How I Passed My Level 2 Teaching Exam

Level 2 can be a tough one.  There's a big gap between the skills and knowledge needed to pass Level 1 and the jump to Level 2.  This approach might not work for everyone, but it served me well.  You may also have to teach tactics vs technique, so have some drills up your sleeve that will change how your students think about skiing down the hill.

If you are unfamiliar with the PSIA-E exam format, the examiner will have 2 stacks of cards; a student profile stack and a skier profile stack.  You'll pull one card from each stack.  For example, "Finance manager in their 40s just bought a new pair of all mountain skis" and "skis parallel on green terrain but will wedge christie on blue terrain".  Note, your examiner may do the Movement Assessment module different.

The content of the Level 2 exam is focused around the novice/beginner to intermediate skill levels.  Think about the natural progression your students make as they move through these learning zones:

Never ever - straight run/gliding wedge
Straight run/gliding wedge - wedge turns
Wedge turns - wedge christie
Wedge christie - open parallel

When you teach a regular lesson, the goal should be to coach the student to the next level in their skiing.  (See How I Structure My Lessons).  The exam is no different; it is designed in a way where the examiner can take a snapshot into how you teach your lessons at your home mountain.

In the lead up to the exam, jot each of these learning zones down on a piece of paper and write down some of the skills and drills you would use for a student in each zone.  Make sure these are relevant to the level of the student and you have a solid understanding of each.  They should be things you already teach in your day-to-day lessons and are comfortable with.  Bounce them off the trainer at your mountain to check you're headed in the right direction.

On the day of the exam, you'll have about 1 chairlift ride to come up with a plan and around 15 minutes center stage to do your thing.  The theoretical student you created from the cards will probably fall into one of the above learning zones, so if you're well prepared what you need to teach will be obvious.  Stick with one drill allowing for 1-2 progressions.

Here's some dos and don'ts.  Don't roll play - if the student card you pull is for a child, there's no need to talk to the group like they're all children, or have someone in the group pretend to be your student. Do coach the group - if you see a peer making the same movements as your theoretical student, use them as an example (be tactful though!).  Do offer some additional explanation as to why you are doing what you're doing, the examiner will want to see that you understand the concept you are teaching.

Good luck!!