| interesting topic
There will be different responses to this thread(keeping my head down)
Each of us have had different experiences of students and coaches, so it is natural that we will see this from different perspectives. As Meddler says, forget the name calling etc. and say what has gone wrong in a non threatening way. Then try to find solutions.
Two or three things strike me as important. One is the way the students are approached.Waiting for the student to make the first move is, I feel, the best way. That does not mean they have to come up and ask for help. Their first move is often more subtle than that. A shake of the head, cross expression, chat to a friend when they know the coach is listening.
Another important issue is whether or not there are regular coaching sessions available at the club. If there are regular sessions, then access needs to be made simple and open to all. Qualified(on paper) and unqualified coaches need to work together or the differences become wider and more personal, usually.
A third issue is the way coaches get across their messages. Having said things to school children that have been taken the wrong way, makes the teacher( me) more selective over their choice of words. Using jargon in archery is one of my pet hates. Quite often both parties have little or no understanding of the expression. But even if the coach understands, that is no good unless the student has the same understanding.
I like to get the student to talk back what they have learnt. It is so revealing. They don't hide the truth, they just tell you what they have picked up from you. What they pick up is not always what you gave out. If they aren't asked, there is an assumption that what they learnt is exactly the same as what was said.
This thread is going to run and run. It needs to in my opinion; much good will come from it.
(I'm off to read up on self defence methods for internet users.)  |