One minute I was in the saddle on the horse, and the next, I was lying on the ground on my back. "How the heck did that happen?" I thought, and then I started laughing. At that moment, it was clear that I wasn't as far along in the learning process of horseback riding as I thought. This memory came to me as I began reviewing foundational information on learning, understanding, and conceptual change as a precursor to the pedagogy of Educational Technology.
When I started horseback riding as a kid, I had no experience. I loved animals, saw horses when we passed by rural homes, and had the chance to ride a pony led by a handler at the county fair. At my first riding lesson, and with any new instructor I encountered after that, the first question that they always asked was, "What is your experience with horses?". This question was, and is, vital as "...teachers need to pay attention to incomplete understandings, the false beliefs, and the naive renditions of concepts that learners bring with them to a given subject" (Bransford et al., 2000, p.10). Before taking my first riding lesson, I learned about horseback riding from the movies. I thought I was going to hop on and take off running. I was wrong. This misconception is prevalent with new riders, as it looks a lot easier than it is.
Because horseback riding was so expensive, I sporadically had chances to ride when I was a child. I didn't consistently ride, so I could not progress my skills. As an adult, I volunteered at a facility that provided horseback riding lessons. This was when I had the opportunity to take classes and improve my independent seat. According to the Equestrian Movement website (2018), "The independent seat happens when a rider can move one part of their body independently of other parts of their body and independently of the horses' movements, while maintaining balance."
It took several years of weekly riding to progress to the point where I felt balanced in the saddle and, while riding, able to anticipate and plan versus reacting. Because I had a foundation of skills and experience in the saddle, I could draw on that information quickly and make good decisions while riding. Falling off the horse happened because I didn't check the girth (a foundational skill), and the saddle slipped to the side while going around a corner. I'd also fallen off when the horse I was riding spooked, and I didn't recognize the signs of the horse's agitation before it happened. These mistakes, commonly made by new riders, gave way to confidence and comfortability with riding. Bransford et al. (2000) state, "A pronounced difference between experts and novices is that experts' command of concepts shapes their understanding of new information: it allows them to see patterns, relationships, or discrepancies that are not apparent to novices" (p.17). Now when I ride, I have the foundational knowledge to draw from and enough experience to anticipate and plan for possible scenarios.
I remember when I had my "aha moment" and could feel the shift of my learning, going from thinking about riding while riding to the unconscious competency of being able to relax and ride without thinking. I was on a Quarter Horse named Big Red and in a group with about six other riders, primarily experts. As a student, my instructors told me to keep my heels down to help my balance in the saddle. I consistently struggled to keep my heels down and my feet in the stirrups. As we were cantering, a slow three-beat gait, I felt my body and mind relax, my heels dropped, and I held onto my stirrups. It was the first time I didn't have to think; I just rode. This moment was one of conceptual change.
The location of my "aha moment" and conceptual change with horseback riding.
My instructor encouraged the transfer of understanding by asking me questions about my performance throughout my lessons. "Where are your hands?" "What diagonal are you on?" "What should you have done when he bucked?" were all questions to help improve the transfer of skills. These questions were necessary because "Transfer can be improved by helping students become more aware of themselves as learners who actively monitor their learning strategies and resources and assess their readiness for particular tests and performances" (Bransford et al., 2000, p.67).
Learning to keep my heels down and butt in the saddle were foundational skills for me to master that had implications in every aspect of horseback riding. Like those foundational skills in riding, learning, understanding, and conceptual change are core concepts and building blocks applicable to a program in Educational Technology. Without those building blocks, we would be unable to learn and create effectively in the Educational Technology space.
References:
Bransford, J.D., Brown, A.L., Cocking, R.R., Donovan, M.S., Pellegrino, J.W. (2000). How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/9853.
Buttery, A. How to deal with a spooky horse when schooling in an arena. (n.d.) The Everyday Equestrian. https://www.theeverydayequestrian.co.uk/how-to-deal-with-a-spooky-horse-when-schooling-in-an-arena/#:~:text=Spooking%20is%20usually%20the%20result,for%20a%20horse%20to%20spook.
What is an Independent Seat, and Why You Should be Aiming to Achieve One? (Part 1). (2018, August 7). Equestrian Movement. https://www.equestrianmovement.com/blog/independent-seat#:~:text=The%20independent%20seat%20happens%20when,'%20movements%2C%20while%20maintaining%20balance.
Image Credit:
Photo by Lisa Bauman (2021). https://www.omriding.com/
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