November 26, 2012 by Charlie Eisenhood in Livewire, Opinion
Katherine Rowe’s excellent essay ‘Throwing Like A Girl‘ struck a chord with a lot of people. Josh Nugent wrote:
[quote]As a teacher, one of the tools we use to improve participation in class by disempowered students (racial minorities, students with low levels of math success/confidence in previous classes) is this same micro-affirmation.[/quote]
[quote]The key here is that the affirmations need to be genuine, specific, and public. “You’re playing great today” is way less helpful to a struggling player than “that was a really good forehand break throw last possession.”[/quote]
That’s the real key to this piece, I think. It’s not just about teaching Ultimate, it’s about teaching anything. It’s the little acknowledgments of success — targeted ones — that do wonders for anyone learning a difficult new thing.
