This post wraps up the reflection journal, which culminates in a personal action plan: what do I do with all these reflections now?
12. Programme Design
Another brilliant module I missed… man, that silver medal cost some arm and a mental leg.
Based on the slides on the Classroom, this session had the long-sought after answer to “Why the Formal and Non-Formal Designation?” I think I struggle with this one because, for me, and through no fault of Volleyball Ireland, the Foundation, Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 curricula are pretty opaque.
So the whole progression of designing a program looks like this:
What is the program’s purpose?
What constraints might we have? What is absolutely necessary?
What competencies are needed?
How do we assess competence?
What content can help us address these competencies?
How is the program delivered (or consumed)?
Design specific pieces of the program
Run it and modify based on reflection
Piece of cake.
In the case of formal programs, they will be designed with a clear progression in mind, like the Long Term Player Development Model, for example. The purpose of the program might be to ensure volleyball coaches at a certain level are aware of best practices, skills, and techniques to use with their athletes.
Some of the constraints might be a lack of exposure to the sport, so that will determine the level of the content and competencies that are addressed by the program.
For competencies, we would likely rely on the silent demo with key coaching points for a given skill… and outline these for a variety of these skills if our first pass is successful. And we can assess competence by having the coaches summarize the key coaching points at the end and demo the skill themselves.
There are plenty of supplemental materials, both online videos, diagrams, and books, that can be provided as additional content and reference for the coaches, or we can provide our own, custom-created content, similar to that I provided in my session plans for formal and non-formal sessions.
I’d be very keen to see how we can incorporate a wide range of competencies using ecological dynamics or rely more heavily on cues that have been specifically developed for Irish and European youth.
I hope to work with Volleyball Ireland to develop a few new modules for the Level 1 and up certifications on setting, service reception, the libero, and advanced serving, as well as some other programs devoted to match and training management.
I can’t say that there are any aspects of program design that I’m not interested in; there might be certain specific pieces of the program I might be less interested in than others, but in general I think it’s a great space to work in, and from developing the course to delivering it to reflecting on it and improving it, I get a kick out of all of those aspects and can’t wait to get stuck in.
Personal Action Plan
Goal
To engage in 1) more facilitation work with coaches, 2) improve my delivery and communication, especially in terms of clarity and all communication from myself being aligned to the one purpose, and 3) provide an entry point into a community of practice through this thing:
.
These are important goals to me because I want to share with the community the way others have shared and supported me, and I really enjoy helping people succeed and grow, as I grow in the process, too.
Long-Term Goal
To facilitate a session at VLY.Live, the CEV Coaches Conference, or the AVCA Convention, all sport-specific coaching education clinics and events.
Target Completion Date
Mid-September 2025/2026
Resources
Existing Volleyball Ireland coach education resources and programs
NGB mentors, Des and Conor
Fellow coaches
LTPD resources
Sport Ireland advice on program design
Public speaking and communication courses (maybe like Vinh’s? https://www.vinhgiang.com/)
Barriers
Other priorities (travel, work, U20W European Finals, &c.) may affect the timeline
Inability to access resources in a timely manner
Not practicing regular reflection on the process
Contingencies
By setting weekly goals I believe I can continue to enrich my knowledge and practice in communication methods and clarity.
Also, by scheduling out facilitation sessions weeks in advance will ensure I have something concrete to aim for and the pressure of coaches signing up to attend, so I’ll have to prepare for it.
If I don’t get enough attendees I can try a recruiting campaign amongst the parents of our U16s in the local club.
Outcomes
At least 3 more coaches trained in specific skills in the Dalkey Devils club
At least 3 sessions of coaching education delivered by June 2025
An average of two posts relevant to coaches or coach developers on coachingvolleyball.substack.com and more engagement with the comments section to build a community around it