Developing Coaching Practice - Week 8: Coach Development

Developing Coaching Practice - Week 8: Coach Development

Aims

  • By the end of this session, you will be able to:

    • Understand the role of a coach developer.

    • Explain how coach developers promote learning.

Coach Developers

  • Definition: Coach developers are trained professionals focused on developing, supporting, and challenging coaches.

  • Objective: They help coaches hone and improve their knowledge and skills to provide positive and effective sport experiences for all participants.

  • Source: (ICCE, 2014)

Professional Standards for Coach Developers

  • Key Components:

    • How is learning supported?

    • Who is being developed?

    • What is being worked on?

  • Source: (CIMSPA, 2021)

Role of Coach Developers

  • Functions:

    • Mentoring

    • Tutoring

    • Assessing

    • Content Training

    • Acting as a Critical Friend

  • Source: (CIMSPA, 2021)

Coach Learning Environments

  • Types of Learning:

    • Formal Learning: Structured educational contexts, often with specific curricula or courses.

    • Nonformal Learning: Organized learning activities that take place outside of the formal education system, such as workshops and community education.

    • Informal Learning: Learning that occurs in everyday life, often unstructured and self-directed.

Learning Theories in Coaching

  • Behaviorism: Focuses on observable behaviors as outcomes of learning experiences.

  • Constructivism: Emphasizes the learner's active role in constructing knowledge based on experiences.

Changing Coaching Practice

  • Research Insight: Research conducted by Stodter & Cushion (2017) shows that a coach's biography acts as a 'filter' for the learning experiences encountered.

    • This biography includes the sum of all past experiences, values, beliefs, and practices.

  • Learning Process:

    • When faced with new ideas:

    • Mismatch: The new concept is filtered out and rejected if it does not align with the coach's biography.

    • Fit In: The concept permeates through the biographical filter and is accepted if it fits into the existing knowledge.

    • Match: It passes through unfiltered, changing the coach's biography and contributing to future learning experiences.

  • Double Loop Filtering: This process creates an individualized 'learning blend' that shapes a coach's knowledge and practice.

  • Reflective Conversation: Coaches must consider context before applying new concepts. Much like how coffee might need adaptation (adding milk or sugar), coaching ideas may need contextual adaptation.

    • Experimentation Process:

    • Try out the idea: Does it work?

      • If yes, adopt it.

      • If no, either reject it or adapt and try out again.

Coach Developer and Coach Relationship

  • Significance of Relationships:

    • Key elements include closeness, commitment, complementarity, and co-orientation (Jowett, 2007).

    • Relationships in coaching are influenced by power dynamics (Raven, 1962).

Teaching Approaches in Coaching

  • Types:

    • Problem-based learning: Engages learners by presenting them with real-life problems to solve.

    • Instruction: Structured delivery of content and skills from instructor to learner.

Observations in Coach Development

  • Observation Types:

    • Structured Observation: Systematic approach for collecting data.

    • Unstructured Observation: More flexible and informal data collection.

  • Tools for Observation:

    • Coach Analysis Intervention System (CAIS)

    • Modified Arizona State University Observation Inventory (ASUOI)

    • Leadership Scale for Sport (LSS)

  • Source: (Partington, 2022)

Ethics in Coach Observations

  • Ethical Procedures:

    • Follow established ethical guidelines for observation activities.

    • Obtaining informed consent from all parties involved is crucial.

Feedback Mechanisms

  • Challenges in Feedback: Providing and receiving feedback can be a sensitive process.

  • Key Considerations:

    • Consider the recipient's preferences and readiness to receive feedback.

    • Verify whether feedback is welcome (e.g., "Can I share something I have observed? Or Can I make a suggestion?").

    • Provide concrete observations/examples to reinforce feedback.

    • Concentrate on one or two key points for clarity.

    • Encourage self-reflection for continuous improvement (Aguilar, 2013).

Role of Questions in Coaching Development

  • Benefits of Questions: Questions stimulate coaches' development and promote problem-solving (Chambers and Vickers, 2006).

  • Types of Questions:

    • Convergent Questions: Seek specific answers, often with clear correctness.

    • Divergent Questions: Allow for multiple correct answers, fostering deeper critical thinking.

  • Considerations:

    • Timing, inclusivity, and focusing on the learner's benefits (Partington, 2021).

Summary and Learning Objectives

  • You should now be able to:

    • Understand the role of a coach developer.

    • Explain how coach developers promote learning.

Acknowledgment

  • Thank you for watching. For more resources, please return to My Learning Space.