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Swimming Coaching Planning

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Edited by Jonathan Vernon, Thursday, 19 Sep 2019, 10:01

There's a lot of this in my life these days. A case of a volunteer role 16 years ago gradually turning me into a qualified Swim England swimming teacher and coach with 1000s of hours of experience. Planning every session almost takes as long as running the session itself. These based on macrocycle planning for the months ahead.

Three weeks of 'streamlining' then three weeks of 'power/energy' work has been my intention. A good deal of technique improvement is required, and rather more discipline with attendance, arriving on time, and pre and post pool warm up and flexibility.  

I take 6 out of 8 sessions for a National Perforamce Squad. I also attend most of the Open Meets and Galas. At times paid hours are soon matched by additional hours yet again done as a volunteer - the nature of British swimming at a small club scale. 

Already 17 days behind, I want to add these to my Swimcoach Blog https://wordpress.com/view/swimcoach.blog 

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Applying for Research and Development Funding in relation to the use of digital tools in Further Education

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Steps required to prepare a research question

This from FutureLearn @OpenLearn 

Between giving presentations to staff and tutors on the opportunities presented by the educational video platform Planet E-Stream I am also applying for funding to develop the relationship between students and teachers (tutors). This is made easier because of a pool of projects that are bubbling up across the various different faculties and workshops where I act as a 'Learning Technologist'.

This is no academic post that might be reflected by my having an MA in Open & Distance Education, rather it is somewhere between being a Librarian, IT Person and Learning Support. I am confident that this is a role that will either be absorbed by teachers during teacher training or through practice, or it will blossom, depending on the institution into something more akin to a consultant or adviser. I am having to draw on raw technical skills to use new and popular platforms, but also to integrate digital into a course as an Instructional Designer would do.

The timing of putting in our application comes right at the moment when I complete two FutureLearn MOOCs from Open Learn at the Open University: The Online Educator and Blended Learning Essentials. 

With my inability to let go of academic study, research and writing up papers seems a sensible way forward. This may be combined with completing an MEd with the OU if they can be convinced to allow me 60 credits from the two additional modules I took having completed the MA ODE in 2013. This would still require me to take a further 120 units, to two hefty and possibly one substantial and two shorter modules. I feel I am now where I needed to be in 2010 - working in the front line in education, an intermediary between students, teaching and other staff, moving through multiple departments across a number of sites - I even have a toe in mark.

Preferring a busy life, apparently, over the next four weeks I will be assessed to qualify with the Institute of Swimming as a Swimming Coach. I have been teaching for 16 years and coaching for 10, so this is a case of providing evidence of my knowledge rather than having to take part in formal class or poolside learning. Being who I am, I have of course kept a learning journal, or career journal as a swimming teacher and coach which is called simply 'Swim Coach Blog'. 

 

 

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The Swim Coach Blog

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Some times I'm over here writing up that other thing I do ... swim coaching.

The blog is called 'The Welly Man' because when I started at this club three years ago I was also instructing sailing and liked to wear ankle-high Gill deck welly boots. They've split! 16 hours a week trudging up and down a pool and they couldn't cope.

 

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