Between the Barriers - Supporting Coach Development through Mentoring and Reflective Practice. Dr Andy Miles

Transcription

1 Between the Barriers - Supporting Coach Development through Mentoring and Reflective Practice Dr Andy Miles

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3 Introduction This session will : Explore how Coach Education has evolved to focus more on what a coach should be able to do and to shift the learning to a real-world environment Identify that reflective practice is an established procedure used in various professional domains as a means of facilitating learning from professional experience Define the concept of reflective practice and outline how and why reflective practice has been adopted by the sports coaching domain Examine practical issues associated with reflective practice and offer guidance on what to reflect on and how and when coaches should go about conducting reflective practice

4 Introduce and critique models of reflective practice and discuss their suitability for use by sports coaches Explore how off-course learning and reflective practice can be supported through mentoring and communities of practice Define the concepts of mentoring and identify the key characteristics of a mentor Explore how National Governing Bodies and their staff can create a supportive environment for coach education to take place in-situ

5 What is Coaching? Coaching consists of: Roles - What role does a coach play? Responsibilities - What should a coach do? Behaviours - How does a coach do things? Actions- What a coach does? Coaching is informed by: Experiences What has gone before? Beliefs - Why does a coach do things? Knowledge - What does a coach know? Evaluation What worked previously?

6 What is Coach Education? The process by which coaches are prepared and trained to do the job of coaching Who should provide it? The Sport - National Governing Body Sport - Sports Coach UK / UK Sport A.N. Other - Universities, Business..

7 Task 1 List some of the key features of the Coach Education experiences you have had. Consider: 1- When you had them? 2- Who delivered them? 3- How they were delivered? 4- Were they for a qualification?

8 Initial focus of Coach Education was on the provision of knowledge supported by elements of coaching skills and limited opportunities to gain coaching experience Focus was on what the coach SHOULD KNOW Recognition that Coach Education contained elements common to all sports and that the provision of such information in a generic way would allow coaches to learn from other sports Coaching profession identified that there are common skills and that there are certain elements of underpinning knowledge that are required to support the development of those skills

9 Focus is now on what the coach SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO United Kingdom Coaching Certificate Or not!?

10 What should a good Coach Education programme include? Knowledge: programmes Experience: Skills: Of the sport Of coaching Of sport science Of the management of people and Of coaching coached Practical demonstrations of skills to be

11 How should a Coach Education programme be delivered? By Governing Bodies as Sport Specific Awards? By Universities as Coaching Degrees? Classroom based? Online / Remotely? Self-directed / Reflective? With the help of a mentor?

12 All of the above?

13 Task 2 Identify the differences and similarities between the following three professions: 1- Teaching 2- Nursing 3- Coaching

14 Characteristics They deal with human interactions and are personal in nature They are caring professions They deal with people across age groups, genders and communities They occur in a dynamic, changing environment They demand specialist knowledge and skills, in addition to those acquired in a basic training curricula The entire job cannot be learned through classroom based learning alone there has to be on the job learning

15 and carry out appropriate interventions is dependent on the practitioners ability to apply their knowledge and skills effectively within an ever changing environment professional knowledge is grounded in professional experience and the development of professional knowledge occurs when one reflects on a problem or dilemma that occurs within the professional setting

16 Learning [Knowledge] Kolb s Learning Cycle The development of expertise is not a passive process so in order to become better, novice practitioners must do something with their experiences in order to develop knowledge and expertise Experience Reflection

17 What is Reflective Practice?

18 Origins of Reflective Practice Developed from nursing and education professions (e.g., Schön; Ghaye; Johns) Consistent support for RP in the development of effective practice within these fields Support for RP also provided from sport coaching

19 Sports Coaching: Miles (1998) suggested that reflection is the key to the development of effective coaching practice Knowles et al. (2002) demonstrated that it could be used to improve the coaching practice within a higher education coaching programme Irwin et al. (2004) reflective practice can result in the development of elite coaching knowledge

20 What is Reflective Practice? Due to the complex process of reflection, a simple definition is elusive (Ghaye & Lillyman, 2000). RP offers a framework from which we can examine and learn about doing sport coaching Reflection creates a link between professional knowledge and practice

21 Boyd, E and Fales, A (1983) Reflective learning: Key to learning from experience. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 23, What is Reflective Practice? A process of reviewing an experience of practice in order to describe, analyse and evaluate and so inform learning from practice Reid, B (1993) But we re doing it already! Exploring a response to the concept of reflective practice in order to improve its facilitation. Nurse Education Today, The process of internally examining and exploring an issue of concern, triggered by an experience, which creates and clarifies meaning in terms of self and results in a changed conceptual perspective

22 Action based on occurrence of an incident Incident completed: Have we learnt from the incident? Has experience been gained? A similar incident occurs: Do we act more effectively? On reflection: Can we assume learning from experience?

23 Learning [Knowledge] Kolb s Learning Cycle The development of expertise is not a passive process so in order to become better, novice practitioners must do something with their experiences in order to develop knowledge and expertise Experience Reflection

24 Reflective Practice Using a variety of techniques to reflect on our professional work experiences in order to become increasingly more effective Palmar, Burns and Bulman (1994)

25 What is Reflective Practice? It is about asking questions about one s practice What is my practice like? Why is it like this? How has it come to be this way? What aspects of it would I like to improve? Whose interests are being served (or denied) by my practice? What nourishes or constrains what I do? What pressures prevent/limit me from practicing in alternative ways? What alternatives are available to me right now?

26 Task 3 Consider a warm-up routine that you regularly use: 1- Briefly describe it 2- Is it good? 3- Why is it good? 4- Where did it come from? 5- Has it changed over the years?

27 What is Reflective Practice? Reflecting on your values Reflecting on your practice Reflecting on your knowledge Reflecting on your ability to learn Learning through reflection Reflecting on the impact of reflection on your practice

28 Timing of Reflection Reflection-on-action Reflection after the event Deliberate and conscious activity Improves future practice Reflection-in-action In the midst of an event Rapid interpretation Guides further action

29 What Should we Reflect on? What went wrong Natural to focus on the bad things To understand why it went wrong To avoid making the same error again What went right Often neglected To understand why it went right To be able to replicate success

30 Reflective Methods A number of models have been developed to guide the process of reflecting-onaction Novice reflective practitioners may benefit from further guidance Recognised value of Gibbs (1988) model

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33 Structured Reflection (Johns Core Question Cue Questions 1.0 Description of Experience 1992) What information do I need access to in order to learn through this experience? 1.1 Phenomenon - Describe the here and now experience 1.2 Causal - What essential factors contributed to the experience? 1.3 Context - What are the significant background actors to the experience

34 2.0 Reflection 2.1 What was I trying to achieve? 2.2 Why did I intervene as I did? 2.3 What were the consequences of my actions for: myself? the client? Others I work with? 2.4 How did I feel about this experience when it was happening? 2.5 How did the client feel about it? 2.6 How do I know how the client felt about it?

35 3.0 Influencing Factors 3.1 What internal factors influenced my decision making? 3.2 What external factors influenced my decision making? 3.3 What sources of knowledge did / should have influenced my decision making 4.0 Could I have dealt better with the situation? 4.1 What other choices did I have? 4.2 What would be the consequences of these choices? 5.0 Reflection 5.1 How do I NOW feel about this experience? 5.2 How have I made sense of this experience in light of past experiences and future practice? 5.3 How has this experience changed my ways of knowing: Empirics? Aesthetics? Ethics? Personal?

36 Reflective Journals Records information for later use Provides material and structure for reflection and learning Gives distance and perspective Permits selection and focus Forces time out for deliberation and development Permits return and review to trace change and development Writing taps into tacit knowledge - makes explicit what was implicit, intuitive or assumed Flexible: Can be therapeutic, evaluative, analytic, introspective, cathartic.

37 Possible Prompts Identification and description of event/ situation what happened?/ what was it? An attempt to interrogate and interpret its significance both immediately and in the broader context what does that suggest / how does that fit / how do you feel about that?/ where does this take you?/ what am I really talking about?

38 indications of learning or change or action as perceived by the journal writer. So what?? (positively!!!. ) where are we now/ where from here/ what s new? what does that mean for you? /what does that tell you? /What else could I have done?? /Where next?/ What do I need to do about it

39 Task 4 Consider the three reflective practice methods: 1- Which do you prefer? 2- Why? 3- Who might be best suited to use each approach? 4- What else might you need to help you reflect?

40 Task 5 Go on then. Reflect!

41 The Reflective Continuum Inexperienced reflective practitioners require support and thus a structured model might be best for them As you become more experienced at reflective practice the reliance on structure will diminish Experience reflective practitioners need little structure and can create their own journals effectively

42 The literature suggests that in order to start the reflective practice journey practitioners may find a mentor or peer support group an ideal asset

43 The use of a helping or guiding hand on the coach education journey? Mentoring

44 Task 6 Create you own definition of MENTORING

45 mentoring is an ongoing, prolonged process that includes regular interaction between the mentor and mentee. It is recognised as offering both structured and unstructured support for coach learning and is the most visible example of a practice where formal and informal learning meets many definitions but a common emphasis appears to be placed upon the guiding function and most include verbs like support, advise, nurture and facilitate. Mentoring is therefore seen as doing something with as opposed to a mentee and it is an investment in the total personal

46 Mentoring in Different Contexts Focus of mentoring programmes seems to differ between business and academic settings Academic - mentoring appears to focus on the development of the person Business focus on organisational outcomes Mentoring generally loosely defined: colleagues, peers and even subordinates could be mentors in relationships that could last days, weeks, months or years

47 Mentoring in Different Contexts Darling (1994) defined a mentor s role using 14 specific parameters and identified a number of common attributes: a teaching/learning process a reciprocal role a career development relationship a knowledge differential between mentor and mentee a duration of several years

48 Darling s 14 Specific Parameters Model invisioner Energiser Investor Supporter Career counsellor Standard prodder Teacher Coach Feedback giver Challenger Eye opener Door opener Idea bouncer Problem solver

49 Mentoring in Different Contexts Mentoring means different things to different people Mentoring is affected by third parties Research indicates that mentees require a different type of mentoring depending on their stage of development

50 Task 7 So what is a mentor?

51 Defining the Mentor a supporter, counsel and guide to a protégé Merriam (1983) a mixture of parent and peer, [whose] primary function is to be a transitional figure in an individual s development Levinson (1978)

52 Questioning Core Skills Bad Mentoring? Listening Managing feedback Observation and analysis

53 Emotional intelligence The ideal sports coach mentor is expected to have: Good sport specific technical knowledge Good knowledge of the coaching process Credibility, - qualifications / experience in coaching / mentoring Good communication skills - questioning and listening Good interpersonal skills - openness, approachability, support and empathy An ability to guide mentees in their learning and an ability to facilitate self-actualisation A professional approach to mentoring

54 Defining the Mentor/Mentee Relationship relationship in which a person of greater rank, experience or expertise teaches, guides and develops a novice in a profession Alleman, Cochran, Doverspike and Newman (1984) off-line help by one person to another in making significant transitions in knowledge, work or thinking Clutterbuck and Megginson ( 1999) the process whereby a more experienced individual willingly shares their knowledge with someone less experienced in a relationship of mutual trust (Clutterbuck, 1991)

55 Phases of the Mentoring Relationship (1) Initiation phase: relationship between the mentor and mentee is established Cultivation phase: career and psychosocial functions provided by that relationship expand to their maximum benefit, both for the mentor and the mentee Separation phase: established nature of the relationship is substantially changed, either by organisational contact or psychological factors Re-defining phase: finally, the relationship between the mentor and mentee may evolve into a new form or end entirely

56 Phases of the Mentoring Relationship (2) Building the relationship Setting the direction Progressing Winding down Moving on

57 Potential Barriers Lack of trust Fear of criticism Complacency Fear of rejection Ownership of the process Others? Your ideas, please...

58 Peer Mentoring - Can we help each other? Typical Issues Surrounding the Mentoring Relationship Manager v Mentor issues Coach/Mentor Formal v Informal Professional Mentors professionals - Line management relationship - What is the difference? - Does it have to be formalised - Can NGBs support The Promiscuous Mentee - Can a mentee have more than 1 mentor? Relative Qualifications - Knowledge and experience cascade Push / Pull concept - Who drives the relationship / meetings?

59 The Mentor s Role in Promoting Self-reflection Key Stage Mentor Role 1 Description (of Active listening and experience/problem) questioning (reflective) 2 Evaluation (of events) Objective listening and questioning (probing) 3 Analysis (of actions Challenging and impact of actions) (follow-on questions) 4 Conclusion (options Directing and assisting for development) (source of knowledge and/or objective feedback) 5 Development planning (recording) Clarifying, advising and building confidence

60 Summary Mentees require a different type of mentoring depending on their stage of development Knowledge, skills and attributes required of a mentor will vary at different stages of development Key role is in developing self-reflection so mentee can maximise their learning

61 So what does that mean: for you? for UK Athletics? for coaches? for coach educators?