Lightning Round: We Be Jammin\u27: Jamboard Meets Library Instruction

A Jamboard arrived on campus along with a retrofit of our second floor. People can try it out in the library after the presentation, and during lunch each day of the conference--it is located on Level 2

Staff, Student, and Parent Perceptions About the Effectiveness of Block Scheduling at Millard West High School

The rigid American high school schedule did not always exist in its current state. Prior to 1892 and the work of the National Education Association\u27s Committee of Ten, early high schools and their predecessors, Latin Grammar Schools and Academies, showed some flexibility in their school schedules (Gorman, 1971)

Bouncing back:A longitudinal examination of challenge within football academy environments

Introduction: Although substantial research indicates that challenge plays a big role in the development of talent, little is known of the experiences of young performers as they negotiate and learn from these challenges. Methods: As such, to better understand the nature and impact of challenge on the Talent Development (TD) pathway, we longitudinally tracked nine young footballers from progressive age-bands (five aged 11 years and four aged 14) as they experienced challenge over a 15-month period using a mixed-methods design. Five semi-structured interviews separated by three months were conducted, and data were analysed via thematic analysis. Results: Our findings suggested that participants encountered recurrent challenging events, categorised into common/uncommon, planned/unplanned, individual-focused/group-focused challenges. Support for the benefits of challenges was pervasive throughout the data with participants progressing through stages with each challenge (drop, rebound and growth). However, the magnitude and rate at which participants experienced these stages was highly idiosyncratic. Indeed, the perceived impact, scale, and, ultimately, consequential developmental impact of these challenges appeared to vary greatly with participants displaying different responses to similar events. Such differences were underpinned by several individual factors (such as prior experiences and perceived coping skills), contextual characteristics of the challenge (such as type and timing) and support around the challenge (such as priming and reflection opportunities). Conclusion: Implications include the need for coaches and psychologists to systematically assess and carefully monitor the individual circumstances, needs and skillset of young performers and use this information as a platform for deploying individualised, timely and developmentally appropriate challenges along with relative support to ensure optimal learning and growth from them.</p

Where is the evidence in our sport psychology practice? A United Kingdom perspective on the underpinnings of action.

Practitioners place the importance of engaging in evidence-based practice at the forefront of issues regarding the provision of applied sport psychology. Accordingly, the present study sought to contextualize the process of theory–research–practice. Specifically, 4 attentional-based techniques established within the sport psychology literature were depicted as applied scenarios and presented as a survey task. Experienced United Kingdom–based practitioners (n = 14) and individuals currently undergoing training (n = 14) were recruited to ascertain their theoretical and mechanistic knowledge and whether the techniques were being used in the applied environment. Results suggested that application of the techniques, in addition to theoretical and mechanistic knowledge, may decrease from trainee to experienced practitioner. The study highlights the need for an increase in research designed to be effective in the applied setting and that addresses the needs of sport psychology practitioners if our discipline is to advance and remain evidence based

Show me, tell me:An investigation into learning processes within skateboarding as an informal coaching environment

Coach education is a learner-centred process, which often fails to consider the preferences of the consumer. Historically, research into performers’ experiences of coaching have been influenced by the social constructivism of learning: in short, an expressed preference for what the performer has experienced as determined by their coach, rather than their own personal preferences. Therefore, this research used skateboarding as a natural laboratory in order to explore the current practices and preferences of performers in a coach-free environment. Ninety-one skateboarders from parks in the United Kingdom and New Zealand offered information relating to their current learning practices, how they learnt about learning, and how the top-level performers in their environment were differentiated. Findings suggest that a number of learning tools are used by performers, which are closely aligned with a more traditional, cognitive view of coaching (e.g., demonstration, drills, and error usage). Results also suggest that performers deployed a number of cognitive skills (e.g., imagery, analogy, and understanding) to enhance storage of a movement as an internal representation. Finally, in the absence of formal coaching, performers use their knowledge of learning to appoint informal leaders. Implications for practice are discussed