Monday, March 13, 2006

Basketball, Lesson Plans and Remembrance

I was fascinated with the article in the March 1, 2006 edition of Education Week titled “What John Wooden Can Teach Us,” written by Ron Gallimore (subscription required).

My fascination has many facets. I too remember my high school basketball coach. I remember the painstaking care he took in teaching us everything from the discipline of the free throw, to the intricacies of breaking a press, to the simple need to wear a hat after practice when walking home in the cold winter darkness. What is more impressive, however, is the validation of his efforts by Dr. Gallimore’s points. Practice did not just happen; instruction did not just happen; even drills did not just happen. These were planned, implemented, monitored, evaluated and adjusted by not only my coach but by his assistant coaches as well. Dr. Gallimore points out that these same procedures are the steps “master teachers” may take when designing an effective lesson plan. It’s funny how much we enjoy basketball but seldom enjoy lesson planning.

More information about/from Ron can be found at http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/pages/gallimore.htmll and http://www.llri.org/html/staff_gallimore.htm.