The Means to Achieve Fairness, Safety, and Consistency USRowing Annual Convention December 6, 2008 “Clinician” USRowing Referee Committee

Why clinicians??  IOP #1: The Mission of USRowing Referees (Corps) is to serve the sport of rowing by protecting and advancing the highest standards of safety, fairness and ethical conduct within the rowing community  IOP #45: oClinicians are a key element in the Committee’s mission of training and education oClinicians are appointed by the Committee and are reviewed on an annual basis Clinicians not only provide the means through which USRowing trains and licenses its corps of officials … they also serve to actively maintain the quality and consistency of the corps by providing constructive feedback arising from observation and evaluation of working officials

Clinicians must fulfill two primary roles 1.training ooff the water: classroom clinics oon the water: working with individuals 2.evaluation oformal –written test to obtain an Assistant’s license –advancement in rank (Assistant to Referee) –regional ranking of officials oinformal –on the water, working with individuals –as a consultant to the chief referee

Clinicians have comprehensive knowledge and skills gained through experience  IOP #45 … expectations for clinicians oExpert level familiarity with the Rules of Rowing with special emphasis on the ability to illustrate more complex rules with concrete examples oDemonstrate ability to communicate balanced judgment in application of the rules oExceed the minimum requirements for maintaining a license oHave extensive regatta experience at multiple regatta levels

Clinicians agree to volunteer their time and to share their experience  IOP #45 … expectations for clinicians oAssist with creating, maintaining, and distributing the highest quality training materials oUse effective teaching skills that go beyond anecdotal narration oPresent or assist at a minimum of one clinic per year oBe available for clinics throughout his/her home region oCoordinate clinics with the Regional Representative oServe as a mentor

Clinicians also fulfill an evaluative and administrative role for the Committee  IOP #45 … expectations for clinicians oProvide expert consultation outside of the clinic context as requested by referees, regatta directors, and coaches oAdminister referee examinations, with the approval of the Regional Representative oProvide prompt and accurate reports to the designated Committee member, indicating the level, subject matter, and participants of each clinic delivered

Clinicians have an expert-level familiarity with the Rules, and can communicate balanced judgment in application of the Rules …  factual recall of individual rules (Articles II – IV) ofamiliarity to readily and efficiently reference clarification of individual details stemming from regatta incidents  understands and can articulate the intent (fairness & safety) of individual rules Expert-level familiarity and understanding are exercised through habitual self-assessment and reflection, in addition to peer evaluations and discussion, stemming from real life experiences as case studies

Clinicians assist with creating, maintaining, and distributing the highest quality training materials …  proper use of “Committee approved” clinic presentations oupdates and edits, deletions or additions, should always reflect a consistent national standard, as opposed to regional or local customs and practices  creation of new material: generally, always start with the Rules and/or written procedures (e.g. the Committee IOPs) owhen the clinic focus is upon particular skills and/or procedures (floating starts, control commission, etc.) the presentation should develop from specific applicable Rules, and their intent owhen teaching procedures that are not specifically delineated through the Rules, consult with the Regional Representative to ensure consistency and adherence to a “national procedural standard”  enhancements to existing material are to be encouraged, e.g. ofocused case studies with a clear “learning objective” ouse of photos or videos ointeractive media

Clinicians use effective teaching skills that go beyond anecdotal narratives …  regarding pedagogy, and teaching teachers how to teach … There are numerous schools of thought, and no one ever agrees! oregardless of method, effective teaching is built upon a foundation of clearly articulated “learning objectives” e.g.e.g.  consider … oactive learning techniques, versus traditional classroom passive learning oyour role as a facilitator for learning by others, rather than just a dispenser of knowledge and information othe use of “war stories” as good case examples and learning opportunities, versus entertainment and gossip (or, self-aggrandizement)

Clinicians coordinate clinics with the Regional Representatives …  when is the best time to give a clinic? obefore, during, or after the racing season oin conjunction with a regatta, or not  what topic or topics will the clinic include?  how will the clinic be advertised, and is there a target audience?  where will the clinic be held, and is the location and facility suitable for the purpose? Clinicians are not autonomous free agents, and they should not be burdened with having to solve all of the above on their own … the Regional Representatives have an obligation to oversee and coordinate clinics and the Clinicians who work in their respective regions

Clinicians are also called upon to evaluate officials as they work at regattas  for what purpose? oto ensure that the officials are conforming to procedural standards that are consistent and proper oto ensure that the officials are properly applying and interpreting the Rules  what are the standards for evaluation? otake into account both the rank and the level of experience of the individual official oconsider the competitive expectations of the regatta participants  suggestions and guidelines for “effective and supportive” evaluations o“critical feedback” should include not only what needs to be improved, but also what was done competently and well oconsider the pros and cons regarding immediate reactive feedback of a summative nature, vs. a more reflective and formative provision of feedback

Summary …  Clinicians must prepare themselves to contribute to, and participate in, two primary activities: otraining officials, both new and experienced, via classroom clinics and one-on-one interactions during regattas oevaluating officials, both new and experienced, for both formative and summative purposes Becoming an effective Clinician begins with a commitment to meeting the expectations listed within the IOPs of the Referee Committee. One should then reflect to assess how to best apply one’s experience to assist in the mission of training and evaluating the corps of USRowing officials.

Writing effective learning objectives  learning objectives … osummarize for the learners the relevance and meaningfulness of the intended instruction oclarify for the instructor the intended outcomes of the teaching  current “educational thinking” … learning objectives should be specific and measurable oeach objective should describe one or more intended results of instruction, and not the process of instruction itself  good objectives are written using “action verbs”, e.g. state, list, describe, explain, compare, plan, evaluate, etc. owords such as “know” or “understand” should not be used for writing objectives, as they are too ambiguous and open-ended

Today’s learning objectives: “By the conclusion of this clinic, the participants should be able to …”  recite the Mission of USRowing Referees, and then justify the need for standardized training and evaluation by Clinicians in support of this Mission  state the two primary roles that Clinicians are called upon to fulfill  summarize the three main categories of expectations for Clinicians as set forth through the Referee Committee IOPs  explain how to properly access and utilize the standardized training material made available by the Referee Committee  describe the steps a Clinician should take to ensure that new training material and presentations that they develop adhere to “national procedural standards”  etc. back