TITLE:
Considerations and Suggestions for Design of a Learning and Development Program for Sport Coaches
AUTHORS:
Paul Perkins, Allan Hahn
KEYWORDS:
Coach Development, Communities of Practice, Critical Friendship, Informal Learning, Reflective Practice, Situated Learning, Sport Development, Vygotsky
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.8 No.12,
December
31,
2020
ABSTRACT: Coaches
play a highly influential role across the whole spectrum of sport. Their
proficiency is crucial to the progression, welfare and even the personal development
of the athletes under their charge. Maximising the development of that
proficiency is therefore a crucial concern of numerous sporting and community
organisations. Effort must be directed to continuous improvement of learning
and development programs for coaches, with consideration given to the differing
requirements of coaches operating in different contexts. Historically, most
coach education initiatives have entailed formal instruction in “classroom” situations,
but feedback from participants suggests that this is sub-optimal. Better
outcomes might be achieved through methods designed to promote informal
learning within real-world coaching environments. There is evidence that experiential
learning resulting from repeated cycles of action and reflection can contribute
substantially to the development of expertise. Observation and imitation of significant
others is also a powerful learning mechanism. Here, we review and summarise
literature relating to these matters, while also addressing topics such as the
nature of coaching, the characteristics of expert coaches, and the ways in
which coaches currently learn. We touch upon the concepts of situated learning,
cognitive apprenticeship, and mentoring, and identify known barriers and
facilitators to adult learning. We then provide a suggested framework for the
practical design, implementation, evaluation, and continual refinement of a
program emphasising informal but guided nurturing of coach learning and
development. The suggested approach is consistent with classical learning
theories and incorporates the establishment of critical friendships and communities
of practice.