Congress Sub Theme: Professional learning and development of PE teachers and sport coaches

The Coach as Educator:

A possible content and pedagogical conceptual framework.

Blake Bennett 1

Ian Culpan 2

  1. School of Sport and Physical education, University of Canterbury
  2. New Zealand Centre for Olympic Studies, School of Sport and Physical Education, University of Canterbury.

Despite an increase in research and writings in sport coaching and coach education, sport coaching is still, “ill-defined and under-theorised” (Jones, 2006. p. 3.) It lacks conceptual frameworks that address the complexities of the coaching environment (Jones, 2006; Gilbert & Trudel, 2004). Coach education scholars report that the majority of coaching programmes arelimited and confined to largely coach-centred and coach controlled instructional techniques. (Galvan, Fyall, & Culpan, 2012). These inadequacies result in little regard for individual athlete learning needs, little cognisance given to individual meaning making in sport and little attention given to the range of pedagogical strategies available in order to maximise learning.This restrictive approach implies that the coach’s role is one of instructing, conveying, and/or modelling a set of (physical) skills for enhanced performance. This understanding foregoes recognition of the complex educative responsibilities that a coach has within the coaching environment. Such complexities render the coaching role as one of more than a mere instructor of technical content knowledge. In this presentation we argue the coaching process must be considered more than a simple conveyance of physical/technical skills with benefits limited to athlete performance, health and fitness. Rather, we argue, it is a complex, multifaceted, socially significant, interactive reciprocating, and engaging education process. This process is between the coach as educator, and the athlete as learner,both operating within specific and pressured environments.

Specifically, the purpose of this oral presentation will:

  • Present arguments for the coach’s role as educator;
  • Identify the ‘traditional’ barrier(s) that prevent a coach fulfilling his/her role as an educator;
  • Suggest content related and pedagogical oriented frameworks to reinforce and facilitate the coach operating as an educator.

Galvan, H., Fyall, G. and Culpan, I. (2012) High-performance cricket coaches' perceptions of an educationally informed coach education programme. Asia-Pacific Journal of Health, Sport and Physical Education 3(2): 123-140

Gilbert, W., & Trudel, P. (2006). The coach as reflectivepractitioner. In R. Jones (Ed.).The sports coach as educator: Re-conceptualizing sports coaching. London: Routledge.

Jones, R. (2006). The sports coach as educator: Re-conceptualizing sports coaching. London: Routledge.

Blake Bennett-

Ian Culpan –

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