Applied Coaching Research Journal Research Journal 4 | Page 14

APPLIED COACHING RESEARCH JOURNAL 2019, Vol. 4 APPLIED COACHING RESEARCH JOURNAL 2019, Vol. 4 Example: In a face-to-face conversation with a participant, the coach picks up on an unexpected answer from them. This leads to the coach taking a different approach, whether in the questions they ask, what they say and how they say it, or their demeanour or body language. It is worth noting that in order to reflect-in-action in this way, a coach must look into their knowing-in-action – to either produce a potential solution (eg “I need to soften my approach here…”) or indeed to challenge it (eg “that wasn’t what I thought she was going to say…what does that mean?”). In the example above, the coach might also go away and reflect further on the interaction following the coaching session in order to change the way they approach the next time. This reflection-on-action could complement the benefits gained from the reflection-in-action to grow the coach’s knowing-in-action around this scenario. In fact, it could be argued that by reflecting-in-action, this can spark us to reflect-on-action more clearly. Coaches who tend not to stray from their well-established routine are less likely to come across ‘problematic situations’ than those who tend to step out of their comfort zone. Some coaches might see this as a positive as the session ran smoothly. However, by avoiding these situations, coaches might miss many opportunities to reflect in their practice. By stepping out of their comfort zone, coaches are more likely to develop their knowing-in-action, reflection skills and therefore their overall coaching skills. A potential disadvantage of reflecting-in-action is the perception that the reflective thinking takes the coach away from thinking about the coaching practice itself. This could be potentially dangerous if, for example, the coach took their eyes off safety. Secondly, if the coach visibly ‘stops and thinks’ too often, it could be seen by participants as uncertainty and put the coach’s credibility at risk. There could also be a danger that the coach over analyses the situation and becomes involved in a continuous spiral of reflection, reflecting on the reflection and so on. Table 1: Advantages and disadvantages of using reflection-on-action and reflection-in-action in coaching Advantages Reflection-on-action Reflection-in-action Can make use of ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ reviews Can spark further, more meaningful reflection-on-action Can take time to gather feedback and consider Disadvantages Can deal with ‘live’ issues right then Therefore, coaches need to work out and make use of potential times and opportunities for reflection-in-action and also what to reflect on. It could look something like this: First few minutes at the start of a practice Next few minutes Appropriate time Check if instructions have been understood by participants, that they understand what they are supposed to be doing and that everything is safe. To purposely find some time to step back and check, observe and notice to trigger reflection-in-action. Make changes or act on reflections if appropriate. Summary Reflective practice can benefit coaches in many ways. As well as improving future coaching sessions, coaches can use reflection to learn, grow and develop their coaching craft. This article provides examples of different types of reflection and when they can be used to build this coaching craft from experience. The benefits of reflecting in-action or thinking on your feet during the event have been discussed, notably how this thinking and doing can have a positive effect on building a coach’s knowing-in-action. Examples of how reflection-on- action can enhance this process have also been considered. It is hoped that you are now ready to have a go at thinking on your feet in your coaching and putting some of this into action. References Dewey, J. (1916) Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education. New York: MacMillan. Chance to mull it over Improves ‘thinking on your feet’ skills Chance to take out emotions from the session By putting the doing into action straight away this can build knowing-in-action Gilbert, W. and Trudel, P. (2001) Learning to coach through experience: Reflection in model youth sport coaches, Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 21: 16–34. Can be affected by memory error Don’t concentrate on coaching session (eg safety) Schön, D. (1983) The Reflective Practitioner. How Professionals Think in Action. London: Temple Smith. Can be affected by bias Could forget some incidents that don’t grab attention as much By thinking, the coach might appear not interested in the session Danger of over-analysis Schön, D. (1987) Educating the Reflective Practitioner: Toward a New Design for Teaching and Learning in the Professions. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Schön, D. (1995) Knowing-in-action: The new scholarship requires a new epistemology, Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 27 (6): 27–34. Contact Mark Scott – [email protected] 14 15