Coyote Teaching: A New (Old) Take on the Art of

Mentorship

Harrison Lovell - @lovellingit

Michael Larsen - @mkltesthead

Intro

• Skills Transfer/ Simplifying the process• Fastest way to proficiency• Their way, their experiences• Different contexts. Metaphors and Analogies• Lost in translation

RUAPA• Read, Understand, Apply, Persist, Achieve

–Teach people to teach themselves–Primitive: hunt, fish, knots–Un-evolved people. –We aren’t smarter.

•Tech veneer.–Double Edge sword

• Tribal skills

What is Coyote Teaching?

• Tom Brown, Jr and Jon Young• No direct answers, ans. w/ questions, dig

deeper, embed and connect lessons• Inspires to independency• Adapt to teaching style

Coyote Teaching: Extended

• Limited habitat. Man shapes their environment. Adapting is key

• World of extremes, unlike other creatures, can settle anywhere

• Go beyond “learn and you’ll be okay”

Becoming a Coyote• State the obvious• Trickster myths. Pair hunting. Small size• Observed behavior = Core teaching approach

– Unique skills– Engagement

• Passing on traditions

Environmental Saturation• allow people to utilize the environment they

are in• start where you are, use what you have, build

what you need• authentic problems

Creating a Need

• Snowboarding• Balance point • Analogy that I would understand

–Five gallon water bottle

Art of Questioning

• focus on giving the answer to a question• comprehending what we are presenting• answer to make us happy• Socratic Method

– answering questions with more questions

Trickster/ Transformer

• Transforming the situation • Calvin and Hobbes• a curve ball

Story-Telling Culture

• Tribal societies • Analogies are frequently used• Simply analogies vs full story-telling

Edge Experiences

• What makes a story more exciting?• Different type of experiences• Strong emphasis on stretching rather than

freaking someone out• Edge case examples

Edge Case

• Stepping out of comfort zone• Line between growing and freaking out• Push effectively without pushing you off the

edge

Constraints and Taboos• Idea of Taboo• Strong word• Learning with constraints• Children, Tech, and Boarders• Interchangeable

Summary

• This stuff is HARD• Principles can be applied on a continuum• Level of relationship and commitment informs

the level of mentoring• Limitless potential, if both are willing to invest• When one is raised by a Coyote, one becomes

a Coyote.