How to Coach Yourself and Others Popular Models for Coaching | Page 85

unless the goals are realistic for the learner. The basic
learning principle involved is that success is more predictably
motivating than is failure. Ordinarily, people will choose
activities of intermediate uncertainty rather than those that
are difficult (little likelihood of success) or easy (high
probability of success). For goals of high value there is less
tendency to choose more difficult conditions. Having learners
assist in defining goals increases the probability that they will
understand them and want to reach them. However, students
sometimes have unrealistic notions about what they can
accomplish. Possibly they do not understand the precision
with which a skill must be carried out or have the depth of
knowledge to master some material.
To identify realistic goals, instructors must be skilled in
assessing a student's readiness or a student's progress
toward goals.
1.
Because learning requires changed in beliefs and
behavior, it normally produces a mild level of anxiety.
This is useful in motivating the individual. However, severe
anxiety is incapacitating. A high degree of stress is inherent in
some educational situations. If anxiety is severe, the
individual's perception of what is going on around him or her
is limited. Instructors must be able to identify anxiety and
understand its effect on learning. They also have a
responsibility to avoid causing severe anxiety in learners by
setting ambiguous of unrealistically high goals for them.
2.
It is important to help each student set goals and to
provide informative feedback regarding progress toward the
goals.
87