Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Football Coach in the Classroom
So, here we are.... June 14th, 2017 and I am taking a 6 week online course alongside faculty at Dordt College. If you would have told me that at some point in my life I would be doing what I am doing, I would have never believed you. The first module of this course has already gotten some wheels turning on not only how I can use things I am learning in the courses I teach, but also how I can become a more effective teacher with the players I coach. About a month ago, Joel Penner tasked me with figuring out ways that we can effectively get incoming players up to speed with our offense. So, I am beginning to outline and identify learning objectives that I have for the players and believe that the usage of technology can serve as big aid. We already use a lot of video, but how can I move from the traditional usage of video and whiteboards that are so commonly used in teaching the game of football. There are many aspects such as formation alignment and play assignment that are common places where mistakes are found across all levels of football. How can we (Dordt) be different in our teaching? One way is to take courses like BOLT 101, learn alongside people who are passionate about this field (teaching), and be willing to venture into uncomfortable waters. Here is to aiming for that sweet TPACK spot!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I would be very interested to see how you begin to develop this approach to coaching football. What you are proposing gets at the heart of the issues I have with on line teaching. You could probably be effective at getting people (your athletes) up to speed on the technical aspects of football. And maybe that is your goal. But to but that knowledge into practice is quite a different thing. You could probably develop a great 'armchair quarterback' but that does mean they will be successful. I am also wondering about the ability to develop a team mentality. I will be very interested in seeing what you develop.
ReplyDeleteJohn,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment! There are many different facets that go into coaching football. But, I think I could divide them into some over-arching categories such as schematics, fundamentals, and motivation. While motivation (team mentality, culture, etc.) is something that I would agree may be less impacted by the infusion of technology into my teaching, I do believe that schematics and fundamentals can be greatly impacted. There certainly is a physical drilling component with football, but creating a level of understanding in the classroom about schematics and fundamentals is imperative for success.
Aaron I like that you are hitting on the "principles" of what this course can offer. As I was reading I noticed a significant emphasis on "organization". Just like football, I can apply much of what we are learning to my worship teams as well. As John points out, there are aspects of F2F that will just not be possible with online learning/information transfer and development. But like you said, there is a level of technological integration that can be useful for a successful team. I look forward to seeing how this plays out as well.
ReplyDelete