The Learning Ladder:
The Learning Ladder.
The Learning Ladder describes the steps that someone goes through when learning the skills of refereeing.
It can be applied to virtually all learning scenarios. It is very important to understand that there is no such thing as perfection. A referee who is content by believing that he knows everything, is in great danger of becoming complacent, and will automatically switch to automatic pilot; it is human nature to do so. Referee Tip No. 5 will tell you what to do, to prevent this, and why you should do it.
Have you ever completed a journey in your car, and then can't remember anything about it? Were the traffic lights red? Was there anyone on the pedestrian crossing? Were there any other cars approaching the roundabout?
Don't worry; it's a natural progression. As a competent driver, your mind falls into a state called 'Unconscious Competence'. In other words, you did every thing right but can't remember doing it. The traffic lights were
green (had they been red, you would have stopped). There were no pedestrians on the crossing, and there were no cars approaching the roundabout at the same time as you.
"Have you ever completed a journey in your car, and then can't remember anything about it?"
There are four steps in 'The Learning Ladder'
Step 1: Unconscious Incompetence:(We don't know what we don't know).
A new referee, learning the Laws of the Game in the classroom, is unable to take charge of a game because he does not know the Laws (he is incompetent) and he does not know what is required (he is unconscious of what is needed).
Step 2: Conscious Incompetence: (When we realise that we need to learn something).
When the new referee begins his first games, his awareness expands, and he moves to a level of Conscious Incompetence. He is vaguely aware of what needs to be done as far as the Laws are concerned, and he knows that he has the option to do something about it (he is conscious); but his lack of experience means that he struggles with applying the Laws (he is incompetent).
Step 3: Conscious Competence:
(This is when we are mastering a skill and still have to concentrate all of the time we are doing it).
After about a year or so, the referee is aware of his limitations. He is not yet fluent; and still has to concentrate hard to get it right (conscious).
He realises that there needs to be some improvement, and embarks on becoming more proficient (competent). He will need to constantly re-assess his performances, and continually learn as much as he can.
Step 4: Unconscious Competence: (Doing things without thinking about it).
Finally, after many years of learning and practising, and officiating in as many games as possible, refereeing becomes second nature (unconscious), and a referee no longer has to concentrate too hard on what he is doing (competent). He has reached the topmost learning level of Unconscious Competence.
OK, you might ask yourself? So what does all this have to do with refereeing?
Think back to the car driver analogy at the beginning of this tip. If you cannot remember what you did during a game, then you will have switched to autopilot mode. And this is when you are at your most vulnerable as a referee. Don't worry; it is human nature for a competent person to fall into this trap.
Question: So how can a competent and confident referee stop this from happening?
Answer 1: By appreciating how 'The Learning Ladder' applies to him, and how it will affect his performance.
Answer 2: By always fluctuating between Step 3: Conscious Competence: and Step 4: Unconscious Competence:
'The Learning Ladder' (starts at the bottom Step 1).
Step 4: Unconscious Competence:
FLUCTUATE BEWEEN STEP 3 AND 4
Step 3: Conscious Competence:
Step 2: Conscious Incompetence:
Step 1: Unconscious Incompetence:
Question: So how does a referee FLUCTUATE BEWEEN STEP 3 AND 4?
Answer: By constantly re-reading the Laws; getting up to date with the latest developments; discussing matches with colleagues; trying out different methods; listening to match assessors; watching other referees and using best practices etc. and then applying them to his game.
In short, when autopilot kicks in (Unconscious Competence), then it is time to manually turn it off, and to actually start thinking about, and questioning what you are doing (Conscious Competence).
The Learning Ladder describes the steps that someone goes through when learning the skills of refereeing.
It can be applied to virtually all learning scenarios. It is very important to understand that there is no such thing as perfection. A referee who is content by believing that he knows everything, is in great danger of becoming complacent, and will automatically switch to automatic pilot; it is human nature to do so. Referee Tip No. 5 will tell you what to do, to prevent this, and why you should do it.
Have you ever completed a journey in your car, and then can't remember anything about it? Were the traffic lights red? Was there anyone on the pedestrian crossing? Were there any other cars approaching the roundabout?
Don't worry; it's a natural progression. As a competent driver, your mind falls into a state called 'Unconscious Competence'. In other words, you did every thing right but can't remember doing it. The traffic lights were
green (had they been red, you would have stopped). There were no pedestrians on the crossing, and there were no cars approaching the roundabout at the same time as you.
"Have you ever completed a journey in your car, and then can't remember anything about it?"
There are four steps in 'The Learning Ladder'
Step 1: Unconscious Incompetence:(We don't know what we don't know).
A new referee, learning the Laws of the Game in the classroom, is unable to take charge of a game because he does not know the Laws (he is incompetent) and he does not know what is required (he is unconscious of what is needed).
Step 2: Conscious Incompetence: (When we realise that we need to learn something).
When the new referee begins his first games, his awareness expands, and he moves to a level of Conscious Incompetence. He is vaguely aware of what needs to be done as far as the Laws are concerned, and he knows that he has the option to do something about it (he is conscious); but his lack of experience means that he struggles with applying the Laws (he is incompetent).
Step 3: Conscious Competence:
(This is when we are mastering a skill and still have to concentrate all of the time we are doing it).
After about a year or so, the referee is aware of his limitations. He is not yet fluent; and still has to concentrate hard to get it right (conscious).
He realises that there needs to be some improvement, and embarks on becoming more proficient (competent). He will need to constantly re-assess his performances, and continually learn as much as he can.
Step 4: Unconscious Competence: (Doing things without thinking about it).
Finally, after many years of learning and practising, and officiating in as many games as possible, refereeing becomes second nature (unconscious), and a referee no longer has to concentrate too hard on what he is doing (competent). He has reached the topmost learning level of Unconscious Competence.
OK, you might ask yourself? So what does all this have to do with refereeing?
Think back to the car driver analogy at the beginning of this tip. If you cannot remember what you did during a game, then you will have switched to autopilot mode. And this is when you are at your most vulnerable as a referee. Don't worry; it is human nature for a competent person to fall into this trap.
Question: So how can a competent and confident referee stop this from happening?
Answer 1: By appreciating how 'The Learning Ladder' applies to him, and how it will affect his performance.
Answer 2: By always fluctuating between Step 3: Conscious Competence: and Step 4: Unconscious Competence:
'The Learning Ladder' (starts at the bottom Step 1).
Step 4: Unconscious Competence:
FLUCTUATE BEWEEN STEP 3 AND 4
Step 3: Conscious Competence:
Step 2: Conscious Incompetence:
Step 1: Unconscious Incompetence:
Question: So how does a referee FLUCTUATE BEWEEN STEP 3 AND 4?
Answer: By constantly re-reading the Laws; getting up to date with the latest developments; discussing matches with colleagues; trying out different methods; listening to match assessors; watching other referees and using best practices etc. and then applying them to his game.
In short, when autopilot kicks in (Unconscious Competence), then it is time to manually turn it off, and to actually start thinking about, and questioning what you are doing (Conscious Competence).