually for less than five minutes during a relevant drill.
I use my hands – a lot. As I talk about HR or the profile of the ride or form/mechanics I illustrate those points with my hands. I show decreases/increases with hand gestures that accompany my words. I form a foot, ankle, shin and knee with my hand, wrist and forearm. I move my hands apart and together again to show changes of effort/resistance. I rarely give an instruction without some kind of accompanying gesture.
I keep a white board in the room where I teach. I often make diagrams before I start to complement points I will make during a ride. But more often I hop off my bike when I see confusion in someone’s eyes and draw something simple to make my point. Believe me – I’m no Leonardo da Vinci. But I can draw stick figures and graphs and I am willing to try and try again until I see that a learner has got the point.
I teach in a lighted room most of the time. While I enjoy the benefits of a few darkened rides, I think too many of them shortchange the visual learners.
I make sure that many of my verbal cues incorporate visual imagery that can become mental pictures for some of the students.
I think my visual presentations add value for everyone in the class. Auditory learners get an opportunity to match my words to the images I present while visual learners start to make a better association between my standardized language and the “pictures” I have drawn. In addition, I need to be slightly less concerned about the effect of voice and music volume on the people at the back of the class. They are receiving two streams of information from me at any time.
Kinesthetic learners make up 5 – 10% of the population. In my experience, they are often the first to frustrate (their educational experience has always been challenging) and I suspect we lose many of them. If you can help them settle and learn the material they will become your most enthusiastic advocates.
Here are a couple of my tricks for dealing with this learning style.
I physically move a rider’s limbs and torso to the correct position and remain at the bike for some time with a very light touch on whatever body part I am adjusting. You can communicate an enormous amount by increasing/decreasing the pressure. When the position is correct the rider should not be able to feel your hand. Note: I always ask for permission before I put my hands on a rider’s body even if they have given me permission on previous occasions.
I let riders put their hands on my body – feet, ankles, knees, lower back, shoulder blades, shoulders, elbows and hands. I don’t put them in the awkward position of touching my hips. The advantage of having them lay hands on my body is that I can exaggerate “right” from “wrong” and they can actually feel bones and muscles move.
I have developed a couple of techniques to help people feel the concept of resistance. They involve them pushing back against me. When all else fails, I get on their bike and set it to a resistance that I think is right for them at that time.
If you have not given this topic any thought, I encourage you to start waving your hands in your next class. You may see some light bulbs go on. That will help you identify the visual learners and you can make sure that you direct your visual teaching to them in the future. If you have someone who just doesn’t seem to “get it”, consider the possibility that they are a kinesthetic learner and brainstorm with them to develop ways to help them feel the points you are trying to make.
“Dad, that was on an episode of South Park!” was the response from my daughter Carly. We were at lunch and I was telling her about the revelation I had that all of the music services I use are prohibited from commercial use.
It was hilarious, she exclaimed and recited;
“What did the latest terms and conditions say”
“I don't know… I didn't read them.”
“YOU didn't read them?”
“Yea, that's part of the story of how Steve Jobs had Kyle kidnapped per the terms of the iTunes T's & C's to be part of his evil plan.”
I personally don't watch South Park, but you may appreciate the humor of the situation in the video clip.
What a difference a month makes… first they avoided the cycles with power – now they're nearly fighting over them.
I added a Saturday AM class at the Chanhassen, MN Life Time Fitness (LTF). The behavior of students I observed this morning was quite remarkable, compared to classes I attended earlier this summer. They're actually choosing the cycles with power now 🙂
This club shares the parking lot with Life Time's corporate headquarters. It's frequently used as the “Test Club” when LTF is developing new programming or where new products are tested before being rolled out to the other 90 clubs.
Back in June LTF replaced 50 NXT's with 35 Schwinn AC Performance and 15 Free Motion S11.9 Indoor Cycles. Of the 35 Schwinns, only 15 have the power consoles. They have all the Power cycles in the two front rows, the remaining Schwinns fill the back of the room.
I've taught and taken classes in this room for close to ten years. The typical pattern is for the back rows to fill with riders first and have a smattering of others in or near the front. There are stadium type raised levels and the back tends to be a bit cooler due to the way the ventilation is designed.
But not this morning. I walked in about 10 minutes before class and there was already 12 students warming up in the front rows while they played with their computers. Amazing! When class started there were 38 of us and just one was in the back row.
I'd love to tell you that this migration to the front was in anticipation of my arrival, but they had no idea I was coming. Seeing all this interest in the power meters I asked if they would prefer I leave the lights up. “NO – we use the back lights” was their collective response. And they weren't kidding. I felt like I was performing at a rock concert, as I watched consoles randomly light up, like so many cell phones (or if you are old enough) lighters.
It was Threshold Interval day (we follow a predetermined periodization schedule) and it was with great joy that I could communicate Power based intensities, instead of just HR Training Zones or breathing ques. I used Doug Rusho's mini functional power assessment he describes in Audio PROfile #172 and they really seemed to get it – based on all lit-up displays I saw at the end of the 3 minute test.
In case you missed the “Hey Mikey” bit in the title. Here's where that comes from.
This young band from Charlottesville, Virginia has a great sound. They are touring with Michelle Branch and the Goo Goo Dolls this summer and we will hear a lot more from them in the future. I first heard this tune on XM radio and felt a flat jammin’ road needing to happen. Parachute’s “Something to Believe In” from there The Way It Was CD is 4:44 of pure 86 rpm motivating goodness. It has a great bass line (it makes me once again wish I played the bass) and a few nice sax rips as well. I am currently using this in as a break from climbing in the middle of my ride, holding a zone 3 flat rode workout. Enjoy!
I've got a powerful teaching trick for you [wlm_firstname], on this first day of September.
If you want to make a long lasting impression on your students, that has you standing out from all the rest and has them remembering YOU – then there's just one little thing you need to do…
Surprise 'em
It doesn't matter if it's a big or small surprise, anything will work.
It's really all about delivering the unexpected to your class
Think about your day. Ever notice how much of it is on automatic?
A typical greeting at work:
“How are you today?”
“I'm good John, how are you?”
“I'm good, thanks.”
You're heading out the door from home:
“Love you”
“Love you too.”
In any relationship, it's not the routine, but the unexpected things that we remember. You may hear “How are you today” or “I love you” or some other greeting a thousand times, but the day someone compliments you on your new shoes 🙂 – or tells you “you're looking good” – anything unexpected – is what you (and they) will remember.
The usual and the expected don't make as big of an impact.
What could you do today, that would be totally unexpected?
Here's a few ideas to get you thinking…
Show up early and bring your bikes outside for a class in the Sun
Wear a gaudy, brightly colored, jersey
Just show up early 🙂
Bring some simple treats or have a party
Teach from the back of the room
Bring a second bike up front and team teach with a student… leave them in charge while you work the room.
If your class is very structured – throw on some music and just play with it.
Invite a Yoga or Pilates Instructor to interrupt your class at the end for a completely different post ride stretch.
Share your ideas and experiences for others to use.
(A PEP TALK — because we all need some empowerment from time to time)
Although I thought I would be preaching to the choir on this topic, I believe we need to stay inspired as much as anyone. We are the ones using all of our energies to change the face of indoor cycling. We want to change the image of indoor cycling from a fad, not based on training science nor cycling, into a well-respected and fun way of obtaining real fitness — fitness that can be taken on the road (sorry, just had to throw in the ol’ Stage5 Cycling tagline).
Let’s gleam some insight from…well…cycling. Since the (chain-driven) bike was invented and the first documented bike race in the late 1800’s, the sport has continued to evolve and has taken many shapes to fit into our lives. The first Tour de France was held 18 years after the bike’s invention and has continued to thrive and grow every year. More and more bike manufacturers have come on the scene creating bikes for every style of riding from recreational to BMX to triathlon to mountain to road. Advances in bike technology have escalated in the last 20 years with new designs, materials, computers and power meters. Considering the momentum and excitement around cycling, this trend will continue with no end in sight.
I know we all LOVE indoor cycling, but let’s take an honest look at our industry. Indoor cycling is roughly 20 years old and compared to the outdoor cycling industry, has not advanced at the same rate. The bikes haven’t changed much, with still only a few manufacturers and less than a handful that have incorporated technology. Now this next “opinion” may be hard to believe or except because those of you reading this are the exception and the ones who still draw large groups of people to your classes. However, from what I’ve seen, this is not the case industry-wide. I’ve gotten to travel a bit teaching cycling workshops and clinics over the last 8 years and have seen the popularity of indoor cycling decrease. Classes that used to be almost impossible to get into are now seeing only half of the bikes being filled on a regular basis. I’ve noticed the size of the cycling studios themselves getting smaller. Tom, this is depressing. Please stop before I cancel my gym membership, delete my cycling music and put my indoor bike on the curb. Don’t panic – we are on the cusp of a revolution! Revolutions don’t start because someone gets mildly irritated. They also don’t start because we “wish” things would be different. Revolutions start because we have a conviction that “Things MUST Change in order to SURVIVE!”
People aren’t motivated to ride bikes outside because the equipment is cool. The Tour de France isn’t a mob scene every year because people come to see the latest equipment and technology. No, it is about the fun and adventure as we explore both the outside world and our physical ability and limits from the seat of a bike — a bike we control. OK Tom, bring it home. Where are you going with this?
If we want indoor cycling to be more than just a fad or a modality of fitness in our clubs, we need to Make it REAL to Make it LAST. Think about this: who is the hardest group of people to get into an indoor cycling class? The answer: CYCLISTS. What da?!?! Holy……! How can that be? They are blood of our blood. Our kindred spirits. Why? Because outdoor cyclists still view indoor cycling as non-cycling movements taught by people who know little about training and don’t ride outdoors. Remember, I’m not taking about you. Regardless of who is to blame, this is our profession and passion and we must start and fuel the revolution if we want to save it.
My motto “Real Cycling. Real Training. Real Life.”
Take your riders beyond the walls of the indoor studio. Introduce real training concepts in every class. Provide real challenges and goals. If you’re not an outdoor rider, change that today. Buy a bike, dust off a bike or borrow a bike and get out on the road and bring your experience and adventure back to your class. Then, get out and ride with your people. They’ll talk about it. They’ll tell their friends. You will be their hero, motivator and coach. And it will be FUN because, when I ride outside, I’m having fun. So if you aren’t having fun riding indoors — it ain’t really cycling. Then it will cease to be called “Indoor Cycling” but rather “Cycling Indoors”. Our brothers and sisters out on the roads and trails will flock to the clubs. Our industry will be a fad no more. We will have saved it. This is why I joined Stage5 Cycling with Cycling Fusion. To build a bigger and stronger army. To start a revolution! So do what YOU need to do. Make it Real. Make it Last. Make it Happen.
