Why you should use question cards when coaching
- The Boot Room
- 12 February 2020
Rich Cooper, FA county coach developer, explains why question cards can help the reflective process for both players and coaches.
Why is it important to get player feedback when reflecting on a session?I happened to be visiting a secondary school in Lincolnshire some years ago and on walking past the science classroom I became aware of the teacher using question cards at the end of the science lesson that had just been taught. This got me thinking that this could form part of my coaching sessions going forward, to either focus on what the players are going to do, or in this case, allowing players to review their performance in the session.
This process has proved invaluable to me in listening to the players’ responses to my questioning to ascertain their understanding, thoughts and ideas prompted through interaction with their peers in small groups (pairs or threes at most). This in turn helps me shape further planning through the review process, based not just on my observations but also what the players say.
Why are the question cards an important part of framing a session (before/after)?I used the question card process for the first time at a session I delivered at a primary school in Bristol and I was amazed at how well the young players enjoyed and were empowered by being given the responsibility and ownership to discuss with each other their thoughts and ideas.
The question cards have also been used on several occasions early in the session after the players have had a chance to sample how the session works, so from a future tense perspective the players can discuss their ideas on where the difficulties may lie and how they can work together to problem solve.
The players then quickly move on to experience their ideas in practice to see if they gain success. Towards the end, or at the completion of the session, different question cards in past tense can be used to review specific areas of their own and team performance relating to the session aims and outcomes.
How do you choose what questions to ask?The questions you select need to be carefully compiled depending on where the players are in their stage of development and their range and depth of experiences on which they can form an answer.
This needs profound consideration and also at what stage of the session you intend to use your question cards and what you want to find out from the players' thoughts.
How do you use the players’ responses to affect your next session?
Can you assess from observing a player’s performance alone whether they are showing understanding or not?
By listening carefully to the players’ responses then this can form your planning for your next session, whether that is to regress, revisit or progress on where you consider the players are in their learning.
Top 5 tips for grassroots coaches to implement in their sessions1. Choose your questions carefully. Think about what you want to find out and tailor the level of questions to the players’ age, ability and experience.
2. The coaching world is a busy place to be but try and review your coaching session as soon as you can, whilst reflecting on the responses from the players to inform your decisions on the planning of your next session.
3. Use the question cards at the start of your next session which allows the players to reflect on what they did in the previous session, or sessions. This will help them link the learning together like building blocks.
4. Maximise playing time by using drinks breaks and transition time between session elements to utilise the question cards. The players want to play and this process shouldn’t diminish playing time but instead make the play more meaningful and productive.
5. Frequently review your question cards and amend through trial and error. You can let the players select or offer ‘pot luck’ to discuss.
This article was first published in The Boot Room magazine in April 2016.
