On January 4th 2012, I got to take part in what was believed to be the first-ever all-snowboarder PSIA/AASI National Children's Specialist 2 (CS2) Accreditation Exam. I completed the Children's Specialist 1 in December as a prerequisite course for attaining my CS2.
Before continuing, I have referenced the National Standards for the Children's Specialist 2 course and have described it below so that you have a better understanding of what it is. The CS2 is described by the PSIA/AASI National Office as:
-The CS2 is a certificate course that "focuses on the specifics of child development for young learners as they progress through the Beginner/Novice to Advanced Zones".
-Participants in the CS2 will "integrate their technical understanding of the CAP model with movement analysis and teaching activities for children in the Intermediate and Advanced Zones".
-"Evaluations of those taking the CS2 course reflect the participants' knowledge of teaching children, and individuals. Successful completion of the course grants professional recognition to the instructor and industry for their education, experience, and expertise in teaching children's snowsports. This is a multi-disciplinary course" (meaning that it encompasses teaching alpine skiing, snowboarding, nordic skiing, and adaptive instruction).
-"The successful CS2 participant will demonstrate the ability to choose appropriate exercises, games, and tasks and teach safe, effective skill progression that demonstrate the application and analysis and the ability to synthesize and evaluate the technical terms, concepts, and models"
This just gives a brief synopsis into the depth of the Children's Specialist course. It is a course that determines your skills, knowledge, and tactics in regards to children's instruction. The course gives you situational teaching segments and drills that help to assess if you can apply the children's teaching theory on the snow when it truly matters. I can say that I spent an awesome day on snow at Hunter Mountain Resort in eastern New York proving my mettle and showing what I know about getting kids out and snowboarding at all ages and abilities. I passed the on hill evaluation portion of the course, had a passing score on my CS2 in-depth workbook, and also passed the written CS2 test. I was awarded my Children's Specialist 2 certificate, giving me the highest stamp of approval from PSIA/AASI in terms of children's instruction and National children's instruction recognition. I highly recommend this course. It was a great day on snow getting to pretend to be kids; and having fun. After all, that's why we all ski and snowboard in the first place. Sometimes it's great to have that experience that reinforces how much fun snowboarding and teaching snowboarding can be. See you out on the hill!
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