Making Sense of the Coach's Learning Journey - British Canoeing

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Coaching Chaos – Making Sense of the Coach’s Learning Journey 2016 Coach Conference 19th & 20th November Eastwood Hall, Nottinghamshire For further information and to book your place, please click here.

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British Canoeing invites you to the 2016 Coach Conference Coaching Chaos - Making sense of the coaches learning Journey. At a time when coaches from the field suggest they gain little from the coach education process, at least beyond the basic structure and the sharing of a common experience with their peers, this year’s event will focus on exploring the learning journey of coaches, scaffolding learning and developing coaching practice to improve participant experiences. This years event aims to offer coaches at all levels and disciplines opportunities to challenge their views, their thinking and their practice, whatever their involvement or level! Coaches and coach educators, competitive and non competitive, performance and high performance coaches will all be challenged via a range of presentation and professional discussion. Taking a theory to practice approach, day one of the conference will feature a number of speakers and themes that support the development of coaching practice and offer a number of ‘tracked’ interactive workshops, supporting coaches and coach educators at all levels of practice and engagement. Scaffolding Learning will continue to be the theme for day two with additional ‘tracked’ workshops aimed at those wishing to continue to explore the theory of practice and the implications of this on their own learning and performance. Additionally, a selection of practical workshops focusing on the placing theory into practice will be offered.

Conference Photos Credit: Paul Taylor

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Saturday’s Keynote 1 (10.00-11.30am) Crafting Knowledge, Developing Expertise – The Development Journey of the Model Coach. A stimulating conference opening and Scene setting presentation delivered by John Lyle. John is Professor of Sport Coaching at Leeds Beckett University, UK, and previously Dean of the School of Psychology and Sport Sciences at Northumbria University, UK. He has had a long and successful career in higher education, first in physical education and later specialising in sport coaching studies. He established the first professional diploma in sports coaching and played a significant role in the development of sport coaching as an academic field of study. He is the author of Sports Coaching Concepts: First Edition, and co-editor of The Coaching Process and Sports Coaching: Professionalisation and Practice.

Saturday’s Keynote 2 (18.00-19.45) The Coaches Learning Journey – engaging with participants. A day one keynote closure session lead by Martin Chester exploring how as coaches our engagement with participants and athletes requires a multi-dimensional view of participant needs, differentiated delivery as well as our own coaching philosophy and development as a coach. The session will also case study a coach – student /athlete relationship, exploring the tenets of establishing and maintaining great working relationships.

Saturday Workshops Saturdays workshop sessions focus on providing insight and discussion around understanding how coaches ‘craft’ or build their knowledge and skills through a learning journey. The key themes of understanding the sources of knowledge that coaches draw on throughout that journey, how coaching practice and expertise develops and how they synthesis theory and knowledge will be discussed and debated. All delegates will engage in each of the three main workshop sessions. Each of the workshops will begin with a brief introduction to current academic thought around the workshop subject itself and then followed with a number of ‘tracked’ interactive discussions targeted at coaches and coach educators at all levels of practice and engagement. Simply select the track you would like to follow. See the following page for more details of workshops and track options.

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Workshop 1

‘Crafting Knowledge’ – The Learning Journey of the coach. Matt Berry / Ed Christian A workshop exploring the learning journey of the model / expert coach and exploring aspects of coaching practice and expertise. Also looking at how coaches can ‘scaffold’ their learning and create supportive learning mechanisms. These discussions will continue throughout your Sunday workshop choices

Workshop 2

The Coach as Educator Bill Taylor / Ryan Groom/ Dean ‘Sid’ Sinfield This workshop explores the concept of the coach as an educator and delvs into and considers how coaches can apply educational theory to their approach. Problem Based Learning, Reflective Practice, Constructivism, Transformational Leadership and Motivational Learning theory will be considered. These discussions will continue throughout your Sunday workshop choices

Workshop 3

“Coaching – It’s all about people, creating the optimum environment to support learning and performance” Doug Cooper Doug has spent the past year as part of his MSc, researching what makes the optimum motivational climate in the Adventure Sports Coaching world and how expert Adventure Sports Coaches go about doing this. By understanding the motivational climate for the dynamic world of paddlesport coaching it will enable the coach to create an optimum environment to support learning and performance – it puts the focus on the person and reminds us all that coaching is all about getting the most from those we are supporting in their learning. Doug believes the creation of an optimum climate and the associated ‘interpersonal’side of the coaching process is the ‘glue’ that holds it all together, and in that is the make or break when it comes to successful coaching. This workshop will draw from Doug’s research what makes up this optimum climate for coaching paddlesport, along with what underpins it and how we go about creating it as coaches.

Day Time Tracked Options are; These ‘Tracked Options’ offer a number of interactive workshops supporting coaches and coach educators at all levels of practice and engagement. Base your choice of workshop on one or other of the tracked options offered, depending on your current engagement in coaching activity or simply on a choice of option that interests you.

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T1-Coaches working in the activation environment and or physical skills development. A tracked workshop group aimed at coaches working in clubs, centres and community organisations, providing first touch experiences for paddlers and / or basic skills development opportunities for paddlers engaging in regular activity. Delegtes will discuss aspects of coach learning that will provide opportunity for delegates to consider how they might improve their own performance and therefore, their current interventions with participants. The emphasis is on supporting / scaffolding your own performance as a coach. Open to all coaches, particularly if you are engaged in the above areas, It will be very much coaching practice focused rather than discipline focused.

T2- Performance Coaches working in the competition environment A tracked workshop group aimed at coaches working in competitive and adventure sports environments, providing more individualized holistic coaching opportunities for paddlers engaging in regular activity and wishing to improve all areas of their performance. Delegates will discuss aspects of coach learning that will provide opportunity for delegates to consider how they might improve their own performance and therefore their current interventions with participants. The emphasis is very much on supporting / scaffolding your own performance as a coach. Open to all coaches, particularly if you are engaged in the above areas, It will be very much coaching practice focused rather than discipline focused.

T3- High Performance Coaches working in the Competition / adventure sports space. A tracked workshop group aimed at coaches working in high performance environments environments, providing more individualized holistic coaching opportunities for paddlers wishing to improve performance over annual programme periods / long term. Delegates will discuss aspects of coach learning that will provide opportunity for delegates to consider how they might improve their own performance and therefore their current interventions with participants. The emphasis is on supporting / scaffolding your own performance as a coach. Every workshop is open to all coaches with the focus on coaching practice rather than being discipline focused.

T4- Coach Educators A tracked workshop group aimed at coaches working in the coach educator environment and providing coach education, training and or assessment. The workshop will discuss aspects of how, as coach educators, we can improve the learning journey of the next generation of coaches.

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Sunday 20th Nov Workshops Eastwood Hall – Scaffolding Learning - Theory to Practice Workshops. Additional classroom based workshops aimed at those wishing to continue to explore the theory of practice and the implications of this on their own learning and performance. Buding on the areas of discussion from day one, delegates will be able to join a more intensive exploration of one aspect of learning or coaching practice that particularly interests them. All these sessions will be tailored to ensure they are relevant to coaches working in either / or both the competitive and non competitive environment, engaged in activation / physical skills development / adventure sports coaching, either as a performance or high performance coach. Delivery will share current thinking and engage participants in discussion that will provide opportunities for coaches at all levels to benefit from their participation in the workshops and from a positive impact on their own coaching activity. These workshops are half day sessions. SW1

Social Interaction: Adding another dimension to your coaching.

Paul Gray

Eastwood Hall

This workshop explores how social interaction and interpersonal skills might be utilised within your coaching. Current research within Paddlesport will be used to highlight the importance and influential factors of social interaction, and how this contributes to participants’ development. The interactive workshop seeks to challenge your thinking and provide approaches to consider within your current practice.

SW3

The Coach as Educator

B Taylor/R. Groom

Eastwood Hall

The aim of this session is to look at and expand the current conceptualisation of the coaching role and of coach education. The workshop will make the case that the coach should consider themselves as an educator and that coaching is a complex pedagogical process. We will therefore explore related competencies and examples from educational theory that may enhance our understanding of coaching and how to go about it. Topics covered will include:  Behaviourist Theory  Experiential Theory  Humanist Theory  Constructivist Theory  Transformational Learning Theory

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SW4

Sourcing Knowledge and developing your own coaching philosophy and expertise

Matt Berry and Ed Christian

Eastwood Hall

Why do you coach the way that you do? This workshop seeks to address some philosophical questions within coaching and coach education. Firstly, we will explore some key questions within the subject of knowledge, such as:  What is knowledge?  How do we know that we know something?  How do we acquire coaching knowledge?  Who owns knowledge in coaching?  How do you know the ‘right’ way to coach?

Secondly, we will present findings from our own research that sought to determine how high-level adventure sports coaches sourced their coaching knowledge. The final theme will explore the relationship between knowledge and coaching expertise by drawing the experiences of practicing high-level adventure sports coaches. Through individual and group tasks we aim to provoke thought that enables coaches to develop and ultimately articulate their own coaching philosophy.

SW5

Reflective Practice

Lara Cooper

Eastwood Hall

Reflective practice can refer to the ability to analyse one’s own practice and thereby effect or change our practice or behavior. The importance of reflecting as part of the learning process has been emphasised by many and is regarded as the practice of incorporating problem solving in to learning by doing or the application of critical theory to the examination of practice. This workshop will explore how as coaches we can more effectively engage in our own reflective practice to enhance the effectiveness of our coaching. We will explore the relationship between the reflective sports coach and learning, how we can question our own coaching practice , using reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action and also consider single-loop and double-loop learning practices to determine which would be best for our own purposes.

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SW6

Maximising the effectiveness of your Coaching

Keith Hampton

Eastwood Hall

As coaches and coach educators we have a number of tools and coaching processes that we can use to maximise the effectiveness of our coaching sessions. This ‘Theory to Practice’ workshop covers the key processes bringing you up to date with current thinking and giving you the chance to experiment and explore their use in a practical setting. Topics covered will include:  Structuring Your Practice Sessions; how to use contextual interference and variability of practice skilfully to enhance long term learning, develop new skills and promote effective decision making.  Conveying Information; paying attention to what the learner needs and how best that can be communicated.  Focus of Attention; effects on developing perception-movement links, performance and skill acquisition.  Feedback; the ‘what’ and ‘when’ of using feedback with savvy.  Motivation; understanding the key elements of creating a ‘Needs Supportive’ learning environment and the potential effects on long term participation!

SW7

Performance, (Observation) Analysis – (Observation in the real world)

Scott Simon

Eastwood Hall

This workshop will cover the theoretical models of observing performance in complex, chaotic situations. Learning from other sports and across paddle-sport disciplines, we will explore strategies for gathering better information within your coaching interactions. Further, we will explore how this information is then filtered and responded to by the coach, before impacting on a decision making strategy to improve athlete/learner performance. Both practical and theoretical in nature, come prepared to get involved and blend theory to your individual practice that will allow you to create, innovate and develop take-away tools. Suitable for competition and recreation coaches, this workshop aims help you challenge your practice and develop better strategies that will help you have a greater impact in your applied coaching context.

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SW8

Developing Decision Making Skills in Coaches

Martin Chester

Eastwood Hall

“Good judgement comes from experience: Experience comes from bad judgement” This session draws upon our personal experiences to tackle the gritty issues of decision making required to coach in adventurous places. Along the way we will consider and explore:  The value of having epics in developing experienced coaches (and the crucial balance of stretch and development against adequate client care)  How we (and others) learn from mistakes in order to make better decisions in the future  Dissecting the detail: Understanding the how, why and detail of poor decision making.  How we record and package this information to inherit and share organisational culture and knowledge  How we might learn from the coaching of tactical skills; in order to educate coaches in decision making  What we might learn from other sports and industries about teaching/ instilling good decision making under pressure We will then explore how we might structure and develop a progression or pathway to gaining greater decision making skills; and question what skills we need at each level. This will inform our own philosophy for developing these skills in the future.

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Women in Coaching

Dawn Scott

Eastwood Hall

This workshop will examine the numbers of women entering and progressing through the coaching scheme, and will examine how more women can be encouraged to become coaches. A highly interactive workshop, it will seek answers that will be of a practical nature for clubs, centres and coach educators alike.

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Saturday 19th November - Programme Overview / Eastwood Hall 8.00 9.15 09.45

Arrival and Registration Welcome – Richard Ward Introduction – David Joy Keynote 1 – John Lyle Crafting Knowledge, Developing Expertise – The Development Journey of the Model Coach. Refreshment Break

11.30

Workshop Track 1 ‘Crafting Knowledge’ – The development journey of the expert Coach Matt Berry / Ed Christian

13.00 Lunch 14.00 Workshop 2 ‘The Coach as Educator’ Bill Taylor / Ryan Groom / Dean ‘Sid’ Sinfield Refreshment Break 16.00 Workshop 3 ‘Coaching – It’s all about people, creating the optimum environment to support learning and performance’ Doug Cooper Refreshment Break 18.00 Keynote 2 – Martin Chester The Coaches Learning Journey – engaging with participants 19.45 Conference Dinner

Sunday 20th November – Programme Overview / Eastwood Hall Eastwood Hall Programme – ‘Scaffolding Learning’ - Theory to Practice 09.00 Programme Introduction 09.30 Workshop Sessions 13.00 Lunch 14.00 Conference Close

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Sunday 20th Nov - Delivery Team Paul Gray Paul (or should we say Reg) is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire and works across a range of Outdoor and Adventure related programmes. He has recently submitted a Doctoral thesis entitled Social Interaction: A Missing Link within Adventure Sports Coaching. Paul is a Coach Level 5 and has been involved in coach education for over 15 years. He is also the captain of the GB Masters White Water Rafting Team and has a passion, or mid life crisis, in long distance triathlons.

Doug Cooper Doug is based in the highlands of Scotland where he spends his life paddling, climbing, skiing and coaching. He has worked full time at Sport Scotland’s Scottish National Outdoor Training Centre, Glenmore Lodge (www.glenmorelodge.org.uk) since 1996 where he works as a senior instructor on the mountains and water alike, along with overlooking the coaching and education that the centre delivers. As a recently qualified BC UKCC Level 4 Coach, as well as a Level 5 Sea Coach, Level 5 White Water Coach and Level 4 Surf Coach he is kept busy on the water helping other paddlers develop their skills or become coaches themselves. Away from coaching his time is spent exploring the worlds’ coastlines, rivers and surf breaks. At weekends it will be in Scotland, on holidays it will be further a field to destinations warm and cold. He has been on paddling expeditions throughout the UK as well as Greenland, Canada, USA, Iceland, Norway, Alaska, Austria, Switzerland, France, Corsica, Croatia, Sardinia, India and Nepal. In addition to getting out and paddling he also writes about paddling, with two instructional books (Sea Kayak Handling and Rough Water Handling) and guide books (Scottish Sea Kayaking, North and East Coasts of Scotland Guide, Skye and Skye and North West Highlands of Scotland Guide [due end 2016!). He is actively involved in supporting and developing coaching in the Adventure Sports Coaching Sector, working closely with many NGB’s, in particular British Canoeing. He has also recently finished a MSc in Performance Coaching in which his main research area was the motivational climate created by Adventure Sports Coaches.

Matt Berry Matt is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Chichester teaching on the Outdoor and Adventure Education and Physical Education programmes. He has edited two text books in the field of Adventure Education and Adventure Sports Coaching; which have been adopted by universities and colleges worldwide. Matt is an active adventure sports coach in a variety of sports but with a particular interest in white-water kayaking.

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Ed Christian Ed is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Chichester where he teaches on both the Physical and Outdoor and Adventure Education programmes. Ed specialises in the areas of Sport and Exercise Psychology and Motor Control. He has authored book chapters and research papers in these areas. He is an active paddlesport coach and coach educator.

Bill Taylor Bill is a Londoner by birth and spent most of his early paddling career racing up and down the Thames in sprint boats. It was only in his early twenties that he widened his interests to include the rest of what paddlepsorts has to offer. He has since made first descents in Africa, Mexico, Pakistan and the former Soviet Union, completed a 6 month solo sea paddle in the South Pacific and a three month solo canoe journey along the length of the River Danube. He has even managed to represent Britain in White Water Rafting. His career path has taken him from working as an outdoor pursuits instructor in Scotland to being a co-director of Mobile Adventure Ltd. Bill is currently employed in the Department of Exercise and Sports Science, Manchester Metropolitan University where he is subject leader in Coaching.

Dean ‘Sid’ Sinfield Sid works across the paddlesports and mountaineering departments at Plas-YBrenin, The National Mountain Sports Centre. As the lead person for NGB qualifications in paddlesports he delivers coach education courses at all levels from level 1-3. In addition to this he delivers sea kayak and open canoe qualification up to 5* leadership and white-water awards up to 4* leadership standard. As an active mountaineer he also works on mountain training courses including winter skills. I assess the Mountain Leader, Hill and Moorland leader and lowland leader award. Sid’s personal area of interest is performance coaching and developing coach education. He is currently studying for an MSc in performance coaching through Stirling University.

Keith Hampton Coach L5 and actively involved with Coach Education as a Director for Coach levels 1,2 &3 training and assessments. As a member of the English IQA team, he is best placed to support the Coach Educators in England and offer support and advice from his extensive experience across all paddle sport disciplines. He is actively involved in coach development and is always striving to further the pedagogy of paddle sport and keep 'paddle sport coaching' at the forefront of Coaching within the UK. His extensive knowledge and experience in the field of

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Safety has required him to continue to develop and promote safe practice from within the sport. He has over 30 plus years as Coach and Technical Advisor at Leicester Outdoor Pursuit Centre (British Canoeing Centre of the year 2016) he now acts as Trustee for the Centre and shares that experience with others by undertaking British Canoeing Quality Mark Visits at centres across the UK and overseas.

Scott Simon • Professional Doctorate Elite Performance (Completion 2018) PG Dip Elite Coaching Practice • BTEC Level 4 Instructional Techniques • BCU Level 5 White Water & Canoe Coach • Mountain Instructors Certificate • BASI Level 2 Alpine, Level 4 European Mountain Safety • Professional Avalanche Course • Mountain Bike Leaders Association Grade 1 Tutor • Joint Service Mountain Guide • Coaching, Educating and Guiding in the outdoors for 18 years • Delivering NGB courses (paddlesport & mountain sport) for 10 years • Scottish Institute of Sport Strength & Conditioning Coach • GB & Ire International Rugby player - 2000 • Paddled, climbed and skied extensively worldwide

Lara Cooper  MSc Science of Sports Coaching  PGCE Physical Education • BCU Level 5 White Water Coach • Coaching, Educating and Guiding in the outdoors for 26 years • Delivering NGB Courses (paddlesport) 23 years • Coach Education curriculum development (paddlesport) for 12 years • Currently employed as Qualification Consultant for British Canoeing • British Junior Canoe Slalom Team Coach – 1989-1994 • Welsh National Canoe Slalom Team Coach – 1992-1998 • Medalled at Junior World Canoe Slalom Championships - 1988 • Competed in World Canoe Freestyle Championships – 1995 & 2001 • Paddled extensively worldwide including first white water kayak descents in India and New Zealand.

Dawn Scott A Level 3 Open Canoe and Inland WW Kayak Coach, with a great love of touring and exploring our waterway networks. Chair person of a large Canoe club, ACR for South Nottinghamshire a coach educator and FSRT provider.

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Sunday 20th Workshops Holme Pierrepont Full Day Workshops – Shaping Practice A selection of full day practical workshops focusing on the placing theory into practice. For delegates looking for an opportunity to take a more practical approach to their day. The full day selection will offer opportunities for coaches to attend one of a number of discipline support modules on offer (Polo, Slalom, Sprint, Marathon, Stand Up Paddleboard). Designed for Coaches looking to gain more knowledge in a specialist discipline, our Discipline Support Modules are courses that introduce the discipline’s fundamental techniques. Each module links to coaching behaviors covered in our Level 1 and Level 2 Coaching Qualifications. Coaches can choose either bank-based or boat based participation.

Select from All day sessions (9.30-16.00) DSM 1

Polo Discipline Specific Module

Zoe Anthony

DSM 2

Slalom Discipline Specific Module

Russ Smith

DSM 3

Sprint Discipline Specific Module

Mike Chandler

DSM 4

Marathon Discipline Specific Module

Richard Ward

DSM 5

Stand Up Paddleboard Module

Darren Sherwood Scott Harrand

Programme Overview 09.00 Welcome and Programme Introduction 09.30 Workshop Sessions 12.30 – 13.30 Lunch 16.00 Conference Close

Sunday’s programme is brought to you in conjunction with The National Water Sports Centre

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