Why do you coach the way that you coach?

Adapted and inspired by EIS 'Curriculum Project'

I must have asked this question to more than 10,000 coaches in my career. To me it is one of the most fundamental questions..."why do you do what you do the way that you do it". The answers tend to centre around 2 themes...either "I was coached like this and I hated it so I don't want anyone else to be coached like that..." or "I was coached like this and it was amazing so I want others to have the same experience". 

Sometimes it is based on what they have seen others do rather then what happened to them first hand.

Every now and again someone will say because of the way they have been trained. 

Hardly ever do they say..."because of my coach education". 

I then follow up the question with a further clarification...I ask, "How many of you have a theory of learning that guides your coaching practice". 

Hardly any hands go up...

I then say, "what if I told you that you do have a theory of learning guiding your coaching practice...you just don't know it". 

I get a LOT of blank stares...

It is no surprise that there are gaps in coaches' understanding of learning theories, most people don't even know that their are multiple theories about learning and that scholars, researchers and practitioners have been arguing about them since the beginning of time. 

But the way people are generally educated and the way they develop their ideas of learning are based on the dominant learning paradigms that are embedded within our culture. Most people's experience of learning is based on formalised models of learning that they would experience at school or in another learning institution.  

Those models of learning become culturally engrained in the way we think and as such a lot of coach education has followed the same model. So whether they are aware that they have a theory of learning or not...they actually do...it has been culturally influenced and become embedded in their thinking without them realising it. 

It's like the old joke about the 2 fish in the fish tank, one says to the other "this water is really dirty isn't it?" the other one replies "what's water?"

Many people don't know they have a theory that guides the way that they approach learning but nonetheless, a dominant learning theory is all around them...they are immersed in it!

So one of the things I do is to help people to understand different ways to think about learning based on some different theories and what impact that can have on learning design. This allows us to explore ways that we could provide a richer support architecture around sport and physical activity practitioners. 

I like to use visual metaphors and so this image of 'gardens of learning' or 'learning ecosystems' has become a bit of a reference point in a lot of my engagements and workshops. It acts as a thinking tool or a reference point in the design conversation.  

The aim is to rebalance the offer so that we shift from being so dominated by formal learning that is subject or content driven and work more from within context to more informal learning opportunities that are experience based. 

Now this is critical because without this paradigm shift in learning models...education and development in sport an physical activity will never be truly inclusive. 

The 'traditional' learning models have been around for centuries and they still have many of the features of their time. They are based on a class dominated system of learning that prizes knowledge and the ability to retain knowledge as being associated with intelligence. This is why there is a social stigma associated with more 'on the job', vocational style learning models. 

In most western societies...'vocational learning is for the thick kids'. 

Subhadra Vas talks about this in her brilliant book 'Uncivilised' where she lays out the way that education was shaped by thinkers such as Francis Galton, and became designed by the ruling upper class and was very much focussed on using education to separate those who had knowledge and could be considered part of the white collar managerial class and those who take roles in the blue collar working class. 

Even though the vocational 'apprentice' model of education had been around for a long time and was a very powerful way for people to learn skills and trades...this became unfashionable as people wanted social mobility and sought to gain this through formal education in the great institutions of learning. 

If the sport and physical activity workforce is going to diversify and be more open and equitable...it must let go of these culturally resilient ideas and recognise them as being artifacts from a bygone era. 

The interesting thing is that recent changes to legislation brought in by the previous government and now the labour government has started a radical shift towards more practical and skills based models of learning - moving away from qualifications that don't bear very much relevance to real world application. 

Sport and physical activity has been moving in this direction for several years so we are well placed to take advantage of these changes. 

Those who are able to break free of the shackles of the old ways of thinking and can embrace this paradigm shift will be able to access resources that have not been imagined before...those that stick with what they know will find it harder and harder to make progress. 

This is a daunting prospect and can often make people really anxious. I have several calls each month with learning systems managers, coaching leads, heads of workforce development all looking for some guidance, support and clarity on what to do next and how to go about it. 

Realistically, this doesn't have to be that scary...and the thing I always remember is that we owe it those we serve...and perhaps more importantly, we owe it to those we currently don't serve.

If any of this resonates for you...please reach out for a free call to explore some of these areas.