Reflective practice has gained popularity in many fields including coaching. Reflection involves recapturing experiences, thinking about them, evaluating them, and using that working with experience to improve learning. John Dewey is considered the founder of reflection, contrasting routine behavior with reflective thought as actively considering beliefs and knowledge. Later authors like Schon emphasized reflection taking practice into account rather than just focusing on future actions. For coaches, introducing reflection provides benefits like more informed perspectives and choices that can improve professional practice and the ability to directly research their own practice. Coaches develop knowledge through experiences like playing, mentoring, courses, and interacting with other coaches, rather than just formal learning. Communities of practice and models of reflection can also

1. Reflective Practice In Coach Education
The nature of reflection is complex and, as yet, there is no clear formulation of its
psychological processes. The term reflection is freely used in the literature where often its
meaning is assumed. A significant contribution to the understanding of refection has been
made by Boud et al (1985) who suggested it is a generic term which has been coined to
describe:
‘Important human activities, in which people recapture their experience, think about it, mull
it all over and evaluate it. It is this working with experience that is important in learning.
The capacity to reflect is developed to different stages in different people and it may be
this ability which characterises those who learn effectively from experience’
(Boud et al 1985)
In the past two decades the focus on reflection, or on becoming a reflective practitioner,
has gained popularity in a wide range of contexts, including education (Smyth, 1991),
graphic design (Poynor, 1994), art (Roberts, 2001), engineering (Adams et al 2003),
medicine (Middlethon and Aggleton, 2001), and coaching (Gilbert and Trudel, 2006).
Interestingly, practitioners are being encouraged to ‘stand back and reflect upon the
construction and application of their professional Knowledge’ (Hardy and Mawer, 1999).
Many consider John Dewey to be the ‘founder’ of reflection. He contrasted routine
behaviour with reflective thought, defining the latter as the active, persistent, and careful
consideration of any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the grounds that
support it, and the further conclusions to which it tends (Dewey, 1910). Although Dewey
was considered to be the ‘founder’ of reflection, the increased interest in the term of
reflection in the past two and a half decades can be attributed to the work of Schon, (1983,
1987), Zeichner, (1983, 1987) and Crum, (1995). In contrast to Dewey’s view of reflection,
whose focus lay ‘outside the action’ and on ‘future action rather than current action’ (Eraut,
1995), Schon’s (1983) interpretation of reflection takes practice into account.
With the introduction of reflective practice into coach education there are a number of
benefits that can assist coach and performer in improving. Meirow’s early claims that
reflection brings with it more ‘inclusive, discriminating, permeable and integrative’
perspectives (Mezirow and Associates, 1990) are generally borne out by later writers.
Brookfield (1995) points to the possibilities of more informed choice, developing rationales
for practice, less ‘self-laceration’, emotional grounding, more enlivened teaching, and an
increase in democratic trust. In broad terms, these benefits have been translated as
contributing towards improved professional practice, coupled with ability to research
practice more directly (Fook, 1996).
Using questionnaires and/or interviews researchers were able to identify a number of
specific events or situations (playing experience, mentoring, coaching courses,
interactions with other coaches. Internet and so on) as sources coaches use to develop
coaching knowledge and sport specific knowledge (Fleurance and Cotteaux, 1999; Irwin et
al 2004; Jones et al 2003, 2004; Salmela, 1995; Wright et al 2007). In terms of coaching
certification we might expect this source of learning to be important, however coaches

2. formalised learning venues are not valued by coaches as much as their day to day
learning experiences in the field (Werthner and Trudel, (2006) and acknowledged that
several studies have suggested coaches develop coaching skills and knowledge through
actual coaching experience (Salmela, 1996; Côté et al 1995; Gilbert and Trudel, 2001). In
light of this (Pensgaard and Roberts, 2002) stated by adopting an empowerment style,
coaches will recognise which implementation is required to achieve optimal success,
allowing players and coaches to develop learning new experiences whilst reflecting upon
previous experiences during practice. Therefore important for coaches to be exposed to
experimental learning environments (Kolb, 1984) where they and athletes can reflect on
decisions through trial and error (Farres, 2004).
Mentoring is cited as being one of the most important ways of facilitating coaches’
development (Bloom, 2002; Bloom et al 1998; Lyle, 2002). While recognizing the pitfalls of
simple mimicry, an effective mentor can help a coach develop his or her own coaching
style and philosophy. Observing other coaches has also been suggested as a key source
of coaching knowledge (Cushion et al 2003). Often referred to as an informal
apprenticeship of observation (Sage, 1989) this observation of experienced others can
occur as an athlete or as a coach. Finally, as a middle ground between the extreme
individual focus of mentoring and the self direction of observation, interacting with other
coaches within communities of practice (Culver and Trudel, 2006; Trudel and Gilbert,
(2004) has been proposed as a particularly fruitful approach to fostering coach learning.
Through this sustained interaction, coaches can collectively negotiate meaning in order to
learn from one another.
Lave and Wenger (1991) addressed the importance of groups whereby knowledge can be
shred through communities of practice e.g. ‘a set of relationships among persons, activity,
world over time and in relation with other tangential and overlapping CoPs’. Another
learning resource that can make coaches better is through the use of reflective models.
Models of reflection can guide practitioners through the process. Possible models that can
be used are (Gibbs, 1988; Smyth, 1991; Murphy and Atkins, 1994; Johns, 2000; Ghaye,
2008) models of reflection.
By Scott Green