THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF TEACHING SPORTS THERAPY

BY AMY BELL, BSC

INTRODUCTION This article is for clinicians who are thinking of entering the ever-challenging world of teaching. After graduating from Salford University in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in sports rehabilitation, I worked for a year as a self-employed full- time practising member of the British Association of Sports Rehabilitators and Trainers (BASRaT). Although I enjoyed this immensely, I found that I really missed studying. Treating clients and athletes requires a lot of thought, but my brain yearned for something different. A past lecturer pointed me in the direction of teaching when he heard of a position to teach sports therapy for a fitness training provider. Despite being just 22 at the time, and not long out of full-time education myself, I decided to go for it.

FIRST STEPS I got through the rather rigorous first interview, which consisted of a 40-minute presentation on shoulder anatomy and physiology, numerous questions on my suitability for the job and my ability to deal with difficult learners, and finally some information about the background of the company. I was extremely nervous and started off at high speed, but my confidence grew. I must have delivered a good presentation, for I was given a second and final interview. This time I had to produce a lesson plan on common soft tissue conditions and then carry out practical treatment of a fictitious injury. It was the first time I had ever done a lesson plan, but I managed to get through it and I was offered the job. It seemed that taking all the best bits from my past lecturers paid off! And so, a little over a year ago, my teaching journey

began. It was a daunting experience in the beginning. Knowing how to massage a leg or reel off the origins and insertions of every muscle is one thing, but passing on my knowledge to others is entirely different.

NEED NOT ONLY TO PASS THEIR EXAMS BUT ULTIMATELY TO BE GOOD SPORTS THERAPISTS

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IT IS VITAL TO PROVIDE THE STUDENTS WITH THE SKILLS THEY

In this article the author offers a personal reflection on teaching sports therapy. It begins with an insight into the interview process and the first steps in the transition from practising clinician to teacher. It looks briefly at learning styles, deciding what depth to go into and the importance of self-analysis as a teacher. Voluntary work is touched upon, as is the necessity of clinical practice for students.

Teachers not only need to know their subject in detail but

also have to be able to explain why things happen. Teachers must have opinions, but they must also be open-minded to those of others, thus providing their students with the opportunity to make informed decisions for themselves. Most importantly, teachers must be passionate about what they teach. How can a teacher expect their students to enjoy learning if the teacher does not appear to be enjoying it? One of my greatest compliments was on an end-of-

course evaluation sheet. A student of mine wrote that I had ‘a contagious passion and energy for the subject that was impossible not to catch’. If you are enthusiastic about your subject, then you are halfway to being able to teach it.

LEARNING STYLES I try to be as creative as I can and get the students doing as much for themselves as possible. All learners are different, but I have found that adults do not just want to be talked at while being expected to listen and take everything in. We must cater for all learning styles, but generally I find that sports therapy students tend to lean more towards kinaesthetic and visual styles rather than auditory styles. Sports therapy students have chosen to do a practical course to enable them to work in a practical profession, so why sit them down and work through hours of theory every day? Of course we must learn some theory, and certainly computer presentations have their uses, but students learn much more if they are actively learning. Students must know the origins and insertions of over 60 muscles, but what good is this if they cannot point to the location of the anterior superior iliac spine, or the coracoid process, or the ischial tuberosity? My point is not to undermine the importance of theory –

of course underpinning knowledge is essential – but it is vital to provide the students with the skills they need not only to pass their exams but ultimately to be good sports therapists.

sportEX dynamics 2008;18(Oct):24-26