The Teesra

Category: pedagogy

_how_ we coach: theory, practice & philosophy

  • Is there a third way? Coach as “learning consultant”?

    Is there a third way? Coach as “learning consultant”?

    There is an ongoing, sometimes rancorous, debate in the coaching world as to the relative merits of “instruction” and “discovery” learning.

    From, on one side, those who want to line players up behind cones, and have them take turns to replicate skills demonstrated by their coach.

    Or those who set up games and leave the players to work it out for themselves.

    OK — two grossly inaccurate, “straw-man” descriptions of coaching practice. But not uncommon in the darker spaces on Twitter.

    Perhaps more accurately:

    • Direct Instruction, which, however it is conceptualised, seeks to inculcate the Instruction.
    • Ecological Dynamics and non-linear pedagogy, exemplified by the constraints-led approach, sees the coach creating a learning environment from which movement solutions “emerge”.

    But what if the role of the coach was thought of differently. Neither “instructor” nor “environmental designer”.

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  • How we learn to move — mini-review

    How we learn to move — mini-review

    Rob Gray’s How We Learn to Move is sure to become the go-to resource for any coach interested in the Ecological Dynamics approach to skill acquisition.

    The book is sub-titled “A revolution in the way we coach & practice sports skills”, and this is no exaggeration.

    A quite brilliant, inspirational read, for anyone who has ever wondered if “learning by rote” and “repetition, repetition, repetition” were the only way to develop sport skills, this book provides an answer.

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  • The Spectrum of Sport Coaching Styles — mini review

    I was very taken by Mosston’s classification of teaching styles with decision making as a central defining characteristic (see Reflections on and with Mosston’s Spectrum of Teaching Styles) — when the decisions are taken (pre-delivery, delivery, post) and by whom (teacher or learner) — so I was especially interested to see how the Teaching Styles would translate to explicitly sport coaching contexts.

    In The Spectrum of Sport Coaching Styles, edited by Shane Pill, Brendan SueSee, Josh Rankin & Mitch Hewitt, Mosston’s Teaching Styles are discussed with examples from actual coaching practice.

    And I am even more convinced of the value of this theoretical approach to planning, reviewing and delivering coaching activity.

    The concept that “every act of deliberate teaching is a consequence of a prior decision” is inspiring — if we aspire to deliberate coaching (I think we should), then we need to engage in deliberate decision making first!

    I am challenged by “coach as educator”. I’m a coach, not a teacher!

    But I can see how it fits with the theory and brings it to life for the players. In addition to coaching technique, tactics etc., the coach also has a responsibility to encourage “learning about learning” (meta-learning?).