Learning From Practice: The Value of a Personal Learning Coach for High-Performance Coaches

Multiple actors and roles are now recognized and promoted to support the development of coaches. Personal coaching is an emerging industry in many professional fields yet remains insignificant in sport coaching. The purpose of this study was to document and assess the value of a 12-month collaborative action research in which a high-performance rugby coach, with the support of a personal learning coach, aimed to learn from her coaching practice. This research was operationalized using an appreciative inquiry framework. Personal coaching was conducted according to the principles of narrative-collaborative coaching. Data collection included interviews, video observation, audio recordings of coaching conversations, notes from phone calls, and email exchanges. Results showed that this partnership created a safe and challenging learning space where different coaching topics were addressed, such as reflective practice, leadership, and mental preparation. A deductive analysis of the debriefing interview was completed using the value creation framework developed by Wenger and colleagues. This analysis indicated that the high-performance coach’s relationship with the personal learning coach enabled the development of five types of value: immediate, potential, applied, realised, and transformative. Therefore, it is suggested that narrative-collaborative coaching can complement existing formal and non-formal learning activities.

A Pilot Study to Assess the Compliance and Impact on Weight of Kurbo, a Pediatric Centered Weight Loss App (Preprint)

BACKGROUND The national prevalence of adolescent obesity has increased from 5% to 21% over the last five decades. Lifestyle modification continues to be the cornerstone of treatment for obesity and its comorbidities, and a number of digital tools have been developed as adjuncts to foster weight and BMI decrease. Apps targeting the pediatric population are few and none to date have been validated with scientific studies assessing their feasibility and outcomes. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this pilot study is to establish compliance and feasibility of Kurbo, a pediatric-centered weight loss app, as an adjunct to our pediatric weight management clinic. METHODS Kurbo utilizes games and activities to educate children about healthy eating and exercise. Kurbo also includes the option of personalized weekly feedback with a learning coach that covers basic nutrition education, behavior modification tools, and action plans to reach weekly food and exercise goals. Subjects were primarily English speaking, aged 10 through 17 years old, with regular access to a smart device, and who were seen at Baystate Children’s Hospital outpatient weight management clinic. Participants were randomized to receive the Kurbo app or Kurbo plus a learning coach in addition to standard of care. Subjects were seen monthly by the dietitian or physician, where BMI was determined, and questionnaires assessing use of the app were answered. RESULTS Twenty-seven subjects were enrolled; 13 in the Kurbo group and 14 in the Kurbo plus learning coach group. Compliance overall was poor, with only 15% of subjects completing the required follow-up visits and approximately 7% and 4% of subjects self-reporting > 75% compliance with food or exercise tracking, respectively. A small increase in compliance was noted in app collected versus self-reported data. CONCLUSIONS Future studies might look into enrolling more motivated patients who might utilize the app more and have better outcomes. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02880254; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02880254 (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/74jU3ATSJ)

Using a Learning Coach to Develop Family Medicine Residents' Goal-Setting and Reflection Skills

Background Self-directed learning (SDL) skills, such as self-reflection and goal setting, facilitate learning throughout a physician's career. Yet, residents do not often formally engage in these activities during residency. Intervention To develop resident SDL skills, we created a learning coach role for a junior faculty member to meet with second-year residents monthly to set learning goals and promote reflection. Methods The study was conducted from 2008–2010 at the Brown Family Medicine Residency in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. During individual monthly meetings with the learning coach, residents entered their learning goals and reflections into an electronic portfolio. A mixed-methods evaluation, including coach's ratings of goal setting and reflection, coach's meeting notes, portfolio entries, and resident interviews, was used to assess progress in residents' SDL abilities. Results Coach ratings of 25 residents' goal-setting ability increased from a mean of 1.9 to 4.6 (P < .001); ratings of reflective capacity increased from a mean of 2.0 to 4.7 (P < .001) during each year. Resident portfolio entries showed a range of domains for goal setting and reflection. Resident interviews demonstrated progressive independence in setting goals and appreciation of the value of reflection for personal development. Conclusions Introducing a learning coach, use of a portfolio, and providing protected time for self-reflected learning allowed residents to develop SDL skills at their own pace. The learning coach model may be applicable to other residency programs in developing resident lifelong learning skills.