Coaching and Learning Styles

             In Chapter 4 of their book, McMorris and Hale (2006) explain the interaction between teaching styles and learning styles, and apply some realism to the theoretical structure.  By considering the coach-athlete interaction from an academic basis and relating Mosston’s (1986) teaching styles to the four learning styles (Kolb, 1984), they conclude that the most significant practical constraint is the personality of the coach.  They offer a number of real world examples where coaches have found it very difficult to deliver using one style alone, especially if they are more familiar with another coaching style.  In their conclusion, they question whether a coach can effectively adapt their individual coaching style to best suit the learning styles of the various athletes they may be working with. 

The limitation of considering both coaching and learning styles in distinct boxes is that it can be very difficult to identify whether a coach uses one particular style of the ten rather than another.  Most coaches use a range of styles so I prefer to use the term “continuum of coaching styles” ranging from Command style to Self Teaching.  This emphasises the range of styles and the best way then of categorising a coach is to identify which area of the continuum he or she is most comfortable working. 

           Looking from the athlete’s perspective, the same argument holds for learning styles which can span between the four distinct styles outlined by Kolb (1984).  Whilst an individual may appear to be an activist on most occasions, he/she may also display some traits of reflector, theorist, or pragmatist depending on the scenario and the type of challenge.

If we consider the interaction as a pair of continuums as shown below, the best fit between athlete and coach is where the two continuums cross.  However, variations in both coaching and learning style dictate that there will be a broader area is of interaction between athlete and coach. 

 
          What, then, is my coaching style and what could I do differently in the future to make me a better coach?  I think my coaching style is quite variable and depends on a range of factors; what I’m coaching, who I’m coaching it to, whether I’m coaching a team or an individual, and how long I’ve known the athlete(s).  At the basic level, particularly when introducing a new skill, I can move right down to the Command style but my most comfortable coaching style tends to be around the Inclusion and Divergent area.  I like people to think for themselves and to be integral to the decision making process.  I do, however, find it quite difficult to move right up to a Learner Initiated style as being almost totally “hands off” does not come easy.
          Having now undertaken this study, my development challenge is to move further into the cooperative or democratic as defined by Lyle (1999) style of coaching.  This should enable me to work better with Theorists, but could also have benefit when working with a large group who often cover the full range of learning styles, and often learn at different rates.  I also need to look more closely at my athletes at an early stage and analyse where they are on the learning styles continuum so I can maximise our interaction.

In sum, both coaching styles and learning styles need to be considered on a continuum and coaches need to be aware of how their athletes learn.  The coach with the widest area of employability will be the coach who can adapt his style across the broadest range of the coaching styles continuum.

References:

Kolb, D.A. (1984) Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc.

Lyle, J.W.B. (1999) ‘The Coaching Process: An Overview’, in Cross, N. & Lyle, J. (eds.) (1999) The Coaching Process: principles and practice for sport, Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.

McMorris, T. & Hale, T. (2006) Coaching Science: Theory into Practice, Chichester: John Wiley and Sons Ltd.

Mosston, M. & Ashworth, S. (1986, 3^rd Edn) Teaching Physical Education, Columbus, OH: Merrill.