Learning Program Design researcher perspective

1
Learning Program Design researcher perspective

• Penny Werthner, Ph.D.
• University of Ottawa, Canada
• werthner_at_uottawa.ca

2
Two questions posed

• What current research is there? (on program
  design in coach education)
• Any research on impact of coach education
  programs? (particularly analysis of program
  designs)

3
What we know/What is new

• What we know
• Coaching is a complex activity
• Coaching education programs typically include
  theory, sport specific techniques and strategies,
  and practical components
• Large scale coach education programs designed for
  certification purpose and for competency
  (Campbell, 1993 DeKnop et al. 1996 Lyle, 2002)
• Designed based on the delivery of sport science
  knowledge out of context and assumed a
  novice-expert continuum

4
What we know

• Coaches learn from various sources of knowledge
  mentors, formal courses, observation, past
  experience, trial and error, Internet (Fleurance
  Cotteaux, 1999 Gould, Giannini, Krane,
  Hodge, 1990 Irwin, Hanton, Kerwin, 2004
  Jones, Armour Potrac, 2004 Lemyre Trudel,
  2004)

5
What is new

• Coaching education program design (more recent
  thinking) is influenced by various learning
  theories
• Experiential learning (Dewey, 1933, 1938/1963)
• Kolb (1984) experiential learning cycle
• Schon (1983, 1989) reflective practice,
  reflection-in-practice, reflection-on-practice
• Wenger (1998) communities of practice
• Lave Wenger (1991) learning as a social
  activity

6
What is new, cont

• So we have a shift from what coaches should know
  to what coaches should do
• So in creating new designs, we have initiated
  competency based programs, problem-based
  (Savard, 1997), case method approaches
• Question is this really a useful change in
  program design? Do coaches learn better within
  such programs?

7
A new viewing point

• What is being taught and what is being learned
  can be different (material of teaching and
  material of learning Moon, 2004)
• Sfards (1998) metaphors on learning (acquisition
  metaphor (large scale coach education programs)
  and participation metaphor (through experience)
• Moons (2004) generic view of learning
• -The building the brick wall
  teacher/facilitator provides for the learner the
  bricks of knowledge (assumed teacher will know
  how it will all fit) content knowledge,
  delivery format, assessment tools)
• -the network a vast but flexible network of
  ideas and feelings (a cognitive structure
  guides what we choose to pay attention to)

8
Why is this important?

• In our new program designs (problem solving,
  competency) learning activities are still
  happening outside of real world problem
  solving ignores problem setting
• So best coaches are learning inside and outside
  coach education programs (Werthner Trudel, in
  press) they are learning from past athletic
  experiences, they are recognizing a problem and
  setting out to solve it

9
Formal learning program design (Canadian example)

• Task 17- Level 5 4 day course on leadership
  skills values, ethics, effective communication,
  conflict management, building an effective team
• Tasks 7 and 8 level 4/5 two-part course
  meeting for feedback and dialogue six-eight
  months after first interaction
• Both designs require excellent facilitation and
  create an opportunity for extensive interaction
  and dialogue among the coaches)

10
Conclusions/Next steps?

• Need a new vision for program design shifting
  our thinking from material of teaching to
  material of learning
• Understanding that coaches will learn in the
  classroom and outside the classroom
• We need a bit of letting go of trying to
  control all the learning
• Challenge is to create an environment where there
  can be variations in how a coach learns and
  nurture that learning
• We need both formal and informal kinds of
  learning, taking into consideration the
  internal experiences of the coaches, and adult
  learning principles (eg. active participation,
  Knowles, Holton Swanson, 1998)

11
Process of learning

• The process of learning is not, therefore, about
  accumulation of material of learning, but about
  the process of changing conceptions
• Moon, 2004