Awakening the Playful Learner: Positive Pedagogy Used in a Cross-Country Ski Coach’s Action Research

Athlete-centred coaching approaches emphasize coaching the athlete as a person and through individualized training. However much of the formal and informal coach education for cross-country ski coaches focuses on the application of standardized periodization plans and ‘typical’ workouts. This overreliance on physiological-based approaches to training typically makes exploring alternative pedagogical approaches difficult to implement. In this study, I employed Light and Harvey’s Positive Pedagogy as a methodology for practice design with a university cross-country ski team to explore alternative approaches to enhance technique and tactical training. By using an Action Research framework, I aimed to explore how I could become a more effective and holistic coach, and create opportunities for reflective learning for myself and my athletes.