Clean Run - May 2013 - 58

As an instructor, keeping your lesson running to time is important, and a good lesson
plan will help with this. But if I need to drop
something, I would opt to drop the exercises
planned for minutes 30-34 and minutes 41-46.

way to ensure that both owners and dogs are learning is to ascertain the depth of their
knowledge through questioning.

Introduce Your Topic

Lastly, I may ask the group to recap at the end and ask them what discoveries they
made while record keeping about the areas where they need to continue to develop.

What is the best way to introduce a topic?
Wam, bam, thank you ma’am, here it is... or
are there more clever and subtle ways to do it?
One option is to ask the class about their
prior knowledge of the topic, or if they have
preconceived notions about it. So the question would be, “What do you know about
acceleration/deceleration training and how
does it work with circle work?” Pair the
class off and get them to discuss, and then
feed back to the group.
Another good option with foundation is to
try to find real-life examples where it helped
a previous dog or where a previous dog had
problems due to a lack of a particular foundation skill. I also find it helpful to use analogies and visuals in teaching. For example,
I discuss the foundation of agility as if it was
a house. If the students think of it this way, it
is easier for them to visualize what could go
wrong—there would be many weaknesses
in a house built without strong and solid
footings. Showing a visual aid may be helpful for some students—a picture of a house
and the footings. Do you have anyone that
is great at the foundation exercises to demo?

Plan to Check for Understanding
I try to check at every point that there is a
certain level of understanding; if not, we
cannot progress to the next level. One

Secondly, I may ask one handler to teach another and then watch and assess the progress.
Thirdly, I may do a mini group-test watching all individuals in the session.

Alternately, I could task students to check for understanding and learning. For example,
I could ask each student to do a 20 meter race to a dead toy with feedback from their
peers or the instructor.
Any/all of these could be done within my planned lesson.

Develop a Conclusion, Preview the Next Lesson, and Discuss Homework
Here’s a sample conclusion: “In today’s lesson we have covered acceleration and the
subtlety of circle work through shoulder rotation. Your dog should have a basic understanding of racing to a dead toy, acceleration, and powering to you on a recall. Your
dog should also be able to shadow you on a circle and transition between food and
toy rewards. You have learned about the rate of the reward as well as the placement of
reward on a circle and where your dog should be.”
The preview of the next lesson is always very exciting: “We will be adding the acceleration to tunnels and we will be using the circle work for pinwheels so that you
can put your great work into context. Therefore, to ensure you are ready for this big
progression step, you need to make sure that you work these skills every day between
now and the next session and continue to try the flatwork in new places.”

Reflecting on Your Lesson Plan
Always try to reflect on your lesson as soon as possible after it has been delivered to
the class—the good, the bad, and the ugly! While it is fresh in your head, review it
and make any necessary changes for the following session. Be honest! It is important
that you try to improve any elements you were not happy with in the last session. If
you have a helper/assistant, ask her how she might have adapted it. Also, was there
anything that went particularly well? If so, it could be added into future sessions to
recap and review learning for the future. And, by identifying what went well, you give
yourself a chance to have a pat on the back.
At the end of the day, if you teach well it should be exhausting—mentally, physically,
and, sometimes, even emotionally. Good job, teach! D

As a highly qualified teacher, LLB Law graduate, full-time dog sports instructor, and business manager, Lauren Langman understands the importance of how to find and work with
an instructor. Lauren Langman is a partner in a number of businesses, from her dog training company Devon Dogs Ltd in the UK to Ultimate Agility online instruction and the LLAAI
Accredited Instructor Programme. While balancing these businesses, she also has six Border Collies and a young baby, Eliza, with her partner Mathew Rouse of Tug-E-Nuff bungee dog toys.
58

Clean Run | May 13

Clean Run - May 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - May 2013