Blog Post #51, April 17, 2009

Pre-Correction: One of the Great Teaching Tools

Category: Teaching
 
Corrective Reminders
Fran Lytle, in a blog about nagging wives (http://www.womenco.com/topics/3877-nagging-or-reminding/posts ), explains how and why women use “reminders” to help their husbands learn not to leave a wet towel on the bed, dirty laundry on the floor, or forget to take the trash out. (I used to do that and I always thought leaving towels and clothes around gave my wife job security.) These “corrections” are almost always dispensed at the time of the infraction, or just after. Keep that in mind as we continue.

Pre-Corrective Reminders
Over the last twenty years, I must have driven Coach Wooden to Froman’s Delicatessen, for dinner, fifty times. He likes to take the shortcut, so, the first time we went, he gave me explicit instructions. “Make a left into the alley up there. Now make a right into the parking lot. Park in that spot.” Not difficult to remember is it? Then why, all fifty times, did he give me the same directions, never giving me a chance to prove I remembered?

Coach Wooden was practicing something we call, “Pre-Correction,” instructions designed to avoid the mistake before it is made. Proactive corrections are not necessarily better than reactive ones. Each is a part in a two-step plan to change behavior. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

The Difference Between Corrective and Pre-Corrective Reminders
“Corrective reminders” rectify mistakes by comparing the error that was made, to the desired action.  “Pre-corrective reminders,” by definition, are given before the mistake is made so it can be avoided.

How Correction to Pre-Correction Complement Each Other
Ralph Drollinger, 7’0” UCLA center in 1975, was a major factor in winning the championship; it was his defensive rebounding and outlet passing that made the difference. But, at the beginning of the season, Ralph had the habit of holding on to the rebound too long, contrary to UCLA’s fast break system. To break him of the habit, Coach Wooden began with correcting Ralphs’s mistakes when they were made. Ralph began to improve. But Coach needed something that would accelerate teaching. He came up with a premeditated command that he yelled out the moment Ralph got possession of the ball, “Ralph! Pass it to somebody short!” It worked.

All teachers know how to correct mistakes, but not all teachers are familiar with transitioning from Correction to Pre-Correction. This powerful teaching tool, as we have seen in the example above, accelerates learning. 

1. Start by correcting the error and, when you do, remember the mistakes each player is likely to make.
2. Before practice, manufacture economical phrases that contain key words, designed to be cues that prime the activation of the desired skill. “Ralph! Pass it to somebody short.” or “Ralph, pass.”

The Benefits of Pre-Correction
Andrea R. Lampi, Nicole S. Fenty, and Catherine Beaunae, in an article entitled, Making the Three Ps Easier (http://www.ccbd.net/documents/bb/Fall2005vol15no1pp8-12.pdf), provide three benefits to pre-correction.
1. Facilitates Learning: When driving Coach Wooden, the anticipation of his pre-correction motivated me to remember the instructions far sooner than otherwise. I wasn’t going to miss that left turn. And, I am certain, after a few practices, even before Drollinger got the rebound he was thinking, “I’m going to get rid of this ball before Coach can open his mouth.” 

2. Saves Time: It takes more time to correct an error than to pre-correct.

3. Creates a Positive Atmosphere: Pre-correction reduces the negativity often associated with correction.

Summary
Correcting undesired behavior is the starting point for breaking an old habit and replacing it with a new one. It is a starting point because learning cannot be maximized when one error is met with one correction. Pre-Correction is a way to shift the balance, so the desired behavior is practiced more than the old. This requires coaches to do a little studying and some homework. But, for the “benefits” listed above, the effort seems to be well worth the work.