Candidate: Gwen S
Details
Related Tasks:
Gwen: Train instructors on positive and negative teaching tactics and how to appropriately celebrate swimmer success.
Was the task completed: No
Task evaluation:
Related Meetings:
Gwen Strickland Meeting 2
Jeffrey Napolski (10/17/2023 5:27 PM): Reviewed the 4 brainstormed ideas. Chose one. established next steps: tasks. Come up with 3 tasks. Brainstorm them. Think about what are you going to “Do” to achieve your goal? Can we add to LC and assess the LC and give them feedback. Talked about early childhood development and using the Lesson Coordinator Handbook for in-service training and something new.
Action items:
Come up with 3 tasks. Brainstorm them. Think about what are you going to “Do” to achieve your goal?
Then come up with up to 3 steps for each task.
Tentative first two:
– In service training for all swim ins.
– New swim instructor training for feedback.
– ????
Attend a Saturday or weekday swim lessons not as swim instructor or lifeguard, but punch in, and observe lessons with a critical eye for feedback and think about how improve the instructor’s ability to give feedback.
Gwen: Meeting 3
Jeffrey Napolski (12/5/2023 5:14 PM): Discussed the different tasks that Gwen created and chose Task 1 as her first task. Then refined the language to create her first task.
Jeffrey Napolski (12/5/2023 5:07 PM): Reviewed the 4 brainstormed ideas. Chose one. established next steps: tasks. Come up with 3 tasks. Brainstorm them. Think about what are you going to “Do” to achieve your goal? Can we add to LC and assess the LC and give them feedback. Talked about early childhood development and using the Lesson Coordinator Handbook for in-service training and something new. Action Items for next meeting: Come up with 3 tasks. Brainstorm them. Think about what are you going to “Do” to achieve your goal? Then come up with up to 3 steps for each task. Tentative first two: – In service training for all swim ins. – New swim instructor training for feedback. – ???? Attend a Saturday or weekday swim lessons not as swim instructor or lifeguard, but punch in, and observe lessons with a critical eye for feedback and think about how improve the instructor’s ability to give feedback Explanation of program and how it works. Goal topics for improvement: Swim instructor trainings for improving instructor / swimmer relationships. See it just as babysitting. Weak feedback; make sure there is effective feedback instead of lip-service. Not as monitored as how the INS are implementing the techniques and skills. LC feel apprehensive to give feedback instead of helping the kids as well as they should. Felt wrong telling someone to give feedback differently. Training for Lifeguarding could have more emphasis on first aid before certification. Constant first aid, cpr, and not as much done in each scenario. Swim Lessons is my main area of expertise. I feel like a further emphasis on customer service relations. Cashiers and concessions people could technically do the job but they weren’t really personable and the experience was sub-par; reserved, quiet, not talkative. Customer didn’t have the best experience. More emphasis on how DHS shifts go and what the expectations are. And what pattern and how many people are guarding the pool. Discrepancy there. Not normally a head guard. Unsupervised. Goal Brainstorm 1: Improve instructor’s ability to communicate and incentivize their swimmers to improve Task 1: Lead an inservice for swim instructors to improve Observe swim lessons and look for positive and negative modes of teaching demonstrated, and what behavior to celebrate Come up with a list of common behaviors that work well with children, new tricks to connect or communicate and common behaviors that are not effective with children for the inservice Lead an inservice teaching (new?) instructors effective communication skills with children to achieve more growth and a better connection Task 2: Implement training for new instructors for better communication skills (Through Child-development training for swim instructors) Curate effective, simple child development training slideshow or reading for new instructors to read as they learn Share it during instructor training or include it as a training topic on humanity Task 3: See if younger Coho coaches would be willing to let new swim instructors watch a practice? Email younger coho coach asking if an opportunity for new instructors to witness their practice to gather effective techniques Find days that work for them (if they are willing) Schedule as shifts on humanity Goal Brainstorm 2: Create a feedback system for swim instructors to improve their feedback to swimmers Goal Brainstorm 3: Provide further training for cashiers and concessions to improve customer service relations Goal Brainstorm 4: Create site-specific training for guards at DHS
Action items:
1. Observe a least 4 classes NOT as LG or INS. Document specific examples of positive teaching behavior, and negative teaching behavior. And Positve instructor celebrations of swimmer successes.
Use https://swimminglessonsideas.com/lessons/crafting-effective-language/ as a reference.
Gwen: Meeting 4 JN Notes
Positive Methods:
- Very kind to kids, almost too forgiving
- Some instructors are very interactive, and will demonstrate if a kid is confused (even if it means fully submerging)
- Using childlike references to explain activities or skills
- Instructors are good at making kids comfortable in a kind-of friendship way, which is nice, but utilizing a more passive approach “Do you want to go?” rather than “Go”
- Often use games, races and challenges to incentivize kids to swim (works well!)
- Using physical gestures to show “Good job!”, or “Try again”
- Humoring children and getting on their level to gain trust
- Advanced kids got more one-on-one talking and in depth critiques to improve
- Went all the way down and back talking to them, offering encouragement
- Used positive non-verbal feedback a lot
- Physically would act out skills for kids to better understand
- Very hands-on in a positive way
- Playful with kids
- Very hands on when providing feedback
- Instructors enforced rules, but often had trouble keeping them on track (you can be a little forceful with your words, not mean)
- Tv instructor did well at explaining things short and simple for the kids
- Very encouraging to the kids who were apprehensive about getting in the pool, took their time
- Utilized non-verbal encouragement/discipline
- Sometimes a little tough love works, kids need a little push (don’t take this too far)
Unsuccessful Methods:
- Lacked structure/order
- Had a vibe of “I don’t really know what I’m doing/not sure of what I’m saying”
- Often overwhelmed by amount of kids therefore couldn’t give proper feedback after a turn
- Could use a lot more enthusiasm on the tv-instructor’s part, very important to have enthusiasm and put your all in to what you’re saying/doing
- Could utilize a lot more compliment sandwiches
- At times unable to control kids
- Focused on things to improve on that were minute compared to the child’s biggest issue (ie: telling them they need to start in a streamline rather than address the fact they weren’t kicking or reaching all the way over, henceforth sinking)
- Kids got bored when instructors weren’t actively engaged
- One instructor just pulled along their struggling kids on their kickboards down the lane rather than help their technique and give them advice on how to be able to swim down themselves, just gave blind encouragement
- Make a little more haste guys!
- If a child is doing it “basically” right, find the minute details to correct their form to get it as accurate/perfect as possible
- Often do not seem confident in what they are saying
- Could use more enthusiasm, kids get excited when they can see you’re excited
- Utilize compliment sandwich
- Could provide more encouraging words during swimming especially longer distances (especially because they start slowing down and their form gets worse)
- Needed to enforce the relationship/dynamic of you are THEIR teacher and they must listen
- If one way of explaining a way to fix their form is not working, try another approach (do not keep repeating the same thing, it clearly did not work the first or second time)\
- Make sure to enforce each aspect of a skill (ie: not just the straight arms for streamline, but the hands on top of eachother locked, face looking down, etc)
- “How do you measure three streamlines?” This is not a criticism, just a quote.
Key points (Summary)
Humor was important and when a kid finds something entertaining laughing at it too.
Advanced kids got more one-on-one critique b/c they were more receptive to it.
** Make sure all people are getting good specific feedback.**
How to use races and competition to increase skill acquisition.
Buckets:
Competency
Energy or enthusiasm
Structure and Feedback
Take these things and use the tools we have to improve their ability.
Come up with an activity or a lesson to teach these concepts to the instructors using our current training standards.
Can video tape and ask: would this be a good lesson? Would this be fun or successful?
Action items:
Take these three concepts and use your list of successful and unsuccessful items as examples.
Come up with 3 training activities that address the core concepts; 1 each.
- Competency
- Energy and Enthusiasm
- Structure and Feeback
Possible activity:
Peer teaching and what does that look like?
For a group of 10, split into 2 groups.
Each person has to pick 1 essential swim skill and cone up with 2 activities and 1 challenge for that skill.
Each person teaches those activities and challenges to their group and they pretend as if they are swimmers of an appropriate level.
Give feedback focusing on Energy, enthusiasm, leveraging our structure (rotation) and competency.
Related Updates:
Information about the Goal
Gwen S arrived at their goal through a series of meetings and refinement. Learn how that process happened.
What should we improve?
The candidate chose items in the aquatics program and department to improve. Goals are broad targets that we will work towards. Every meeting and task done will be in service of that goal. Goals should be large enough to encompass many tasks. Goals may not be attainable. Goals are our guiding direction; our North Star.
Gwen S's brainstormed ideas:
Improve swimmer and instructor relationships; communicate and improve enthusiasm. Know the basics, but not the human connection. "Improve ins ability to communicate and incentivize their swimmers to improve."
Create a feedback system for INS to improve feedback to their swimmers.
Provide furhter training for cashiers and concession to improve customer service relations
Site specific training for guard at DHS.
Goal Evaluation:
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