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Plats: Scandic Hotel Nord, Uppsala (30 min från Arlanda)
Tid: 9 - 17
Målgrupp: Simlärare och babysiminstruktörer.
Seminariet hålls på engelska.
Anmälningsblankett här...
Ur innehållet:
Balance has been a cornerstone of the foundation building philosophy that Blue Buoy Swim School founder Mel Maxwell started in 1956. As my coach and mentor Mel instilled in me an appreciation of the importance that balance plays in swimming proficiency from the earliest stages of development to the highest levels of competition. I have found that to teach balance requires an understanding of the process through which children learn, the natural forces that act on our bodies, and the progression that the learning should follow.
- How they learn: This is a physical learning experience. What they feel is what they retain. The learning takes place through the assimilation of the action. This is the sensory integration that takes place in the child’s brain which becomes the learned skill.
- Natural Forces: On land our sense of equilibrium is bases on opposition to gravity and our whole system of movement is determined by that balance control. In water there is a more complex situation as we find the influence of two forces, gravity and buoyancy.
- The Progression: If you study the process that a child goes through in learning to walk you see a foundation building progression that is determined largely by the degree of balance control that is acquired allowing greater movement capability. In the water, the same process takes place as the child gains gradual control of balance and by degrees increases movement ability.
- Fears and Anxieties: A child who has little water experience may exhibit fear or anxiety in three main areas which I like to call the Natural Fears or Self Preservation Instincts.
- The first would be the “fear of the unknown”. This could be the water, the new person or different surroundings. The separation anxiety fits in here.
- The second is the “fear of falling” or loss of balance.
- The third is the fear of suffocation.
A fourth area would be the psychological or learned fears such as a previous bad experience.
There are many different philosophies concerning how a child can and should be taught to swim. I ascribe to what can be called the developmental approach. In this type of program, each of the child’s developmental characteristics is considered. Two key areas of concern are physical and emotional readiness. Too often only the child’s physical readiness is considered. Physically, a child may be capable of developing the arm and leg movements and balance control necessary to propel them through the water by two years of age. The ability to recover breath by lifting the face forward out of the water or rolling over onto the back can also be attained at this age.
However, the key factor in evaluating a child’s ability in the water is emotional readiness. This will determine if a skill is developed under voluntary control or if it is the result of a response based on negative reinforcement. For example, can a child enter the water comfortably, and with voluntary control decide what course of action will be taken? Is the child able to dive under, swim to any area in the pool and take a breath at will? Or, is the act of swimming a response to entering the water, whereupon a child either rolls to her back in an act of self preservation or scrambles for the side of the pool? It is the level of emotional control, internal trust, and understanding that the child possesses that concerns me.
Unfortunately, in many programs, the ends justify the means. But in many of these cases the child only understands “mean”. Forcing a child to perform a task for which he is not emotionally ready can cause lasting psychological damage. The writings of Dr. Berry Brazelton reflect this concern. Dr. Brazelton has written numerous books and articles about early infant/child development. His approach to learning and development incorporates attachment issues, brain development and how environmental stresses influence a child’s ability to feel safe and secure. He concludes that highly traumatic or chronically minor traumatic experiences greatly affect the emotional well being of a child, and can lead to a disruption in the development of self-esteem.
Learning to swim is a process of skill development or ability attainment that is uniquely different and yet strikingly similar to skill progressions of land activities. Learning a skill requires many things including physical, mental and emotional readiness, and a foundation-building process where skills are developed at a gradual pace starting simply and becoming more complex. The skill is more easily learned through positive reinforcement and recognition of familiar patterns of movement. The process of learning a skill on land or in the water is basically the same--the elements that determine the learning in each environment provide the extreme differences.
What is the importance of this to the swim teacher? Some of the implications for teaching include:
1) You should provide situations where physical learning can take place.
2) The holds that are used should allow the child to feel what is being taught as it will feel when he does it alone.
3) Skills should be developed gradually, in a logical sequence, from simple to complex.
4) Progressions should follow a pattern of familiarity, where each new activity is supported by skills or actions that have occurred before.
Safer 3 provides a multi-layered approach to drowning prevention. Safer Water….Safer Kid’s….Safer Response are the three elements of the Safer 3 program.
Safer Water refers to the protection against an unauthorized entry to a pool or spa by a child that has little or no swimming skills. There are many types of protection available including barrier fencing with latching gates, alarms, door locks and pool covers.
Safer Kid’s involves both caretaker and the potential victim, the child. Constant adult supervision by one with swimming ability, swim skill attainment through on going lesson programs by qualified instructors, education of both parents and children as to proper behavior in and around the water are key components.
Safer Response is the preparation for the event of a drowning accident. Rescue techniques such as CPR and rescue breathing should be learned and reviewed, developing an action plan and having rescue equipment on hand are also important.
Everyone should be familiar with the 911 emergency phone number and a phone should be at poolside.
The Swim for Life Foundation is proud to partner with Finis inc. to promote the Safer 3 program. Together and with the hope of future sponsors we are developing a brochure and activity book for distribution to raise the awareness of the general public and to educate both parents and children as to the roles that they can play in this effort.
Fire Authority personnel and other groups are very excited to have a proactive campaign to bring to the schools and community events that they sponsor.
It is our sincerest wish to see this campaign bring a heightened awareness and greater understanding as to what we all can do to help prevent childhood drownings.
Hjärtligt välkommen till en faktaspäckad dag som garanterat kommer att ge dig massor med inspiration!
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