How coaches learn

Coaches master new skills fastest when they replicate what sports stars do - record themselves, generate objective performance data, engage an expert to help them chart a path forward, and then practice until the new skills are grooved.

In the previous article I made the case for accelerated, high quality training of coaches. We need more and better coaches to meet the rising demand for this growing helping profession that has been proven to be effective in helping people develop and grow to their higher potential. To develop and grow as coaches, we need to engage in the age-old act of learning. In this article I will try to explain what learning is and what the ideal context and practice is for learning to be a better coach, and how an AI-assisted coaching supervisor can be of assistance.

As humans we learn (almost) every day. Sometimes because we really want to, but sometimes we have to. Some people prefer to learn by jumping right in and trying things out, while others prefer to contemplate the situation and try to understand the principles of what needs doing first. Some learning is superficial and we do it to get a job done and move on, while other learning is profoundly life changing. What I am alluding to here are different types of learning theories that describe quite eloquently how we learn. If we understand

the basics of these learning theories, it may help coaches to optimise the way they learn. This knowledge may also help us to create learning tools using AI and other software that scales and maximises learning effort.

One of the foundational theories of learning relevant to coaches is adult learning or andragogy. Charles Knowles developed this theory back in 1968 to explain how adult learning differs from how children learn (1). Think back to junior or high school. Remember those days where you dreaded going to class and could not see the point of having to learn all this “stuff”. As adults, to learn optimally we need to know why we are learning. This self-directed learning is encouraged when real problems are addressed in an experimental way. Another aspect of adult learning is readiness to learn. If a learning opportunity is forced upon us we may not be in the space to accept the new knowledge. Having the choice of when to learn is therefore a key to adult learning. People also learn better when they are given relevant learning activities and meaningful feedback. Finally, as adults we learn better when we are motivated and see our progress.

Another learning theory that can help us understand how coaches learn is experiential learning theory, created by David Kolb in 1984 (2). In short this theory states that we create new knowledge by transformation of experience. We grasp an experience in either an abstract or concrete way and then transform the experience into knowledge through reflection or action. People have different preferences for which of these approaches they use. When I became interested in coaching years ago the first thing I did was to buy a stack of books on coaching. I read all of them before I even attempted to coach someone. One of my colleagues on the other hand started coaching as soon as she thought she understood the basics. My approach is reflective where hers is action oriented. Neither one is right or wrong because in all cases, to learn we need to go through a four-step cycle of having an experience (coaching someone); reflecting on what happened (was my coaching appropriate?); planning what to do differently next time (e.g. ask more questions); and then try again (coach and ask more questions).

A final and important learning theory that is particularly relevant to coaches is reflective practice. Reflection is the act of taking a questioning stance by asking ‘why’ and ‘how’ questions in order to gain deeper insight into the nature of a situation. Numerous scholars contributed to this field including Dewey, Schon and Mezirow. Without reflection we are not aware of how we think and do. In fact Mezirow (3) distinguishes between three different types of reflection: content reflection is about observing what we think or feel; process reflection is about how we function; and in premise reflection we become aware of why we think, feel and act. I will write an entire article on reflective practice, but for now it is important to know that coaches need to reflect on all three of Mezirow’s levels to become aware of and improve their coaching practice.

Now that we have a better understanding of how coaches learn, we can start to see how effective training of coaches needs to incorporate these aspects of learning. We can now also make a strong case for why using an AI-assisted coaching supervision software platform could aid coaches’ learning.

Firstly, In the case of adult learning theory, using such a platform could provide coaches with the option to choose when they want to learn and therefore address the requirement of self-directed learning. Such a platform can provide instant feedback and record-keeping of learning progress which could help coaches stay motivated, a key requirement of adult learning. On this platform coaches are given the opportunity to address a real world situation (h

ow to coach) in an experimental way and learn from the feedback at their own pace.

Secondly, experiential learning theory can be accelerated using an AI-assisted coaching supervision software platform. It is cheaper and more convenient using such a platform to rapidly go through the learning cycle of having an experience (coaching), reflecting on it (feedback from platform), planning a new course of action and then actually doing things differently.

Thirdly, this type of software platform can enhance reflective practice by helping coaches become aware of at least their content and process of coaching. This could ultimately lead to premise reflection where coaches have A-ha moments of understanding why they coach the way they do. But this last step is up to the coach. You can bring the horse to the water, but….

In conclusion: to be better coaches we need to keep learning. There are well defined learning theories that explain the conditions and actions for learning. In this article I tried to show that an AI-assisted coaching supervision software platform could satisfy many of these primary learning needs.

In the next article we will delve deeper into reflective practice, arguably the most important aspect of coach learning.

References:

(1) Hartree, A. (1984). Malcolm Knowles’ theory of andragogy: A critique. International journal of lifelong education, 3(3), 203-210.

(2) Kolb, D. A. (2014). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. FT press.

(3) Mezirow, J. (1990). Fostering critical reflection in adulthood (pp. 1-20). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.