Edge Forum

Adam Gledhill is a Sport’s Science teacher who has found his niche indulging in education. Gledhill possess numerous qualifications and thanks a strong family influence for his success. He hopes to provide the same foundation for his family in the future.

What do you do?

I work at York College as Course Leader in National Diplomas in Sport and Exercise Science and I am also the Team Leader for the Sports Department.

Outside college I work as an exam board consultant, I am a published author and I’m doing a PhD in Talent Development in Sport.  

Students on the course you lead recently had a major success with 17 out of the 18 students on the course achieving triple distinction grades (equivalent to 3 As at A Level).  

How was this achieved?

We have a very stringent three day induction process where we put a lot of emphasis on the students getting to know each other, getting to know the college and getting to know the course.   From there it is about having a programme which meets the needs of the individual learners. We place a lot of emphasis of having the right combination of both theory and practical learning opportunities.    The group approached the opportunities to learn in a really good way a rose to the challenges.   Whether they are studying Anatomy, Physiology, Bio-Mechanics and Movement Analysis or Sports Psychology, all activities will be based in the Sports Lab, in the Sports Hall or out on the 3G Pitches so the learners have got a context to apply the theory they start to learn.  

The course has a science base and there is a lot of research involved with both theory and practical elements.  Analysis of Sport Performance is a very popular unit where we will look at all the different practical techniques and use new test equipment to analyse performance.  We use the same type of equipment that is used by the England Football Team in preparation for games. It is great to have the opportunity to use these things.   We have all sorts of ways of taking what would normally be considered to be quite boring theory classes and bring them to life. Rather than sitting around talking about what it could be like to be a Sports Scientist we help people to learn and train in what they actually do as Sports Scientists.   The learners are involved in the planning and running and evaluation of all the sessions which places a lot of emphasis on the hands on work.   We use role-play and simulation for sports therapy units in order to get people working as hands on as possible.  At the end of the day, it’s all very well standing at the front of the class and imparting information but really having the knowledge is pretty useless unless you’ve got the skills to back it up as well.

What was your journey like and what challenges did you face?

I started off by doing A-Levels in Scarborough and went on to do a degree in Sports Science, an MSC in Sports Science then a PGSE Teaching Qualification.   I also started working part time at college, after a couple of months it really took off and after 18 months I had gone from doing a couple of hours a week to getting a permanent full time contract.

I have recently started a PhD in Talent Development which gives me the opportunity to look at sport not only in a performance enhancement sense but also in a positive youth development sense.   Looking at how sport can help develop positive life skills, such as discipline, communication, teamwork etc, which can help young people be more prepared for life.

It’s been extremely hard work!   I’ve done 6 or 7 years training to get where I am and I can expect a further 4 to 7 years with the PhD.   I’ve had to make sacrifices to do this job well.   There is a lot of work that goes into preparing for lessons to make sure I can meet the needs of each individual learner.   I don’t like to adopt a tin-can approach to teaching!

There are sacrifices in your own life but when it comes towards the end of the year you can start to feel that sense of fulfilment.   I wouldn’t change anything that I have sacrificed.   I’m quite proud of the fact that I don’t regret any of the sacrifices I have made.

What was your experience of education like?

I think really I made the wrong choices when I was younger.   I chose the subjects I thought I was good at and chose to do A-Levels.   Really if I had thought about it more I would have done a BTEC National Diploma or something that is more applied.  I hated exams and hated revision and two of the four A-Levels I didn’t really enjoy. I spent most of my time sat in a classroom and that just isn’t me!   I feel a little bit like a caged hen when I’m sat in a classroom being talked at for hours on end.

For my degree I purposefully chose a smaller university so I would have the best chance of using the equipment. This is when I started to get a real buzz from learning and this is where I decided that I wanted to be able to give people a positive experience through their learning. This is when I decided I wanted to become a lecturer.

If I was going to give any advice to people thinking of leaving education, it would be to take some time out to think about what you enjoy doing, maybe more so than what you’re best at.  Ultimately I think I would have done better if I had done courses I enjoyed more.  

What should education be like?

It should be about meeting the individual needs of the learners, whether this is through assessment or teaching.   It shouldn’t be about ‘Professor Pit-Stains’ stood at the front of the class saying ‘When I was 15…’!   Its about making sure people are learning in a lively and enthusiastic manner which appeals to a variety of learning styles.   Everyone has to have some form of theoretical input but a theoretical input doesn’t have to mean a 4 hour powerpoint presentation.   The theory is a safety net and is put into context by practical activities after demonstrations.   It’s about getting the right blend of theory and practical and you as the tutor spending the time to develop a tool box of methods to help.

Reflection is also important.   As a tutor it s easy to say what has gone well or badly but unless you’ve got the guts to ask the learners for feedback you’ll never get the full picture.   This is one of the reasons why the course did so well this year.   You need to take constructive criticism and make yourself a better tutor because of it.  As a tutor you can’t say you’re being effective until you can say hand on heart, I’m reflective in my own practice, I speak to my learners and my colleagues and when you’ve got all those three parts and put that feedback together that’s when you become the better tutor.   In education we need to make sure we strive for excellence because that’s what we expect from each of our learners.

Who is your role-model?

There are particular authors and researchers that I have worked with and who have inspired me, by their style of writing, to increase the quality of what I do.   In particular my MSC tutor Nick Holt. On a personal level I have always had a very positive relationship with my brothers and my parents and from a young age they have instilled in me a work ethic which I have tried to take forward.  Also one of my colleagues, Dale, who I have had a great relationship with from day one. We will often talk about how to improve the quality of teaching; we bring the best out in each other.

What does success mean to you?

Personally it would be achieving the goals I’ve set myself. Getting through an injury, getting back into training and competing again. I always thought that achieving my degree would be the best day in my life. Until I got my Masters! And now I can’t wait to get my PhD! The best measure of success I ever have is feeling happy with what I am doing.

Professionally it’s about getting the best out of the learners. Obviously this year everyone has got fantastic grades, which is great, but for me as long as everyone who walks through that door in September leaves after two years with a qualification which is the best qualification they can achieve then that becomes success. I will have had a role in helping them achieve.   Its not just about the numbers, it’s about the quality and seeing them develop as individuals over the two years.

As a role model what message would you like young people to take?

As a young person you have an awful lot of social pressures and you need to make sure you put a lot of thought into the decisions you make.   I’ve made as many wrong choices at that age as anyone else. Thankfully I matured. The choices which are right for you may not be the choices which are right for the people who are trying to drag you towards. It’s your life and you don’t get a second a chance at it. If the people around you don’t respect you for these decisions then they are probably not worth that much to you.

What is next?

It’s going to be a challenging year ahead.   That’s partly to do with the success of the course.  I’d like to widen the range of opportunities available to our learners.   On a personal note I’d like to publish more books, research and articles.   I’ve also started doing more consultancy work with young athletes; I quite enjoy doing it on a voluntary basis.   It’s been nice to have the commitment without thinking I have to be there because I’m getting paid.

Part of the reason why I’ve worked so hard is so that when I do settle down I want to be able to offer the family that I will have in the future the best opportunities that they will need in the same way that my parents did for me.

 http://www.yorkcollege.ac.uk/whats-on/news-220609.html