Key Concepts

Question 1

What is behaviourism?

Answer 1

New behaviours or changes in behaviours are acquired through associations between stimuli and response

Question 2

What is cognitivism?

Answer 2

Learning occurs through internal processing of information

Question 3

What is constructivism?

Answer 3

We construct our own knowledge of the world based on individual experiences

Question 4

What makes a quality coaching set up?

Answer 4

• Inclusive
• Communication goals
• Input from both coaches and players
• Create a good environment and culture
• Taking external factors into account
• Willingness to improve and change strategies
• Come prepared with a plan
• Working with multiple coaches to help bounce around ideas
• Trust

Question 5

What is quality coaching?

Answer 5

A shift from ‘effective’ coaching to ‘quality’ coaching means having a standards-based approach, or, by considering a coach’s intrinsic and instrumental characteristics

Question 6

What would a focus on quality enable?

Answer 6

A greater emphasis on process, not just product

Question 7

What are instrumental characteristics?

Answer 7

• A focus on the practical and technical issues eg. does the coach provide clear communication?
• What a coach does

Question 8

What are intrinsic characteristics?

Answer 8

• A focus on personal issues eg. is the coach enthusiastic
• Who the coach is

Question 9

How does an instrumental coach make a difference?

Answer 9

They can increase the amount of time that players are engaged in meaningful physical activity

Question 10

How does an intrinsic coach make a difference?

Answer 10

They can develop positive working relationships with participants

Question 11

What are the limitations of an instrumental coach?

Answer 11

• Overemphasis on technical an practical issues
• Lack of focus on the social and the context in which activity occurs
• Can lack meaningfulness to the participants
• May not support reflective practice

Question 12

What are the limitations of an intrinsic coach?

Answer 12

Being someone’s ‘best mate’ will not necessarily improve performance or guarantee learning

Question 13

What is process?

Answer 13

• What are the consequences of what I do?
• What are the consequences of how I do what I do?

Question 14

What is product?

Answer 14

• What do we have to do to reach the goal?
• What is the most efficient way to get there?

Question 15

What is the social concept of coaching?

Answer 15

• Being viewed as a social and relational practice
• Applying sociological thinking, and considering social issues, in order to improve understanding
• Being aware of concepts like power, interaction, structure and agency

Question 16

What is the culture concept of sports coaching?

Answer 16

• The concept of culture is used indiscriminately in sport. Some still consider culture to be about “race, religion and traditions.”
• Culture is a meaning making process; people make a sense of, and assign significance to what they experience

Question 17

What is the sociocultural concept of sports coaching?

Answer 17

It’s an umbrella term that acknowledges in the interconnections between sociological, pedagogical and cultural descriptors

Question 18

What are the 3 concepts of sociocultural?

Answer 18

1. Relating to, or involving a combination of social and cultural factors
2. A group of sub-disciplines used to understand sports coaching
3. To describe people’s behaviour and mental processes as shaped in part by their social and/or cultural contact

Question 19

What is the intersectionality concept of sports coaching?

Answer 19

• Multiple forms of discrimination overlap and create unique experiences for individuals
• Sport’s coaching has tended to focus on a single ‘axis’ or identity ie. men

Question 20

What is the simple definition of reflection?

Answer 20

Systematic questioning of one’s own practice

Question 21

What are the 3 desirable attitudes needed for reflection according to Dewey’s view of reflection?

Answer 21

• Open-mindedness (to give the full attention to all possibilities)
• Whole-heartedness (thoroughly interested in the subject)
• Responsibility (accepting the consequences of one’s action)

Question 22

What is reflection in action?

Answer 22

• Reflecting as something happens
• Consider the situation, decide how to act, act immediately
• Enables on the spot experimentation
• Enables flexibility
  BUT
• does not allow for reflection that is deliberate or prolonged

Question 23

What is reflection on action?

Answer 23

• Reflecting after something happens
• Reconsider the situation, think about what needs changing for the future
• Can also occur before the action

Question 24

What is reflection for action?

Answer 24

• Anticipating what might be needed
• Readiness
• Making adjustments, improvements and changes

Question 25

Why bother with reflection?

Answer 25

Develops intrapersonal knowledge which is an important contributor to effective coaching

Question 26

What is intrapersonal knowledge?

Answer 26

- Based on experience, self-awareness and reflection - Refers to the coach's understanding of themselves and their capacity for self-formation, introspection and reflection, as well as the development of their work philosophy

Question 27

What does it mean to become a reflective sports coach?

Answer 27

- Your practices become more inclusive to needs and interests, more meaningful and more challenging and rewarding to learners/clients - The values, beliefs and assumptions shaping your practices become more apparent - Your improved performance as a practitioner is likely to enhance learning and performance of clients/learners

Question 28

What are some critiques of reflection?

Answer 28

- Tend to become inward if you just think about what you are doing (implications for society and the world) - Leads to difficult conversations - Have to be able to trust your inner voice - Feeling that you're being watched and constantly confess the things you've done wrong - Some values and beliefs are considered more legitimate than others

Question 29

What are the 3 levels of reflection?

Answer 29

- Descriptive level - Theory and knowledge building level - Action-oriented level

Question 30

What are the Van Manen's 3 levels of reflection?

Answer 30

- Technical - Practical - Critical

Question 31

What is the technical level of Van Manen's model of reflection?

Answer 31

- A focus on the goals of a specific, immediate situation; a procedural focus; instrumental purpose - Objectives driven - Focusing on effective and efficient application of knowledge Example questions: - How can I make sure all the athletes hear me? - What resources could I have used to improve the teaching of this task - What goals did I achieve in this session? - What can I do to fix this problem?

Question 32

What is the Practical level of Van Manen's model of reflection?

Answer 32

- The 'how' of a situation, and the practical implications; implications for others ie. interpersonal considerations - Being aware of what the athlete and the coach bring to the session - Knowing the educational consequences of an action Example Questions: - How do I learn and how does this influence what I do as a coach and my expectations of athlete behaviour? - How can I structure the session so that it better suits the athletes? - How does my behaviour reinforce stereotypes?

Question 33

What is the critical level of Van Manen's model of reflection?

Answer 33

- Deepest level; considers the power dynamics, ethical implications etc; has a political or transformative purpose - Recognising the political, moral and ethical meaning of knowledge - Working towards justice and equity - Considering the context in which an activity occurs Example Questions: - What is the difference between the type of feedback I give the various member of the squad and why is this the case? - What do I do about practice that are inequitable or unjust, but are part of the team or club traditions? - Whose knowledge/point of view is being reproduced in this session?

Question 34

What is Action Research?

Answer 34

- A form of collective self enquiry - Based upon data that has been collected - Is systematic and rigorous - Helping your players to have a sense for the game, not just the technical and practical part - It starts with a point of reflection, then try something, then reflect on that etc.

Question 35

What is the experience learning model?

Answer 35

- Reflecting on the doing and how it made you feel - Practicing all different scenarios to get them to feel what it's like so its not so daunting when it comes to the game - Act, Reflect, Conceptualise, Apply