Location
Preston 2
Session Format
Presentation
Abstract
The demand for coaches at every academic level to help tear down chronic social barriers and ultimately help elicit equitable outcomes is more important than ever. With contemporary mainstream cycles of misrepresentation, hyperbole, and polarizing stands by educators to satisfy political outcomes rather than community needs, we are at a crossroads as a nation. Coaches have the ability to work within multiple forums athletically, academically, and socially within our towns and cities throughout the US. Such educators can have an invaluable impact in positively stirring the souls of young people by stimulating empathy, perspective, and eventual synergy with their peers despite structurally different life experiences. This presentation will explore the history of coaching and how it has been shaped by social constructs that often reinforce aspects of systemic racism and oppression. We will also address some of the ways in which coaching has the potential to generate and drive moves toward greater social justice in our schools and communities. This proposed presentation will clarify how the 21st-century coach might work effectively to both inspire and support students of all backgrounds, abilities, and capacities for sport to be a true social vehicle for change.
Keywords
Equity, Curriculum Studies, Sports Coaching, Social Justice, Educational Forums.
Professional Bio
John Murphy has over 30 years of coaching experience at every level of American soccer and coached in over 300 professional matches in Major League Soccer for three different franchises. He is the first American to hold both the UEFA Pro Coaching License (Scottish Football Association) and the League Manager's Association Applied Management Certificate from the University of Warwick (UK). Murphy is a graduate of Massasoit Community College (A.S.); Bridgewater State University - MA (B.S.); and Georga Southern University (M.S.). Delores D. Liston, Ph.D., LCSW is a Professor of Curriculum and Foundations at Georgia Southern University. Her research and teaching interests focus on the application of philosophical, ethical and feminist understandings to education. She has recently published on topics such as trauma-informed pedagogy, culturally responsive pedagogy and the scholarship of teaching and learning. She is co-editor of the International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Murphy, John S. and Liston, Delores, "21st Century Coaching Through the Lens of Social Justice" (2024). Georgia Educational Research Association Conference. 6.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gera/2024/2024/6
21st Century Coaching Through the Lens of Social Justice
Preston 2
The demand for coaches at every academic level to help tear down chronic social barriers and ultimately help elicit equitable outcomes is more important than ever. With contemporary mainstream cycles of misrepresentation, hyperbole, and polarizing stands by educators to satisfy political outcomes rather than community needs, we are at a crossroads as a nation. Coaches have the ability to work within multiple forums athletically, academically, and socially within our towns and cities throughout the US. Such educators can have an invaluable impact in positively stirring the souls of young people by stimulating empathy, perspective, and eventual synergy with their peers despite structurally different life experiences. This presentation will explore the history of coaching and how it has been shaped by social constructs that often reinforce aspects of systemic racism and oppression. We will also address some of the ways in which coaching has the potential to generate and drive moves toward greater social justice in our schools and communities. This proposed presentation will clarify how the 21st-century coach might work effectively to both inspire and support students of all backgrounds, abilities, and capacities for sport to be a true social vehicle for change.
