ABSTRACT
We are all knowledgeable, albeit to varying degrees, about the learning process. This knowledge has been acquired not only as a consequence of being a participant, willing or not, in formal education systems but also as a result of being a member of humanity. However, being knowledgeable about the learning process does not mean that an individual can verbally articulate his or her knowledge. Much of the knowledge required to ‘go on’ in everyday life is practical in character (Giddens 1984) and has been defined as practical consciousness or tacit knowledge (Giddens 1979). It is this knowledge that enables us simply to ‘do’ things while concentrating on activities that require conscious effort (Giddens 1984), such as manually changing the gears whilst driving a car. We contend that many coaches’ knowledge of the learning process is tacit, thereby enabling them to concentrate on other aspects of the coaching process such as instruction or management. The design of a coaching session, and understanding what a coach considers to be ‘common sense’ provides insights into what theories of learning inform the coach. Even when individuals are able to verbally articulate their understanding of the learning process, it is still often implicitly informed by the research that has stemmed from the discipline of psychology, and the sub-discipline of educational psychology.
