2011 Summit slide show 

•  2009 Teacher Training Summit Final Report (Dallas, TX)
  
  

The PMA’s Teacher Training Summits provide a forum for delegates to deliberate over issues critical to the future of Pilates education. To date, we have held two Summits, in 2009 and 2011.

The first Summit in Dallas in 2009 proved to be a landmark event. Much was accomplished, but it was just the beginning. Participants in the first Summit were inspired to create series of ‘next steps’, to take their initial work forward. The second Summit continued the work begun in Dallas.

In brief, the aims of the 2011 Summit were to:

• Reveal how comprehensive Pilates teacher training programs are currently structured across the field. This was done by means of gathering data from schools regarding the general subject matter that is taught in their programs. All responses were kept anonymous.

• Present the data (expressed as statistics), in order to reveal structural similarities and differences among comprehensive Pilates teacher training programs.

• Examine how these statistical findings compare to the tasks presented in the PMA’s Role Delineation Study, which outlines the capabilities of a comprehensively trained Pilates teacher.

The outcome we sought was to establish a recommended basic template for the minimum essential components of a comprehensive Pilates teacher training program that would lead to minimum competency.

This investigation was designed to serve as a platform from which the PMA and teacher training schools could better view the current educational landscape and develop conversations regarding the relationship between comprehensive training and the industry’s third party certification.

Please note: this exercise was/is not an attempt at establishing a standardized program. The aim was to reveal how much congruence exists between what is taught in comprehensive programs, and what is required in the PMA certification exam. The high pass rate for the PMA certification exam indicates that congruency does indeed exist.

This Summit’s investigation was one that had never been undertaken before. It promised to be an exciting adventure that would lead to unprecedented understanding and development. For clarification, the PMA’s definition of a comprehensive Pilates education program is one that minimally includes 450 hours studying Mat, Reformer, Cadillac, Chair, Small Props, Ped-o-Pull, to include hours of self-practice, hours of supervised teaching, and hours of observation.

Those who participated in 2009 were asked to return and continue the work that was begun. Those who were not present in 2009 were encouraged to join us and contribute.  The only requirement for attending was an involvement in Pilates teacher training.