My Journey through the Digital Learning and Leading Master of Education Program at Lamar University began in the Summer of 2018 when I began my Graduate Assistant position with the Lamar Cardinal Football Team. I can honestly say I was not quite sure what I had gotten myself into - I just knew I had to pick a Masters Program at Lamar, and I had to pick it quick.
My first course at Lamar was EDLD 5302 and could not have been a better class for a new defensive coach, moving from coaching high school to coaching college, and joining a group of men who were all new to Lamar University Cardinal football. We inherited a program that had not had the highest of expectations for their college athletes. We had expectations for our student athletes that they had not had before. We started slow, but there was improvement each and every week. The Power of the Growth Mindset in EDLD 5302 gave me the positive outlook that allowed me to turn frustration into motivation - Not “I can’t” but “I haven’t yet.”
I am not exactly sure when it dawned on me that I did have ownership of my assignments, but I do know that having ownership allowed me to make the program work for me. The majority of the other students in the DLL program were involved with K-12 public schools, so the fact that I had ownership allowed me to let the program work for my unique circumstance.
My initial reaction was uncertainty, but as I progressed through the process, I realized that having ownership of my learning would allow me to create an authentic product that would actually benefit my student athletes, not just “check a box” for project completion. Once I had this “ah ha” moment, I was more than ready for the opportunity.
Adjusting to this style of learning was actually a big relief to me. As a college football coach, time is valuable, so the idea of losing time to class assignments that have no benefit past a recorded grade would have been frustrating. Knowing that I was creating authentic projects that could, and did, benefit my organization is something that increases the value of my masters here at Lamar University.
Once I realized the positive benefit of this style of learning, it was very easy to not only take control, but openly share each step of the process with my colleagues in the office, allowing it to benefit others in my organization. It was a huge benefit to know that I was in fact promoting positive change in my organization throughout my work in the DLL program.
My innovation plan took many twists and turns throughout the program, finally settling in on “Flipping the Defensive Meeting Room” by teaching my student athletes the skills needed to break down game films prior to team meetings. While I have not been able to implement it fully, my hope is that I will be able to prior to next football season.
My undergraduate degree was in Interdisciplinary Studies in the College of Education focusing on Special Education. Because the focus of Special Education is creating an Individual Education Plan for each student, the COVA and CSLE approaches fall right in alignment with my learning philosophy. I actually feel strongly about all students having Individual Education Plans, as each student has very different long term educational goals.
As a college football coach, each year we have three distinct groups: incoming freshman, returning players and JuCo or D1 transfers. The young men in each group have very unique needs. Understanding these distinctions and allowing them to take ownership of their learning in their unique group could have positive benefits as they work towards team building and working towards positive growth each season.
My introduction to the COVA approach in the ELL Masters Program, creating significant learning environments that provide learners with choice, ownership, voice, and authentic learning opportunities, has become a part of my approach to almost every aspect of teaching,
As a college football coach, each fall we must provide a positive environment for student athletes at different points in their athletic careers to come together to form a cohesive team that can work together to win football games. We have incoming freshman, coming to us from high school coaches with very different styles. We have returning players that have already learned our system and feel very confident in their positions. We also have student athletes that transfer from other colleges - some from Junior Colleges, and others from much larger programs that want to transfer down for playing time.
By providing incoming freshman the opportunity to learn what we look for when breaking down opponents game film, as well as critiquing our own game and practice film, student athletes can then take ownership of their preparation by breaking down and analyzing film, coming to position meetings ready to provide their own suggestions and recommendations to build and improve our team’s performance.
By providing student athlete’s the basic knowledge of what we look for, they can create their own learning environment, improving their feelings of ownership in the outcome of the team’s performance.
Current challenges that I do foresee will be staff changes on the Lamar Cardinal Football coaching staff. The Athletic Director is currently interviewing candidates for Head Coach, having narrowed the pool down to four. Once a new head coach is hired, he will then determine who, if any, current assistant coaches will be retained. Typically, some coaches are retained to give the current players some continuity. While I will probably be retained through the Spring, I may or may not be on staff for the ‘20 season.
I feel very positive about the innovation plan I have created, and anticipate taking it with me to my next team if I do leave Lamar. I am also comfortable turning my plan over to the person who would replace me, if necessary.