Online coach tool makes education and certification accessible for entire coaching community
In the absence of on-pitch field hockey, The Field Hockey Canada Coach Education Committee spent much of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic lockdown re-developing coach education for Canadian coaches of all levels and all contexts. One of the biggest project undertakings was converting the Field Hockey Canada sport specific community workshop from an in-person facilitated workshop to a self-paced digital eLearning module, in both French and English, that coaches can access at any time, and on a schedule that works for each club, league and training environment.
The module content was developed by a team of subject matter experts, and in consultation with FIH Academy for alignment with their Level one coaching content. Field Hockey Canada CEO Susan Ahrens notes how important this shift will be for getting more coaches recognized as qualified.
“Most of all, this is a big step for our community. The eLearning module will make our coach education much more accessible for all Canadian coaches,” she said, celebrating the thorough work of the Coach Education Committee. “We are pleased the FIH has recognized the quality of our training for community coaches. Fully trained coaches will now be globally recognized.”
The pathway to become a fully trained Community Coach includes several important steps. More information can be found here.
STEP ONE
- Field Hockey Canada requires coaches in all contexts to complete mandatory Safe Sport training, this is important to insure the health, wellbeing and safety of all participants. Safe Sport prerequisites includes the following three modules and must be completed by coaches prior to working with athletes on the field.
- MED + Online Evaluation (In-Person)
- Making Headway (eLearning)
- CAC SafeSport training module (eLearning)
STEP TWO
- The Community Coach Training Pathway uses CAC Multi-Sport modules to cover all the soft skills associated with coaching.
- NCCP Fundamental Movement Skills: an interactive workshop that provides a comprehensive introduction to the fundamental movement skills and Physical Literacy. More information can be found here.
- The NCCP Coach Initiation in Sport module must be completed as a prerequisite to the FHC Community Coach eLearning. This module is accessible through the coaches Locker Account in the eLearning tab. The module introduces new or experienced coaches to the foundational skills of coaching, such as long-term athlete development, ethics, coaching motivation, and athlete safety and wellness. It also teaches the key coaching concepts and educational tools that are the foundation of the NCCP. This eLearning will take approximately 1 hour, once you have completed the module will appear in your coach transcript, and you will then be able to access the FHC Community Coach Module.
STEP THREE
- Field Hockey Canada’s Community Coach eLearning module is designed to support the development of coaches at the community level of our sport who may fit into the following categories:
- Parents, teachers or volunteers who are new to coaching.
- Parents, teachers or volunteers working with athletes under the age of 13
- Any Coaches new to the sport of field hockey
- Any Experienced coaches new to the NCCP
- All Athletes transitioning to coaching
- Any Experienced NCCP coaches who need professional development, or a refresh on the fundamental principles of Field Hockey.
The Field Hockey Canada Community Coach eLearning module will introduce you to what it means to be a field hockey coach and how to plan a session that supports the best practices of coaching and your own personal coaching philosophies. By the end of the module, you will have the essential knowledge you need to develop athletes in sport and physical activities.
This module will explore the following topics:
- Alignment between the NCCP and Field Hockey Canada (FHC)
- Becoming a coach and developing your coaching philosophy
- The 5 Step coaching process
- Planning for and ensuring safety in field hockey practice sessions and play
- The basics of field hockey
- Developing Athletes technical and tactical field hockey skills
- Planning Practice Sessions.
This module is accessible through the eLearning tab in the coaches locker account and will take approximately two hours. You may complete the module in multiple sittings. Once you have completed the FHC eLearning, the module will appear in your coach transcript.
PROJECT TEAM and CONTENT EXPERTS
Subject Experts:
- Jenn Beagan – Coach Education Committee / BC
- Amy Ware – Coach Education Committee / Ontario
- Ben Harvey – British Columbia
- Roel Van Maastrigt – Alberta
Support from:
Adam Sollitt – CAC Coaching Consultant
Wade Parro – CAC Senior Coaching Advisor, E-Learning Lead
Mike Joyce – FIH Academy
Andre Oliveira – FIH Academy
Instructional Design by: https://www.learnchangelead.com/
French Translation by: Marc Tougas, Mike Van Iderstine, Stevenson – Master Translators
