Helen Timperley is a education researcher from New Zealand. Her book, Realizing the Power of Professional Learning (2011) focuses on a model she created called the Knowledge Building Inquiry Cycle (KBIC). This model guides instructional design and assessment for teachers to optimize student learning. Although this model is designed for teachers and school administrators to improve education achievement, it is my belief that it applies equally to all learning environments. If your goal as a youth cross country ski coach is to optimize learning, then this model has got something to offer.
The KBIC begins with identifying what knowledge and skills that you want your kids to learn. Ideally these learning goals are individualized because every learner- youth learning to ski - is at a different place in their skill development.
The second step in the model is to identify the gap that exists where are your kids are and where you would like them to be. Once you identify the gap in skill and understanding for each child, then you can figure out what do you need to learn to bring this about.
The next step in the model is to identify what you need to learn as a coach so that your young athletes can learn what they need to. This includes content knowledge, instructional design ideas, assessment/feedback, and having a sense of what the low hanging fruit when it comes to where we should put our efforts as coaches/teachers. The low hanging fruit really is referring to where will you get the most bang for your buck when it comes to choices around how you design instruction. Education researchers such as John Hattie, Visible Learning (2010) have identified influences on achievement such as peer instruction, feedback, teacher-student relationship as having significant effects on improving achievement. Understanding what it is that you need to learn to improve your coaching is an important part of helping young skiers to improve their skill.
Once you've identified what the gap in learning is, and what you need to learn, and have learned it, then you give kids an learning experience. This is followed by assessing how successful you were in bringing about the desired change in learning and growth of your young athletes. And then the process starts again.
This isn't an extremely complex model, and makes intuitive sense. But it is how you effectively bring about learning. Learning isn't just the responsibility of the kids you are working with. Great coaches own the learning that their athletes make by constantly identifying where kids are at in their learning, what the gap is between where kids are at and where you want them to be, taking time to learn how to be more effective, designing effective learning, and assessing where kids are at.
One of the big struggles for many youth coaches is not having access to mentorship. Being able to watch someone else coach, or having someone watch you and provide feedback are rare opportunities for most youth coaches. Often the reality is we are left to our own devices with very limited feedback or input from someone more experienced. It is this reality over my 20+ years of youth ski coaching that led me to first initiating this coaching blog.
Let me know what your questions are - I'd be happy to have a conversation.
Happy Winter!
Roy Strum
Canmore, AB
