Reflections From The Field

How Coaching Made Us Better Teachers

By:
Eric J. DeMeulenaere, Clark University
Colette N. Cann, Vassar College
James E. McDermott, Clark University
Chad R. Malone, Premier Elite Athlete’s Collegiate

Published 2013

The coaching metaphor first entered the educational literature over twenty-five year ago when Ted Sizer urged classroom teachers to model the pedagogical relationship between coaches and athletes. Yet, since then, educators have rarely drawn direct lessons from the athletic arena for their practice... until now. DeMeulenaere, Cann, Malone and McDermott, in this groundbreaking analysis, explore the implications of athletic coaching for improved pedagogy. They offer concrete lessons and suggestions for best practices in the classroom.

CONTENTS
Foreword Preface 1 Introduction 2 Winning Has Little to Do With the Score, James E. McDermott 3 Commentary on Coach McDermott’s Narrative 4 The Lie Is More Sinful Than the Score, Chad R. Malone 5 Commentary on Coach Malone’s Narrative 6 Learning to Detrack on the Volleyball Court, Colette N. Cann 7 Commentary on Coach Cann’s Narrative 8 Lessons from the Soccer Field, Eric J. DeMeulenaere 9 Commentary on Coach DeMeulenaere’s Narrative 10 Reconciliations 11 Reflections from the Field and Classroom References About the Authors

REVIEWS
"Reflections from the Field is quite simply a tour de force – one of the most powerful books on teachers, teaching, and learning I have read. Compelling, useful, and emotionally inspiring, it should be read by every pre-service teacher, teacher-educator and practicing educator in the U.S." Sarah Michaels Clark University in From the foreword

"Reflections from the Field is an invitation to meet a set of teachers who are reflective practitioners, relationship-builders, and also, not coincidentally, coaches – they know how to improvise, how to nourish and challenge, how to recognize the uniqueness of each and power of all, and how to dance the dialectic between thought and action. This vivid kaleidoscope offers an opportunity to see how it’s done." William Ayers University of Illinois, Chicago