Challenges individualising coach learning

Brett Reid is a sport development consultant with Sport NZ.
He continues to explore how best to hold coach development up to the light so all can see its importance.

Gene Schembri & daughter Melanie Schembri Waite created the coachdev site.

Both are passionate believers in the power of sport to transform lives.

It’s a challenge for CDs to address the whole group’s needs, while addressing important individual needs.

New Zealand coach developer Brett Reid and I recently discussed this challenge over a Teams link up. Our starting point was to identify challenges facing CDs seeking to individualise the teaching and support that they provide for coaches during courses. Understanding the challenges, provides a basis for strategies for individualising the CD’s work with coaches on a 1:1 basis.

A list of seven challenges follows. We hope our list inspires readers to come up with solutions to the challenges. Or in some cases, challenges listed below will simply reflect the work of those CDs who have already found solutions. 😊 The list also provides an agenda for future coachdev posts.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

Individualised learning attempts to address the different needs of learners. This has implications for the choice of content and the rate at which progress is made – which may not be in lockstep with other learners.

This approach throws up challenges for the CD (or coach in a coaching situation) because it means addressing different needs at the same time. The approach is easier with small groups and with learners (coaches) who are more independent at managing their own learning.

SEVEN CHALLENGES

1. Know where coaches are starting from

It is tempting to swing straight into teaching / coaching without a clear idea of where learners are at. Knowing where coaches are starting from (prior achievements) is very important for learning and often overlooked. Spending some time early in the learning with non-threatening activities is a good start. This enables the CD to take account of individual needs where it is practical to do so.

The most important single factor influencing learning is what the learner already knows. Ascertain this and teach him accordingly.
(Ausubel, 1968)

2. Course Duration

Learning takes time and repetition. Community courses are often too short for real learning to take place. Making the course longer would help but there is a balancing act between what we might like to do and what the ‘market will tolerate’. Busy volunteers can only give up so much time.

The shorter a course is, the more difficult it is to individualise the content and pace of delivery.

3. Learning is not spaced out over time

Spacing learning sessions with time in between is important for learning. For various reasons courses are taught in blocks and the content is not spaced over time. (There are often compelling reasons for this including the difficulty busy people have with their time commitments and the cost of multiple attendance requirements.) To read more about spacing look here.
Spacing provides some opportunities to individualise content (it is easier to monitor progress and change direction if required). Spacing is difficult to do if time is limited and near impossible in a one-day course.

4. Learning is removed from practice

Without access to coaching practice, learning suffers and opportunities for individualisation are lost. Real-world learning provides the best opportunity for individualised learning.
Coaching practice can be gained through:

Micro-coaching or similar activities (in a course)
On-the-job learning

These approaches are often not given enough time, or in the case of on-the-job learning, no time at all.

Practical activities lend themselves to individualising activities within a single group at the same time (e.g., make easier / harder, choose an alternative, combine tasks, explore different solutions).

The importance of coaching practice is discussed in Eric Worthington’s article available here.

5. Theory / Practice disconnect

Theory (foundational knowledge) learnt in a classroom (or online) is often not linked to real-life hands-on coaching. Additionally, without face-to-face presence, it is difficult to individualise ‘theory’ learning for coaches who are at different starting points.

However, good course design can do things to accommodate a range of learners. These include:

Ask prior knowledge questions – a good way to signal what is ahead.
A prior knowledge true / false quiz may be used to allow learners to skip ahead if they achieve a predetermined score (e.g., 90% or more).
Scaffold the learning by providing temporary help. (see terminology box below)
Allow multiple attempts if a quiz has to be completed and includes links to explanatory information (when help is required).
Provide options in the choice of content.

For theory that is formally assessed, providing a range of options can accommodate different preferences (video, PPT, group presentation, portfolio of work, pen and paper assessment etc).

Scaffolding
– CD provides temporary help
– Information about HOW to do something is provided
– Scaffolding should lead to future independence
More information here

6. The assessment bugbear

Assessment can be a turn off and can shape the teaching at the expense of coach needs. Toby Doyle from NZ Cricket mentions difficulties with traditional assessment in his article on innovations in coach development.

An alternative approach to formal end-point assessments is discussed here.

The alternatives discussed in these two former posts help to provide a learning environment where assessment doesn’t get in the way of learning. This in turn, makes it easier to individualise the learning.

7. Groupthink gets in the way

It is normal that coaches bring to a course their pre-conceptions about what the course should be or do. For example, ideas about what a junior coach needs or expectations about accreditation at the level they are seeking.

Addressing some of the points above – particularly the need for learning to be spaced over time, and courses to be of sufficient duration with coaching experience provided, enables the provider of the course to negotiate and act on some of the coaches’ expectations and needs.

What can be forgotten is people bring all of themselves to the room, including their work, family, hobby, faith, etc.
All of those ‘selves’ can potentially bring ‘gold’ to conversations around coach development.
The challenge? How do we make sure that ‘gold’ gets put on the table and not left in pockets?

THE BOTTOM LINE

Individualised learning experiences can be beneficial. However, the conditions need to be right. These conditions include time available (not too short), task (not too complex), coach (comfortable with a degree of independent learning), group size (not too big), and the need to practice real-life coaching skills.

Individualised learning may be more demanding of CDs who find comfort in ‘following a script’ where everyone proceeds in lockstep.

The seven points above may provide avenues to explore for CDs wanting to tailor the learning in a more targeted way. The context and stage of learner development are important when designing an individualised approach.

Our advice is to take baby steps and experiment with what you and the coaches you work with are comfortable with.