How to Evaluate Instructor Skills for Teaching All Abilities

Ensuring every child feels included and thrives in the water requires more than just standard swim instruction. It demands a team of instructors equipped to teach all abilities. But how do you assess these nuanced skills and foster continuous growth? It starts with a comprehensive approach to instructor evaluation and development.

Power of Performance Reviews in Swim Schools

Performance reviews are far more than just a formal checkbox or a way to pinpoint skill gaps. When done right, they’re a powerful tool for professional development, leading to improved student outcomes, boosted team morale, and a stronger swim school overall. Performance reviews are instrumental in nurturing staff growth and development, fostering a continuously improving team.

To make a real impact, these reviews need to be comprehensive. This means looking beyond basic swim instruction skills to assess a wider range of adaptive and inclusive coaching skills and techniques. Implementing performance reviews is a key component of identifying a swim instructor’s continuing education needs.

Creating a supportive culture within your team where staff are encouraged to provide and receive open and honest 360 feedback, should help the ‘annual’ performance review process go smoothly.

  • TIP: Model accepting feedback and reacting calmly. This will help your staff respond with grace as well.

Early identification of staff challenges or skill gaps is instrumental. It ensures your team gets the support, development, and growth they need, while also making sure swimmers receive timely help to progress toward their swim skill benchmarks.

  • TIP: Make sure your staff feel comfortable coming to you when a lesson goes wrong. This should be applauded, not disciplined.

While ongoing, informal feedback is vital throughout the year, planned annual performance reviews provide a structured opportunity to identify significant development opportunities and celebrate successes.

Identifying Skill Gaps Across All Abilities

To effectively evaluate your instructors, you need well-rounded assessment benchmarks that cover the full spectrum of teaching needs. What should you be looking for?

  • Standard Teaching Techniques
    This includes progression through your swim school curriculum, proficiency in stroke correction, effective class management, and consistent application of safety protocols.
  • Communication Skills
    Observe how instructors interact with swimmers, communicate progress or challenges with parents, and collaborate effectively with colleagues.
  • Time Management
    Excellent time management (by starting and ending lessons on time) is a core skill that impacts the efficiency of how your school operates. Staff accountability and punctuality are important factors to consider.
  • Problem Solving
    Are your team comfortable with unpredictable situations and are able to resolve problems in the moment? Explore different situations and review how they responded e.g. What if a child shows up to class without a bathing suit and the parent asks if they can wear their clothes – how does your team react to these various scenarios?
  • Adaptability and Creativity in Lesson Planning
    Can they modify activities on the fly? Do they offer diverse approaches to cater to different learning styles?

Spotting Nuances: The Neurodivergent Swimmer

A critical area for evaluation is an instructor’s ability to connect with and effectively teach neurodivergent swimmers. This isn’t about finding fault, but about identifying areas where specialized training can make a real difference.

What specific behaviors or outcomes might indicate an instructor is struggling?

  • Lack of Engagement
    Is the swimmer easily distracted or struggling to follow instructions?
  • Repetitive, Unhelpful Cues
    Does the instructor use the same verbal prompts without adapting them, even when they’re not working?
  • Frustration
    Look for signs of frustration from either the instructor or the student, which often indicates a communication breakdown or unmet needs.
  • Sensory Sensitivities
    Do you notice that the swimmer is splashing the water uncontrollably or drinking/licking/spitting water excessively? These behaviors can be improved with specialized adaptive teaching methods.
  • Safety Concerns
    Is the student repeatedly going under when being asked not to, or staying underwater for longer than 5 seconds? Adaptive water safety training to help reduce these types of behaviors would be helpful.

Observing these signs can highlight that an instructor might benefit from more specialized training in understanding and applying adaptive strategies. This is about identifying growth opportunities to ensure every swimmer receives the support they need.

Strategies for Effective Skill Gap Analysis

To gain an accurate picture of instructor skills and identify areas for growth, take a comprehensive approach:

  • Observation Techniques
    Implement best practices for observing instructors in action, such as discreet observation or using structured checklists focused on adaptive techniques.
  • Peer Feedback
    Foster a culture where colleagues can provide constructive feedback to each other, promoting shared learning and growth.
  • Self-Assessment Tools
    Empower instructors to identify their own areas for growth through structured self-reflection tools.
  • One-On-One Discussions
    Conduct supportive, non-confrontational review meetings focused on collaboration and problem-solving, rather than just evaluation.
  • Documenting findings
    Maintain clear, actionable records of discussions and identified growth areas to track progress and plan future training effectively.
  • Client Feedback
    If you have effective tools to survey clients, this can be a great way to encourage feedback and focus on your teams’ strengths which can also form part of their ongoing development plan.
  • Follow Up & Support
    Regular check in’s and one-to-ones with your team can provide much-needed support as they continue to grow professionally. Communicating and setting clear expectations is important. Alignment on goals through a well laid out plan, is the key to success.

Providing Targeted Training and Support

Once development opportunities are identified, the next step is providing tailored support which could include continuing education and professional training. Move beyond generic courses and workshops to specific training that directly addresses identified needs.

  • Tailored Professional Development
    Invest in training like the online Swim Whisperers® certification program, that precisely targets identified gaps, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
  • Mentorship and Shadowing Opportunities
    Consider connecting less experienced instructors with more skilled mentors to facilitate knowledge transfer and hands-on learning.
  • Access to Specialized Resources
    Provide ongoing access to educational materials, online courses, and workshops designed for complex teaching scenarios, especially in adaptive aquatics.

Considering the individual needs of each of your instructors and understanding how each person prefers to learn and grow should be at the core of any Professional Development Plan. Helping your team identify their strengths and being self-aware can take time and effort, but it is worth it when you empower a solid team built on the foundation of trust.

Planning for Adaptive Swim Training in Your Budget

For aquatic directors and managers, planning your annual training and development budgets means anticipating demand. It’s vital to recognize the increasing prevalence of neurodivergent swimmers. The rise in autism diagnoses means your facility is already, or soon will be, serving a significant number of neurodivergent clients. For example, in the US, 1 in 36 children have been identified with autism spectrum disorder (CDC, 2023).

Addressing the Skill Gap Proactively

While your current instructors are likely skilled in general swim instruction, they may not possess the specialized knowledge and techniques required to effectively teach neurodivergent individuals. This isn’t a failing on their part, but a critical skill gap that needs to be addressed through targeted training.

The Business Case for Inclusivity

Investing in adaptive training offers clear business advantages:

  • 1
    Meeting Client Needs
    Providing instructors with adaptive training ensures you can genuinely meet the diverse needs of all your clients, leading to better learning outcomes and increased client satisfaction.
  • 2

    Competitive Advantage
    Offering specialized instruction for neurodivergent swimmers can differentiate your program, attracting a broader client base and enhancing your reputation as an inclusive and competent facility.

  • 3
    Instructor Confidence & Retention
    Empowering your staff with these essential skills boosts their confidence, reduces frustration, and contributes to a more capable and satisfied team.

When planning for the year ahead, allocate specific resources for adaptive swim training. View this not as an expense, but as an essential investment in your program’s quality, inclusivity, and long-term success.

Your Adaptive Solution: Empowering Instructors with Swim Whisperers®

The identified need for specialized training, especially to teach neurodivergent swimmers and those with diverse needs, can be directly addressed through the Swim Whisperers® program.

The Swim Whisperers course will introduce you to the 14 Common Roadblocks encountered by swimmers with a variety of different needs. You’ll also learn about the 11 Areas of Focus hindering progress towards specific swim goals.

Using the Swim Whisperers® Methodology, you’ll gain the skills to support swimmers with special needs like Autism, Anxiety, motor or physical limitations, sensory challenges, developmental delays, discomfort, and trauma, fostering their safety and independence in aquatic environments.

While our online program lays essential groundwork, truly mastering adaptive swim instruction comes alive when you combine that knowledge with hands-on, in-water workshops. We offer practical in-person training to groups who are Level 1 certified in the Swim Whisperers method.

Empower your team and ensure every child receives the best swim instruction.

Talk to us about your swim center’s adaptive training needs and we can recommend how to get the most out of your staff training and development budget.

Ailene Tisser, MA, PT, Founder

Ailene Tisser, a pediatric Physical Therapist with over 30 years of experience and co-founder of Swim Angelfish® and the Swim Whisperers® method, specializes in aquatic therapy and adaptive swim for children with special needs. Trained in NDT, DIR/Floortime, and certified as an Autism Specialist and Primitive Reflex Specialist she fosters water safety, confidence, and independence in her young clients. Ailene is also passionate about educating aquatic professionals, setting a standard of excellence for adaptive aquatics training and professional development.

Cindy Freedman, MOTR, Founder

Cindy, MS, OTR/L is an occupational and recreational therapist with over 30 years of experience specializing in pediatrics and aquatics. Driven by a passion for helping children with special needs reach their full potential, Cindy co-founded Swim Angelfish, an organization dedicated to providing adaptive swim and aquatic therapy services as well as professional training. Her expertise in sensory integration, reflex repatterning, and aquatics, coupled with her love for water and experience as a national champion diver, has enabled her to make a profound impact on the lives of countless children. Cindy is certified as an Autism Specialist by IBCCES, and shows an unwavering commitment to improving the lives of children with special needs.