Being Part of a Team
By Bruce J. Stewart
“Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.” Jim Valvano, one of college basketball’s great coaches, his body ravaged by terminal cancer, and barely able to speak, gave a speech that I will never forget. He quoted Emerson on enthusiasm, and Vince Lombardi on dedication, but it was Valvano’s own emotion and enormous spirit against such long odds that brought the audience to tears. Even his consummate knowledge of basketball and all its intricacies was no match for the love and respect he had for people, especially his players. He connected.
The best coach is the one who motivates, encourages, and involves their players in the process of learning. Similarly, the best teacher is the one who motivates, encourages, and involves all of their students in the process of learning. Achievement in sports is not only dependent upon physical gifts, but more importantly a commitment to learning. Players learn by participating in practice and by simulating game situations. Learning becomes intuitive, instinctive, and fun. While winning can be considered an extrinsic motivator, when athletes or students discover the self-satisfaction process of learning and practice, intrinsic motivation is the result. I too, believe in Jerome Bruner, the educational researcher’s assertion that “intrinsic motivation may require an external reinforcement to get it under way, but once it comes to function autonomously – that is, independently of the external reward – real learning can become a solid, lifetime pursuit.” For example, Maria’s external reward – being able to sleep upon completion of a reading assignment – was a rather simple reward but it became the impetus towards her intrinsic motivation.
Instructional Leader
In the classroom, “the teacher is an instructional leader who orchestrates learning experiences in response to curriculum goals and student needs, and who coaches students to high levels of independent performance.” (Darling-Hammond, 1998) Or simply stated, “teachers need to become coaches – facilitators of knowledge and learning.” (Gardner, 1991) The successful coach knows how to relate to their players and knows that every player possesses varying levels of skills and desire. The coach knows that all motivation must be personalized and that each player will learn through the application of different methods. The coach learns how to motivate, how to instill confidence, how to teach teamwork skills, yet allowing each player to maximize their individual abilities. The successful coach is required to earn the respect of his players through his equal treatment of them. Respect is not automatic but it becomes a mutual feeling between player and coach through their interaction. The coach connects. What follows is dedication to each other and motivation through that commitment.
Fundamental to the effective coach’s teaching technique and that of the classroom teacher is the use of Vygotsky’s theory of the zone of proximal development. Vygotsky believed that cognitive growth depends on the child always reaching for somewhat more difficult levels of thinking and being challenged by ever-increasing stimulus complexity.” (Sprinthall, 1994) Vygotsky also believed that the student must be actively involved in the learning process. These two theories are the basis for implementing a challenging curriculum that involves each and every student as an active participant. Students must be challenged, yet if the level of difficulty is too great, they are likely to become frustrated and give up. Similarly, the best teachers always ensure that their educational goals and curriculum are based upon a solid academic foundation.
The effective coach always has his players master the fundamentals of the game. It is not until the foundation is firmly established that the individual gems of the game can be polished. Also, the importance of teamwork and its limitless potential can only be realized upon mastery of the fundamentals. Players learn the fundamentals through practice and repetition of the basics and they learn quicker by simulating game situations. Coaches must scaffold their instruction so that players remain successful and confident, yet always increasing the level of difficulty. By scaffolding instruction during practice, players will increase their skills, and their reaction to similar situations during competition becomes intuitive. What follows during a real game is an extension of what they have already done in practice. Players feel exhilarated and confident in their positions, whether they are pitching in a championship game or shooting a game winning basket. Each game is new and different but the feeling for the game is the same. They are confident. Confidence breeds success and success breeds additional success. Winning reestablishes their desire and motivation to practice (learn) and practice becomes as important and meaningful as the game itself. Good sportsmanship (citizenship) becomes a character trait. It is a feeling of equal respect for teammates as well as opponents that is color blind and deaf to taunts and ridicule.
How can these principles of coaching be applied to education? The teacher-coach must first earn the respect of the student. “Treat me as me, they (the students) tell us, teachers and parents. I’m not my brother. I am different. I am special. I am somebody.” (Sizer, 1992) This is done by treating each student equally and recognizing the individual needs of each student. The teacher-coach must recognize the individual’s strengths and weaknesses; their likes and their dislikes. The teacher-coach will facilitate an environment where students are not only involved in the learning process but are an integral part of it. Learning is dependent upon involvement and involvement becomes natural. No longer is the student a passive listener but an active participant — a player. The student-player becomes motivated through all aspects of the learning environment: teachers, fellow students, and the student’s own self confidence and success. As the teacher transforms from the teacher-coach into the coach, so will the student transform into a player – a participant – taking an active and vital role in their own education.
The coach knows that motivation is the facilitator of learning and that motivation is multi-dimensional. The coach also knows that players will improve quicker when their level of competition is greater than their own and finds ways to challenge each player. The learning process becomes more intense, the learning situations magnified. The result is players who have learned how to learn the game, to adapt, to extrapolate, to become critical thinkers, and they also learn that being part of team has unique rewards and leads to great accomplishments. Similarly, the players in the classroom need to feel the spirit of the team. They need encouragement from their teacher-coach and of equal importance is the recognition and support of their classmates. Students need to feel a sense of belonging, being part of the team. Jerome Bruner believed that not only do children become interested in what they are good at, but they also have a “need to work with others cooperatively.” (Sprinthall, 1994) Hence, the satisfaction of being on a winning team is inherent in our nature. Students and players need to know that their individual efforts will be recognized and rewarded, and that their failures are an opportunity to learn how to encourage their teammates, their classmates. A sense of belonging is a critical component of every person’s emotional education.
While Jean Piaget understood the necessity of a student’s need for individual learning, Vygotsky’s belief of the importance of social learning is of paramount importance to the student’s positive emotional growth. Through shared inquiry and the exchange of ideas, students learn to test their theories, which establish the basis for critical thinking and cognitive growth. By establishing and maintaining a non-threatening and positive classroom environment, I have provided an emotionally safe and secure atmosphere, facilitating the free exchange of ideas. In addition, I need to be innovative and creative. Not only must I employ the proven methods of effective educators, but I must be willing to experiment with fresh ideas and be willing to learn from my mistakes. It is also important for me to understand that a student’s intrinsic motivation to learn classroom material will not develop overnight but instead will emerge slowly over a period of time.” (Ormrod, 1999) My students will learn only if I keep learning.
Imagine, Believe, Act
As a young undergraduate student majoring in English, I was significantly influenced by the passion and dedication of a specific literature professor. Professor Richard Blessing’s boundless enthusiasm for Modern American Literature was matched by his demand that each student can and will demonstrate work of the highest quality and relevance. Perhaps it was also his love of sports, himself being an All-American college football player that motivated me to work through the many struggles to understand and appreciate literature, as well as to produce high quality written work. While his dynamic and emotional lectures enthralled me, it was his emphasis on critical thinking and the belief that the cognitive mind is capable of limitless potential – to imagine, to believe, then to act. I learned that failures only happen when we are afraid to act.
The feedback Professor Blessing provided for me on my writing was honest, valid, and helped improve not only the quality of my writing, but my ability to analyze and truly appreciate literature and poetry. Every class period, Professor Blessing brought a gift to the students — his genuine enthusiasm for literature and a love of teaching. Professor Blessing was a high energy teacher and the enthusiasm he showed when reading passages from one of his favorite novels, such as Ken Kesey’s Sometimes a Great Notion, or Robert Penn Warren’s All the King’s Men, still resonates with me. His eyes had a sparkle and his smile stayed with him during the entire period. He brought the characters in these novels to life. Through Professor Blessing’s positive energy and his love of literature, he inspired me to explore new authors, to explore new literature. His love of teaching had also inspired in me the possibility that perhaps I too could be a teacher; to maintain the attention of a group of young students, and to inspire in them a love of reading.
Courage
Today, as I teach, I use my memories of Professor Blessing to motivate, to inspire me to bring the gift of passion and enthusiasm to my students each and every day. Professor Blessing brought a larger world to life for me. Parker Palmer, states in his book The Courage to Teach, we, as teachers, “honor our students by teaching them how to think like literary critics rather than merely how to lip-sync the conclusions others have reached.” Professor Blessing’s enthusiasm and love of literature, and for teaching, taught and encouraged all of his students how to be literary critics. As a man of action, his methods have influenced my teaching and his published writing is a legacy that has motivated me to write.
A man who loved his life and his art, and believed in creativity, who believed in action and believed in beauty, Professor Blessing, even under the most difficult of life’s hardship continued to create. In his early forties, Professor Blessing was struck by a brain tumor that would take his life. However, it did not take his spirit and his creativity. In his book, Poems and Stories, published shortly before his passing, Blessing chronicles many of his experiences as a cancer patient through poetry.
I learned the beauty of poetry through Richard Blessing. Through Professor Blessing, I learned the beauty of teaching – the passion and the opportunity teaching provides to love.
Professor Blessing’s literary criticism included the following works: Theodore Roethke’s Dynamic Vision, and Wallace Stevens’ Whole Harmonium. Richard Blessing’s young adult novel, A Passing Season, was published shortly before his death. He also wrote several collections of poetry, including Poems and Stories, Winter Constellations, and A Closed Book.
Like Professor Blessing, Coach Jim Valvano was also a man of action. Several months before Coach Valvano passed away, he embraced the words of British sportswriter, Brian Glanville, on the importance of athletics: “they demonstrate the scope of human possibility, which is unlimited. The inconceivable is conceived, and then it is accomplished.” ‘It’s what I’ve got to do to say alive,’ said Jimmy Vee, I’ve got to conceive the inconceivable.” (Smith, 1993) Great “classroom” teams must realize the necessity of a commitment to each other, from coach to “player”, and from “player” to “player.” Only then can the inconceivable be conceived. As the teacher-coach, enthusiasm and optimism will nourish my spirit, keep me alive, and I will succeed only if I “don’t give up, don’t ever give up!”
