Explaination of the Importance of Reflective Practice in Coaching - Term Paper Example

?Running Head: Essay to Explain Essay to Explain the Importance of Reflective Practice in Coaching Instructor Name Date of Submission Essay to Explain the Importance of Reflective Practice in Coaching Introduction Traditionally, teachers were given paramount importance in the context of education and coaching and their followers were dedicated learners. The process of communication generally remained one way where the coach delivered his or her lectures, dictated the related practices, and the learner would imbibe the information obtained and act accordingly. Thus, traditional way of learning provides the coach with considerable command over his or her disciples. However, in the twentieth century, this trend of teacher to student communication changed radically. In the context of this essay, it is important to note that modern coaching practices have been evolving as a two-way mechanism, where the learner is not the only learner, but the teacher or coach is also a learner at times. This sort of reflective practice would be a life long process which has been explored and analysed on the basis of the various models and processes provided by continued research and development. The context for the essay further extends to the researches and practices inducted from various fields of academia. As far as the coach is concerned as an educator, reflective practice would help in introspection, innovation and communication. Also, it becomes the learner’s responsibility to some extent that he or she frankly communicates with the coach; otherwise the process of sustained coach education would be largely impaired. Key Concepts and Processes of Reflective Practice The concepts and processes in relation to reflective practice have been primarily based on the various reflective models provided by the eminent educationists, psychologists and researchers in this field. Argyris and Schon: The reflective model provided by Argyris and Schon introduces us to the idea of Single Loop Learning and Double Loop Learning. The theory has been built on the basis of the amendment and recognition of an observed error or fault. Single Loop Learning is the practice when an organisation or practitioner continuously relies on current techniques, policies or strategies even after some error occurred and a correction had to be made. This continues till a similar situation is encountered again. However, the practice of Double Loop Learning is comparatively more innovative since it provides for alteration of the current techniques, policies or strategies on the account of an error observed. Thus, in this process, innovative ideas can be introduced when a similar situation is encountered again. (Schon, 1983) Kolb, 1984: The experiential way of learning involves the application of the information received from the educator to the experiences of the learner. It does not consist of activity generated in the classroom alone. The student does not acquire his or her knowledge exclusively from the teacher. Rather, he or she learns through this process of taking the new information derived in class and testing it against his or her accustomed real-life experiences. By so doing, the learner transforms both the information and the experience into knowledge of some new or familiar subject or phenomenon. (Shields, Aaron and Wall, 2001) Kolb’s model is comprised of four phases that he locates in a circle. This model has come to be known in the literature as the Kolb Cycle. Figure – 1 (Shields, Aaron and Wall, 2001) Gibbs, 1988: Gibbs’ model is a kind of circular process of reflective practices where a practitioner should not only explicate his or her experience but also bring together an analysis and evaluation that how the practitioner was feeling in the due course of his or her experience. The significance of the emotional quotient obtained in this process lies in the fact that the process lets the practitioner to reflect on the available options and possible activities that could have been embarked on to obtain better results. Gibbs’ model finally provides for an action plan that can be formulated on the basis of past experiences to encounter a similar situation again. Johns, 1995: Johns provides a structured model of reflection that would provide a practitioner with a sort of guide to obtain greater understanding. The practitioner must share his or her experiences and thoughts with a mentor or colleague. In this way, experience becomes learnt knowledge through a combined and faster process of both sharing and reflection. Further, five patterns of knowing for the practitioner have been devised on the elements of reflexive, empirical, ethical, personal and aesthetic understanding. (Johns, 1995) Rolfe, 2001: The reflective model provided by Rolfe is largely based on the developmental model of Borton. This simplistic cyclic model incorporates three questions to be asked to the practitioner: 1. What? 2. So What? 3. Now What? Answering these three analytical questions would give a description of a perceived situation and subsequent knowledge construction. The process culminates at personal improvement, prompt responsiveness and continued reflection on the experience. (Rolfe, Freshwater and Jasper, 2001) Key Authors in the Field Jones, Hughes and Kingston (2007) have focussed on the various philosophical aspects of reflective practice. They have authored a systematic approach that provides a scientific background to reflective practice that would strengthen the philosophy of coach education. Special emphasis on sports coaching adds relevance to their work in the context of coaching pedagogy as a whole. Schmidt and Wrisberg (2004) explain the mechanism of motor learning and control through a number of correlations. The authors have based motor performance and learning on information processing approach. This takes into account the considerations like reaction time and decision making. Further, sensory contribution is considered important in skilled performance, motor control and movement accuracy. The authors have also compared random or blocked practice with varied and constant practice. The reflective approach is discerned as they finally stress on the importance of a consistent feedback mechanism in the course of learning experience. Another important author in this field is Magill (2003). Magill also stresses the importance of reflective practice in the context of motor learning and control. His works cover the very basic concepts of the subject which have been further explained by Dibkey (2011): “Definitions: • Motor Skills - actions that require voluntary head, body and/or limb movement to achieve a specific outcome. • Motor Control - how the neuromuscular system functions to initiate and coordinate the muscles and limbs in order to achieve the desired motor skill. • Motor Learning - involves the acquisition of those motor skills, the enhancement of a motor skill or the reacquisition of a skill. (Dibkey, 2011) “Stages of Learning: When people practice a new skill and continue to practice that skill, they progress through distinct stages of learning. The Fitts and Posner model proposes that there are three stages of learning: 1. Cognitive – problem solving and direct attention to the movements being performed 2. Associative – cognitive activity is decreased and the learner works to refine the skill to increase performance success and consistency 3. Autonomous – the learner performs skilfully, almost automatically, with little conscious attention directed to the movements.” (Dibkey, 2011) Benefits of Becoming a Reflective Practitioner In the various fields of human endeavour, including the segment of sports, implementation of reflective practice of coaching is an embedded and holistic one that can be very fruitful for both the coach and the students. The philosophical background of reflective practice particularly benefits the coach. Philosophy’s contribution to the practice of is an embedded and holistic one that sees reasoned, principled and reflective thinking as an ongoing skill that provides a cornerstone to coaching practice. However, there are a number of specific philosophical concepts that, when understood better, can help to promote greater self awareness for practitioners. The concepts finally represent distinct philosophical content knowledge relevant to the practice of coaching. In this context, axiology (values) and ethics (morality) are especially important from the perspective of the coach. (Jones, Hughes and Kingston, 2007) Implication of the integration of reflective practice in the coaching context cannot be overlooked. Reflective teaching is not a knowledge-bounded set of competencies that are learned in the course of student teaching, but on the contrary, teaching that reflectively supports growth and professionalism through the questioning of policies, problems and the consequences of actions. The coach, through reflective practice, is able to enquire into his or her own performance that benefits both the coach and the learner. The process provides a ladder to the coach to reach out the higher levels of performance by obtaining proper motor control and skills. (McKernan, 1996) Crisfield (1998) has observed the link between theoretical understanding and practical implementation through coaching activities with little children. She has given detailed account on reflective practice and marked it as an essential element in increasing coaching effectiveness. Reflective practice focuses on the full utilisation of philosophy, experience, knowledge and skills. The integration of this technique into modern coaching context involves: 1. Planning 2. Delivery 3. Evaluation By means of learning from errors and innovating with the help of self criticism and peer discussions, the coach is helped to understand and devise the fitness strategies and training principles. Thus, the coach is helped to design proper fitness sessions and help people learn, execute, refine and maintain skills consistently (Crisfield, 1998) Further, if the coach properly follows the model provided by Argyris and Schon (1978), the method of Double Loop Learning would help to refine his and her experiences and make amendments of the mistakes and errors done. The circular process of reflective practices provided by Gibbs (1998) helps the coach to utilise his or her emotional quotient in the context of sports development and personnel improvement. Also, following the Kolb Cycle, the coach can evolve through active experimentation, concrete experience, reflective observation and abstract conceptualisation (Shields, Aaron and Wall, 2002). By means of experiments, the coach will innovate and test the existing conditions actively. By experience, the coach will mature. By observation, the coach will learn and develop. And finally, conceptualisation would help the coach to summarise his or her activities and apply them in the due course of time. Benefits of adopting some other reflective models too should be taken into account. Peer discussion in the course of serious discussion can be a winning option for the coach. As per the Johns reflective model (1995), peer discussion through sharing of experiences would make the learning process faster (Johns, 1995). The analytical questions suggested by Rolfe (2001) provides relatively simpler but effective pathway to implement reflective practice. By asking “What?” the coach can look into the options he or she has and the goals that have been laid down. By asking “So What?” the coach would decide what should be his or her selection and why. Finally, when the coach explores the question “Now What?” he or she is likely to devise an action plain that is to be adopted to achieve the targets set by training the pupils in proper direction. In this way, the coach is likely to be benefited as he or she proceeds to become a reflective practitioner. Conclusion It has been already mentioned in the essay that the traditional way of learning provides the coach with considerable command over his or her disciples. However, modern coaching has to be based on two-way communication since the learners’ feedback is very crucial for meaningful coach education. The coach should continuously evaluate and assess motor control, reaction time, hand-eye coordination, accuracy of physical movement and emotional situation of his or her students. The works of Argyris and Schon, Kolb, Gibbs, Johns and Rolfe provide us with different reflective models that can immensely help in sports coaching pedagogy. Further development of theory and practice has been based on the writings of the key authors like Magill, Schmidt and Jones. Synthesis: Reflective practice is beneficial for the coach. Becoming a reflective practitioner, he or she can conduct successful experiments, gather and analyse experience in a systematic manner, develop robust observation skills and derive key concepts for developing the practice sessions and related action plans. A philosophical and theoretical perspective, which is available in the context of reflective practice, further enables us to exploit this set of methods for the betterment of contemporary coaching practices. Reference List Crisfield, D.W. (1998). Louisville Slugger Book of Great Hitters. Hobokon: John Wiley and Sons Dibkey, H. (2011). Motor learning and control fundamentals by Heather Dibkey Available: http://www.themethodpilates/items/pdf/current/controlfund.pdf. Last accessed: 26 March, 2011 Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by Doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods. London: Further Education Unit Johns, C. (1995). Framing learning through reflection within Carper’s fundamental ways of knowing in nursing, Journal of Advanced Nursing, 22 (2), pp. 226-234 Johns, R.L., Hughes, M. and Kingston, K. (Eds) (2007). An Introduction to Sports Coaching. London: Routledge Magill, R.A. (2003). Motor Learning and Control: Concepts and Applications. London: McGraw-Hill McKernan, J. (1996). Curriculum Action Research: A Handbook of Methods and Resources for the Reflective Practitioner. London: Kogan Page Ltd. Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D. and Jasper, M. (2001). Critical Reflection for Nursing and the Helping Professions. Basingstoke: Palgrave Schmidt, R. and Wrisberg, C. (2004). Motor Learning and Performance (3rd ed). Champaign: Human Kinetics Schon, D. (1983). The Reflective Practitioner, How Professionals Think in Action. New York: Basic Book Shields, R.W., Aaron, D. and Wall, S. (2001). What is Kolb’s model of experimental education, and where does it come from? Available: http://fcis.oise.utoronto.ca/~daniel_schugurensky/faqs/qa8.html. Last accessed 27 March, 2011 Read More