Weaving...

I spent the weekend weaving my information together. I went back and looked through The Blue Book to see if any of the other models presented by Callison and Preddy could make me think about this step any differently. Essentially, I wanted to see if I was leaving anything out. I feel like weaving is an in-between step: I have found my information but now need to turn it into a product. When I looked through Callison and Preddy's text I found a description for the Alberta Inquiry Model (58). The authors present a table of phases in this model and provide what skills and strategies correspond to each. The last strategy between "Processing" and "Creating" was "make connections and inferences" (58). Right now I am making connections between what I already know about the game of softball and what I am learning from books, websites, and other individuals. I am then drawing conclusions about how to best use the information. I really do feel like I'm at an in-between stage in this inquiry.

After compiling a lengthy list of drills I realize that I need to come up with a tryout template. Veroni's book contains a practice checklist with all of the drills that could possibly be used in a practice. I based my own drill list off of this in terms of organization. Veroni also provides a sample practice plan (62-63). This gives an idea of how long each drill should last. I will use this as a rough example for my practice template. I will also be using the advice of Scott Sutherland, the expert who answered my question on AllExperts.com, and make a template that allows me to list each player's name and assign a points ranking system for tryout drills. Sutherland explained to me that tryouts must use a level playing field. Each girl should get the same amount of reps for each drill. For example, hitting off a pitching machine. Each girl gets ten swings and the coach should record her results: eight out of her ten swings would count as a hit. Pitching, you could record how many pitches each girl throws that hit her target. I have decided to use my first day of tryouts as a teaching session. I will not record any statistics on this day. Instead, I will simply get girls into the swing of things, so to speak. At the high school level I could have some girls who are coming from intensive winter conditioning and who have prior varsity experience or have played competitive travel softball. Others may be coming from recreational leagues. I will give them a day to learn some fundamentals and begin evaluating on the second and third days.

Onward. My tryout template awaits.

Resources:

AllExperts.com. 2008. 27 January 2008. http://en.allexperts.com/q/Softball-2562/.

Callison, Daniel and Leslie Preddy. The Blue Book on Information Age Inquiry, Instruction and Literacy. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 2006.

Veroni, Kathy J. Coaching Fastpitch Softball Successfully. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 1998.