Week 9: The Expert Pedagogue

Hi there again Keith and SCP13,


This week we looked at The Expert Pedagogue, and the interaction between the coach/teacher and the athlete/student. Keith then addresses the ability of the coach to reflect on the social and educational dynamics that have been created and relates that to the students in SCP and the reflection that is being presented in blogs such as this one. To be an expert pedagogue, one must be confident in their decision making and take responsibility for actions.

Keith introduced us to David Berliner, a person that gave him much insight whilst completing his PhD, specifically the role of teachers and coaches and looking for cues within sessions and knowing when and how to act upon them.

The next introduction is John Wooden, a coach that I was familiar with before, his many victories and triumphs, his role in sculpting the careers of legendary basketballers and his pyramid of success. Many people have written about the legacy Wooden has left on coaching, Keith links to a few and explains the way in which Wooden was a stickler for planning. Every session was meticulously planned in extensive detail, and he sought to constantly evaluate progress. 

Another topic that Keith raised is the concept of praising performance versus praising effort and the potential outcomes of too much of the former. To overpraise the performance there will be a void when the performance is no longer there, however if you are to praise the effort, and the effort becomes reinforced, then performance increase is likely to follow.Keith also linked back to Berliner with the concept of 'pride in profession' and how that is a marker of the expert pedagogue.

I looked at examples of modern day coaches that would fit the title of 'expert pedagogue' and I found a few that I put in my assignment as examples of proponents of good coaching styles.New Zealand All-Blacks rugby coach Graham Henry, Florida State University football coach Bobby Bowden, Australian cricket coach John Buchanan and Fresno State University softball coach Margie Wright all fit the bill for expert pedagogue as each in their own way improved the performance of their teams and left lasting legacies through their own unique coaching styles.

Henry sought to unite the teams within Super rugby format in New Zealand, regain support from the public, eliminate an underlying alcohol culture within the team and implement a new rotation policy that looked to prevent complacency and encourage the development of new players.

Bowden utilised a similar approach to Wooden in that he encouraged a religious aspect as well as intricate planning and evaluation, he looked to prepare his players not only as athletes but as members of society also, he credits the success of his players in their careers as his greatest accomplishment over any victories.

Buchanan was an unpopular selection as Australian coach as he had never played for his country and only amassed 160 runs in 7 appearances for Queensland. But he was a student of the game who critiqued performance not as a cricketer but as an analyst, he was always looking for new techniques and ideas to implement and his record speaks for itself.

Wright is the only female I looked to evaluate, her record as a coach stood out so much that I didn't feel many others would compare (Pat Summit is a close second in my opinion but that's just me). Wright is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA D1 softball and second in all sports. She led her team to a national championship (the first in school history) and also was on the coaching staff of the US national team at the Atlanta Olympics where they won gold. A pioneer for women in sports coaching, she has coached 53 All-Americans, 16 Academic All-Americans, 11 NCAA statistical champions, 8 professional softballers and 15 Olympians. 

All of these coaches are what I would call expert pedagogues.
I'm sure there are more examples but these are the few that I chose to identify. Would be happy to hear of others too.

Looking forward to next weeks topic which expands on the previous topic of Sharing & Presenting.

Till then,

Kieran