Yesterday, I mentioned Pat’s ”Can You”’s so I thought I’d elaborate on that today. The ”Can You”’s are one of my favorite elements of Pat’s teaching style, and you’ll find a “Can You?” section in almost every DVD of the new Levels. After giving you some education and information, Pat knows exactly what to task you with to test your understanding.
Pat has been using this ‘teach by tasks’ concept since before I met him, and over the years I’ve seen him throw out a ton of ”Can You”’s – Can you rub your horse’s back with your belly button? Can you lead your horse over a pole, backwards by the hocks? Can you get your horse to trot to a Frisbee and put his foot on it? How about his hind foot? Can you bridle from your knees? Can you do lateral flexion for 60 seconds without your horse getting scared or defensive? Can you, can you, can you?! Pat is full of them. It’s what makes this program so provocative – who would ever think of doing things like that? Most of us have trouble being as creative as Pat – thankfully, he’s willing to share some of his imagination to get us started!
Pat puts a huge emphasis on inspiring and empowering his students. Just like with horses, he believes in setting people up to learn and discover things for themselves. That’s why Pat is so into task-teaching, it makes you think for yourself and not be just a mindless puppet of techniques. You learn to solve puzzles and to think outside the box. By trying your hand at Pat’s ”Can You”’s you see where things are working well, and where you need to spend more time because things aren’t quite right. And oh yeah, it’s FUN!
Naturally Yours,
Linda
