Have you ever noticed how much learning happens in the places that aren’t classrooms? Not the kind with whiteboards or lesson plans but the kind that unfolds in everyday spaces, like the rink.

Lately, I’ve been spending a lot of time there – coffee in hand, tucked into the cold stands, watching games and chatting with other parents. Somewhere between the sound of skates on ice and sticks shooting the pucks, I started to see it differently. The rink isn’t just a place for hockey. It’s a place full of teachers and learners – coaches, players, parents – all figuring things out together.

In this episode, we’ll explore what it means to see the rink as a kind of classroom – one filled with lessons about effort, confidence, teamwork, and care. We’ll look at the difference between formal and informal learning, and how some of the most meaningful lessons happen outside of traditional spaces.

Because maybe the rink, like so many parts of life, is where real learning shows up when we least expect it.

Listen in as we talk about:

• 2:10 Learning beyond the classroom
• 3:29 Coaching with heart
• 4:38 When lessons land hard
• 7:12 Parents in the stands
• 7:56 Formal and informal learning in action
• 9:02 Reciprocal learning – learning that goes both ways
• 9:43 Lessons beyond the rink

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Formal learning is the structured kind we usually think of – classrooms, courses, and certifications. But informal learning happens in all the spaces in between. It’s the learning that sneaks up on us through experience, reflection, and the people we share moments with. At the rink, you can see it everywhere: players learning resilience after a fall, parents practicing patience, coaches figuring out how to motivate and connect. And really, it’s not just about hockey. It’s the same kind of learning that unfolds on the basketball court, in the dance studio, or around the kitchen table. Some of the most lasting lessons don’t come from a syllabus. They come from life itself.

Coaches do so much more than teach skills like skating or passing. They set the tone for how young players learn to handle mistakes, celebrate small wins, and work together. Some of the most memorable coaches are the ones who focus not just on the scoreboard, but on connection and care. Like the coach who began the season saying his goal was for players to still love hockey as adults, or the one who wrote each player a personal note recognizing their growth and spirit. Those moments remind us that the best coaching isn’t just about performance. It’s about helping others feel seen, supported, and inspired to keep showing up.

Not every learning experience at the rink goes smoothly, and that’s worth acknowledging. In informal settings like community hockey, there’s no set curriculum. As in any learning experience, formal or informal, things can go wonderfully right or unintentionally wrong. There are moments when feedback misses the mark or when a comment, however small, lands harder than intended. These experiences remind us that every word and action teaches something, whether it’s about skill, confidence, or belonging. In the end, the most meaningful learning happens when awareness meets intention. How something is taught matters just as much as what’s being taught.

Parents may not run drills or blow whistles, but they play a big role in the learning that happens around the rink. Kids pick up on everything including the cheers, the tone of a reaction, the conversations in the car on the way home. What parents choose to focus on shapes how kids experience the game and themselves within it. When the focus shifts from scores to effort, joy, and curiosity, it sends a powerful message that hockey and learning are about more than performance. They’re about growth, connection, and the way we show up for one another, on and off the ice.

“We don’t need to wait for a classroom to grow. Learning happens everywhere.”

Formal learning gives us the structure including the theories, frameworks, and foundations that help us understand what works. Informal learning is where those ideas come to life. It’s where we practice, make mistakes, and discover how things really unfold in the real world – a player helping a teammate up, a band finding its rhythm again, a dancer adapting mid-performance. These are all moments of informal learning in motion. When we start noticing these experiences, something shifts. We begin to see that learning isn’t confined to classrooms or courses. Learning is happening everywhere – in the way we show up, connect, and grow together every day.

Learning isn’t one-directional. It flows between everyone involved. Coaches, parents, and peers all teach and learn from each other, often in unexpected ways. Watching a child handle a tough loss, persist through challenges, or find joy in small victories can teach as much as any guidance offered. When learning is reciprocal, it encourages deeper attention, more thoughtful listening, and creates space for growth for everyone, no matter the setting.

Every environment holds opportunities for learning, whether it’s on the hockey rink or elsewhere in life. Informal learning spaces are all around us, shaped by the people we interact with and the ways we show up. Coaches, parents, and players all influence each other through guidance, reflection, encouragement, and example. Paying attention to these moments helps foster connection, curiosity, and growth. Staying open to learning in every challenge and every small step reveals that even the hardest lessons carry insights about who we are and who we’re becoming.