Children’s Education and Certification

Who: 

The Children’s Specialist 1 is open to all discipline-certified Level I and above members as the beginning specialist credential in their journey of providing children the best possible Snowsports education.   The CS1 candidate will learn and demonstrate their ability to identify and describe developmental theory and concepts in teaching snowsports to children as well as how to perform a successful movement analysis on one fundamental in one phase of the turn.

What:

The Children’s Specialist 1 is a 16-hour Specialist program for all disciplines including a parallel event for Cross Country – Children’s Specialist 1.  The clinic is designed around teaching children in groups utilizing the concepts and knowledge gained by studying the written materials and completing the Children’s Specialist 1 E-learning courses (or CS1 Cross country Workbook). The purpose of the program is to share and improve the candidate’s ability to provide great lessons to our largest customer base in Central Division, children. 

Why: Children are the largest population we teach.

 Understanding how the stages of ages of child development  affect lesson planning and implementation is a critical step to successful snow sports lessons for children.   Participants will learn tools for creating engaging  and playful lessons.  Play is how children learn.  The CS1 program provides instructors a foundation on tips and tricks for creating age and stage appropriate fun for kids while providing a truly inspired safe, fun and educational experience. 

How:

Review the following educational materials:
(Found in the Education Resources section at the bottom of this page.)

1. Obtain Teaching Snowsports Manual 
2. Obtain Children’s Instructional Manual (2nd Edition) – legacy manual
3. Obtain Teaching Children Snowsports Manual —NEW! (2021)
4. Completion of the optional Central Children’s Specialist CS1 Workbook.
   **Completion of this Workbook using the Children’s Instruction Manual (CIS) and/or Teaching Children’s Snowsports Manual will greatly reduce the time spent taking the e-learning course and it will serve as your permanent reference document.
5. Complete Children’s Specialist Teaching Log — This is your lesson plan for the on-snow presentation. You will develop this during the online sessions and submit to clinician running the event.
   
   

   Please plan on spending 4 – 6 hours to review the above materials and complete the CS1 e-Learning course. START EARLY.
   
   Then complete the following:
   (all linked in Education Resources below)
   

6. Complete the CS 1 e-Learning course with a quiz at the end of each module to ensure comprehension of the learning material.  **Completion of the e-learning must be 48 hours prior to the start of the online component of the assessment.
7. Note: Cross Country members should do the downloadable Cross Country CS1 workbook. This downloadable workbook incorporates all of the components of the e-learning and has movement analysis questions appropriate for the cross country student. Completion of the e-learning must be 48 hours prior to the start of the first part of the assessment.
   
   

8. Register for and attend the CS1 Exam, which consists of: two 90-minute online sessions and a two-day or three-night on-snow assessment (see detail below).

ONLINE SESSIONS: two 90-minute online sessions, which will include a technical discussion, review of people, teaching and technical skills, and cover the concepts of movement analysis with children.

• • Prior to the second webinar prepare a lesson plan that features the following: (you will share this in the second session)

  • Pick two different ages to teach the same lesson to.

  • Choose the terrain of your choice in the green to blue zones.

  • Explain the motivations and hopes for the kids and parents in this lesson.

  • Identify the skiing or riding level of the student relative their stage and age of development.

  • Identify the stage of cognitive development for kids in this lesson.

  • Use CAP appropriate communications for the cognitive and social/emotional age of the students _share how you would do this and why?

  • Describe the differences for the two ages and stages of psychomotor development in your lesson.

  • Describe the differences in the cognitive development for the two ages and stages in your lesson.

  • List some social and emotional  behaviors you would expect to see with the two age groups.

  • Make it playful.

ON-SNOW SESSIONS:

• • Attend the on-snow validation session, practice implementing the topics learned on your CS journey and rock the lesson plan shared in the webinar!
  • Participants will be assessed using the CS1 Unified Assessment Form. (See Education Resources below)

** Find and register for an exam with the Events Calendar.

**All Written Exams & E-learning Courses must be taken online prior to registering for the on-snow portion of the exam.  Be sure to check other prerequisites in the Certification Pathways Guide below.

What: The CS2 candidate builds on the knowledge gained in the CS1 and the discipline level as it relates to an individual child in the intermediate to advance zones. The assessment will expect the candidate to apply and blend developmental concepts and theory and children’s concepts in their own words. They will be expected to compare and contrast these concepts for the ages and stages for each child in a group as well as learn how to perform a successful movement analysis on more than one fundamental in all phases of the turn.

How: The Central Division CS2 process includes:

1. Review the following educational materials:
   (All linked in the Education Resources section at the bottom of this page.)
   
   • Teaching Snowsports Manual 
   • Children’s Instructional Manual (2nd Edition) – legacy manual
   • Teaching Children Snowsports Manual (2021)
   .
2. Complete the Children’s Specialist 2 workbook and quiz.
   **The workbook is scored and due in the Central office no less than two weeks before the on-snow CS2 event (send to submissions@psia-c.org).  The online quiz must be completed no less than 48 hours prior to the start of the on snow assessment.
3.  Register for and attend the Children’s Specialist 2 Exam, which consists of two 90-minute online sessions and a two-day on-snow assessment (see details below):
   
   ONLINE SESSIONS:
   
   • Two 90-minute online sessions that will include a discussion of the National Standards and Performance Guides, including a review of the concepts of movement analysis with children.
   • Prior to the second online session, you will need to create a lesson plan that features the following:
     • Pick two different ages to which to teach the same lesson- be prepared
       to provide individual feedback to members of the group.
     • Choose the terrain of your choice in the blue and black zones.
     • Explain the motivations and desires for the kids and parents in this
       lesson- identify how you would synthesis CAP concepts in
       communicating with the parent and child.
     • Identify the skiing and riding level of the students relative to their
       stage and age of development.
     • Be prepared to describe the differences of physical growth and
       psychomotor development for the two different age groups.
     • Identify and describe the differences of cognitive development and
       types of information processing for the two age groups.
     • Identify and describe some of the affective behaviors and beliefs you
       would expect to see with the two age groups.
     • Be prepared to share your method of Movement Analysis when teaching children, include body movements and interaction of the
       ski/board on the snow.
     • Make it playful.
   • Complete Children’s Specialist Teaching Log (See Education Resources section at the bottom of this page.) — This is your lesson plan for the on-snow presentation. You will develop this during the online sessions and submit to clinician running the event.
   • ON-SNOW SESSIONS:
     A two-day on-snow assessment where participants will be assessed on their ability to apply and blend more than one option in engaging and creative lessons incorporating the people and teaching fundamentals for at least four individual students in the intermediate to advanced zone. The student will also be expected to demonstrate their technical and movement analysis skills of more than one fundamental in all phases of the turn. Successful completion grants professional recognition to the instructor for their education, experience, and expertise in teaching children snowsports.
     ***Candidates will be assessed using the CS2 Unified Assessment Form. (See Education Resources section at the bottom of this page.)

• ***Be sure to check other prerequisites in the Certification Pathways Guide below.