Generating Feedback to Support Coach Learning
by Dr. Liam McCarthy 
Introduction
Feedback strategies are fundamental to our work educating, developing, and supporting soccer coaches at all levels of the game. However, since feedback is such a highly recognizable and well-worn concept, we could all be forgiven for failing to give it the detailed and critical consideration that it deserves. Hattie and Jaeger (1998), suggest “a simple prescription for improving education could be 'dollops of feedback', but this is too simple.” (p. 113) and in this short article I will make a case for why. First, you are invited to think about feedback as a collaborative process versus a transactional one; where feedback is generated, not given nor received. Second, I shine a light on this process and offer three continually guiding questions: where are we going, where are we currently, and how are we going to close the gap? Lastly, you are prompted to reflect on the challenges of adopting some of these ideas, including the many factors that might dampen the positive, desirable, outcomes of a well-intended feedback strategy.
Feedback as a generative process
In previous articles, such as this one and this one, I introduced the concept of learning-oriented assessment. In short, the message here was that all assessment opportunities - formative or summative - should foreground learning, since this is what we all aspire to achieve when supporting coaches. One of the key facets of such an approach is engaging coaches in feedback to support the development of their own evaluative expertise (Carless, 2015). According to Hernández (2012): “A learning-oriented approach to assessment requires a radical change in the way feedback is perceived with greater emphasis given to the role of the students [coaches] in the feedback process rather than to the quantity and quality of feedback, as has traditionally been the case.” (p. 500). If more “dollops of feedback”, as cited in the introduction, are not a sure-shot for achieving better outcomes with coaches, then what might a more sophisticated strategy looks like?
All learning opportunities generate information about a learners’ progress through a development program. From a coach individually completing a portfolio, to a whole-cohort discussion facilitated by a coach educator, to an on-field observation of a coach, a vast and varied volume of insights are continually emerging. These insights are useful to a wide range of stakeholders, which include (of course) the coach, the coach educator, and the coach’s peers. They can be used to accelerate learning, are helpful in determining where to go next and why, and at this point we can perhaps consider them to be feedback (something which affects the trajectory of a learning process). Framed in this way, it becomes possible to see how the coach is an active agent; feedback is not something done to them, instead they are present, participatory, and partners in a collaborative experience. Although it may no longer be considered the preserve of coach educators to ‘give’ feedback (as coach plays recipient), they do have more skillful and important work to do. For instance, the goal of the coach educator might be to support the learner to acquire expertise in noticing things about their own practice that they might ultimately act upon independently (Lipnevich & Panadero, 2021). The following three sections will distil the process of generating feedback collaboratively, driven by some key questions, with practical examples provided.
Where are we going?
Foundational to any attempts to generate feedback with a coach, or group of coaches, is to establish a shared and transparent understanding of what good looks like. If you are facilitating a program, one sensible way to begin doing this important work is to foreground the success criteria. Since, in most cases, developing and demonstrating competence against these criteria is a requirement of successfully completing the program, they are an important landmark on the learning journey. Oftentimes, they can be written in a way which is difficult to fully understand with the best intention of keeping them brief. In these cases, we might invite the coach to rewrite the success criteria with us and in doing so, resolve any misunderstanding while each sharing implicit ideas about what the criteria mean. In other cases, they can represent a manifold list of things that speak to the idea of ‘good’ coaching, albeit comprehensive this can feel overwhelming. In these instances, with the coach we might cluster together statements which overlap or sound similar.
Alongside the success criteria, as a catalyst for conversations and activities which enable us to move closer to a shared understanding of what good looks like with the coach(es), exemplars are also a powerful tool. Defined by Carless and Chan (2017), exemplars can be defined as “carefully chosen samples of student [coaches] work which are used to illustrate dimensions of quality and clarify assessment expectations.” (p. 930). For instance, this could be a sample portfolio, presentation, or coaching video – appropriate to whatever the assessment opportunity might be. This is a particularly suitable strategy for making tacit knowledge accessible, specifically when accompanied by a coach educator facilitated conversation and set of tasks. This might include posing questions such as: “what did you appreciate about this particular work and why?”, and “how might this work be further developed?”. All which contributes to the development of coaches’ feedback literacy. Finally, the importance of all of this is accentuated in assessment opportunities that afford coaches lots of autonomy, are relatively open-ended, and ongoing, much like a season-long project or portfolio.
Where are we at?
Once a shared understanding of what good looks like is established and internalised, then it is important to generate insight about the current state of play. For instance, considering the coach’s existing knowledge, understanding, skill, and attitude, what are the immediate opportunities for development – relative to the success criteria? This is an ongoing information gathering exercise, which may include engaging coaches in continuous self-assessment, observations, and reflective conversations. It also provides us with another opportunity to reflect on the tight interplay between learning, assessment, and feedback; Hattie and Timperley (2007) remind us that: “a critical conclusion is that teachers [coach educators] need to seek and learn from feedback as much as do students [coaches], and only when assessment provides such learning [i.e., assessment as learning] is it of value to either" (p. 104)
How can we get there?
According to the seminal work by Royce Sadler (e.g., 1989), all of the information generated through learning opportunities should be deliberately used to reduce the discrepancy between where the coach is at and where the coach is going, with emphasis on the coach’s active role. Part of this process relies on the coach’s capacity to establish priorities and set goals; for instance, they might deliberate over which of the success criteria they are already exceeding and where lie the largest gaps. The nature of this process is articulated by Hattie and Jaeger (1998): “Feedback without goal setting is less effective, and goal setting without feedback is ineffective.” (p. 113). Once this process has begun, the challenge for the educator is to promote self-monitoring in a way that compels the coach to regularly make judgements about their work against the standards, developing a repertoire of ‘moves’ to continually get closer. For this reason, we can consider feedback to be about improving the coach and not the work (Quigley, 2024).
Call to action
Piggott and colleagues (2024) describe the feedback literate coach as somebody whom: (a) appreciates the collaborative and generative nature of the feedback process; (b) can notice and manage feedback information; (c) arrive at judgements about the quality of their coaching in increasingly sophisticated ways; and (d) take appropriate and meaningful action. However, the road to achieving this will likely be plagued with difficulty and complexity. For instance, if how we support depends on who we are supporting (see a previous article, here), then due consideration must be given to the coaches motivational state (Dann, 2014), expectations, and prior experiences. What’s more, Hattie and Jaeger (1998) noted that if the size of the ‘gap’ is too large, while many coaches will increase efforts, others may all together “abandon the challenge, reduce or change the challenge, and reject the feedback message.” (p. 118). In this case, going right back to the top of the article, “dollops of feedback” certainly won’t do, it really isn’t that simple.
If you would like to read more about feedback strategies for supporting coach learning, a new practice-focused book titled ‘Sport Coach Education, Development, and Assessment: International Perspectives’ is available for pre-order here ahead of release on August 19 2024.
References
Carless, D., & Chan, K. K. H. (2017). Managing dialogic use of exemplars. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 42(6), 930-941
Dann, R. (2014). Assessment as learning: Blurring the boundaries of assessment and learning for theory, policy and practice. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 21(2), 149-166.
Hattie, J., & Jaeger, R. (1998). Assessment and classroom learning: A deductive approach. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy, and Practice, 5(1), 111-122.
Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The Power of Feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77(1), 81-112.
Hernández, R. (2012). Does continuous assessment in higher education support student learning? Higher Education, 64, 489-502.
Lipnevich, A. A., & Panadero, E. (2021) A review of feedback models and theories: Descriptions, definitions, and conclusions. In Frontiers in Education (Vol. 6, p. 720195). Frontiers.
Piggott, D., Cowburn, I., Stodter, A., & Low, C. Assessment for Learning in a Sport Coaching Degree in the UK. In In L. McCarthy (Ed.), Sport Coach Education, Development, and Assessment (pp. 108-122). Routledge.
Quigley, A., (2024, January). Feedback: Improve the learner, not the work. https://alexquigley.co.uk/feedback-improve-the-learner-not-the-work/.
Sadler, D. R. (1989). Formative assessment and the design of instructional systems. Instructional Science, 18(2), 119-144.
