According to Byron Dorgan’s quote, Working hard and working smart sometimes can be two different things. That’s totally correct and very relevant, even when it comes to owning and running a swim lesson school.
Working hard has to do with waking up early to be sure that you get to the center sooner, getting all the necessary certifications and skills, working hard to give the best training to the students, and lots more.
Yet, we cannot say the above-mentioned points are useless and not rewarding, but working smart is like a catalyst to bring the best from your hard work. As far as the aquatic programs are concerned, incorporating tricks or tips will go a long way in influencing the program’s efficacy.
Ideally, if you are an instructor seeking ways to improve the existing school running or a program director who wishes to increase program efficiency, following tips on swim lessons can help you work effectively.
Assess and Adapt to Individual Needs
Our first tip of the day is to identify the individual needs of our students at first before finding out how to meet individual needs. Know this: We all have needs that are not necessarily common or the same.
Some students join your swim class purposely to build on their existing skills; some join to be competitive in the field, and some join to keep their physical fitness. With these differences in goals, it is compulsory for the instructor to understand each student’s purpose and work toward achieving the goals.
Another thing is knowing the speed, strengths, and areas of weakness of each of the students. To know all these, you should consider giving them an assessment, which can help you understand each student’s abilities.
After you have understood who you are dealing with, you can tailor or direct your lesson toward helping each of them get to the apex of their potential.
Incorporate Fun and Engaging Activities
Swimming is one of the top games, and it is full of fun. Even with that, you can still make it more fun for your students with the purpose of making the process of learning joyful and motivating.
In case you don’t know which game to introduce to make the training fun full, you can choose any of the three below:
- Relay races
- Treasure hunts
- Water polo
With the games above and whichever you can add to it, your class will be fun, and before you know it, your swim lesson will be improved, and many students will come in.
Emphasize Safety and Confidence Building
Safety concerns play a major role in designing and building confidence among your students. It should be embraced and paid serious attention to.
Protecting the lives of participants is a cornerstone of any aquatic program. Students should be given basic safety skills they should learn when in water, including swimming and the ability to float as well as patterns to use when getting into or out of water.
Self-esteem or confidence should also be considered when pursuing the goal of motivating swimming students to learn.
The idea was to change their outlook toward life and motivate the students to step out of their comfort zones and celebrate little victories. For instance, confident water is very advisable for the development of any skill.
Use Progressive Teaching Techniques
Integrate progressive elements in the use of teaching aids and as a general teaching methodology. It’s advisable to begin with fundamental steps while interweaving and incorporating advanced steps when learners feel prepared and capable.
This makes it easier for the students to put down the steps, providing a good footing and ensuring that one does not feel overwhelmed.
Leverage Technology
We started by emphasizing on working smart, and part of working smart is using the availability of technological software to your advantage.
Working hard is taking care of things or manually doing what should be handled by technology with hand. As a solo instructor or a manager, many tasks are involved in managing and running a swim class effectively.
Here are a few of the many tasks:
- Registering or booking new students
- Reminding students of their class
- Keeping tabs on them or checking on the students(follow-up)
- Appointing instructors and placing them in their role
- Getting feedback, etc.
The truth is that working hard means doing all these tasks manually, which will take more time and consume more energy. And it is not even certain that all these tasks can be done efficiently without any human error.
Working smart means using technology to handle all these tasks efficiently, smartly, error-free, and faster. Tools like swim lesson scheduling software will conveniently take up all these tasks and offer more benefits. Another thing is that, with this software, you will have more time to focus on something else, even more time to rest, and a boost in profit.
Stay Updated with Industry Trends
The aquatic industry is dynamic, and new methods, products, and safety measures on a site are introduced, which become common in a rather short period of time.
To avoid a relegation zone, one must ensure that they are updated with current trends and frequently ask for training opportunities. These are some of the best ways to learn new things and be motivated in your work as you interact with other professionals in similar fields.
Solicit for Feedback
Ensure that the feedback given is incorporated into the organization and that the right action is taken where needed.
Engage students, parents, and staff by constantly asking for feedback. It is important to recognize that the feedback you receive is not just a confirmation of the effectiveness of your programs but also targets areas of improvement to enhance future implementations.
Taking the time to update something as simple as labels shows that you and your site are serious about ensuring that the experience offered to your community is the best that can be offered.
Wrapping Up
Whether you are a solo instructor or you are managing a swim school, we have provided the right and perfect tips to help you improve your school. By following all the points mentioned, you have a thriving swim class that makes waves in the industry.
