In Commemoration of Alan Launder (OA)
Member of the Order of Australia, for services to sport (2000).
It is with great sadness that we have to inform colleagues of the sudden death of Alan Launder on August 31st 2014.
In this memorial to Alan, Len Almond and Wendy Piltz would like to share their memories and affection for a man who did make a difference.
Len Almond: Friend of 35 years and sparring partner
I met Alan in person during a visit to South Australia in 1979 from New Zealand where my wife Val and I were then living (Dunedin in Otago) and I was lecturing at the University of Otago.
My contact in Australia was Wayne Coonan and during my visit there he said you must meet Alan Launder! Wayne was right! Alan made an impact immediately! He was challenging, knowledgeable, informative and opinionated! But he was open to discussion and debate and showed an extraordinary insight into athletics and games. His ideas were innovative and exciting! Our friendship has grown, strengthened and matured over the last 35 years and has extended to our children who, like Val and I, were deeply saddened to hear of Alan’s death.
During this visit to Adelaide, I realised that I had known him before when we were both PE teachers. His school, Dr Challoner’s, was always winning the postal competition for Jumps (The Kangaroo Club) and when my school decided to compete we could never win!! Alan was an inspirational teacher who turned Dr Challoner’s into a centre of excellence for a myriad of sports - an achievement that I doubt anyone else could match then or now. Alan worked hard to ensure that all his boys believed that they could succeed, do well and enjoy sport no matter what their ability; these boys achieved high standards and won many national championships. I have seen numerous testaments to the esteem that many of these boys held for him and the fact that they remained in contact with him for the rest of his life always meeting up with him when he was in the UK is proof of this. He was innovative, used his teaching experiences to inform his practice and from this evolved the Five Star Athletics Awards which has been used all over the world.
In 1982 Alan came to Loughborough Summer School Teaching Games for Understanding course. An important outcome of this visit was that we both realised the importance of writing down our ideas. If Alan really wanted to make a lasting impact then he needed to write down his ideas and make them more widely available. This resulted in Alan’s publication of two seminal texts on pole-vaulting which are recognised and applied world-wide in the coaching of this event. Alan also authored the innovation of Play Practice which is full of incredibly useful practical ideas and it represents a major contribution to teaching and coaching games and sport. The second edition (co-authored with Wendy Piltz) provides a clear framework to support teachers and coaches to improve their practice.
Alan loved to challenge people to translate their ideas into practical examples but all too often they couldn’t match his wealth of practical knowledge and expertise in a wide range of sports. He made them think, question and evaluate.
I will always miss the opportunity to challenge Alan and be challenged in equal measure by him; we had great passionate arguments because he wanted to make his ideas more accessible to a wide audience, get people thinking more critically and he used me as a sounding board so that he could get it right.
What is his legacy?
He often spoke of ‘reflective tinkering’ as a basis for building one’s practice and this is an important part of his legacy. His wide practical experiences and ‘reflective tinkering’ led him to develop the idea of Play Practice which brought new thinking to the way games & sports are presented for beginners to elite performers. His idea of a basic working technical model arose from his work in athletics but it has had major implications for how we think about its application in game-centred game approaches and the role of technical development. His often quoted statement “What is tactically desirable must be technically possible” is an important lesson to remember and to inform practice.
His understanding of principles of play is exemplified in the sheer wealth of practical examples that are an important feature of his books. He used the term “Games Sense” but not as title for a way of thinking about coaching games but more of a way of understanding the game and how this understanding could be translated into action in a game. I particularly like the idea of ‘shaping a game’ because it has a sense of intention, choice, relevance and deliberate action that is informed by really knowing how a game can be presented to learners. This is an aspiration that all of us must aim for and one that I will always associate with Alan.
Alan has made an outstanding contribution to the thinking and practice of the teaching of games but perhaps his most important legacy is the reminder that we must constantly reflect, question and challenge what we do and that nothing is written in stone.
My contact in Australia was Wayne Coonan and during my visit there he said you must meet Alan Launder! Wayne was right! Alan made an impact immediately! He was challenging, knowledgeable, informative and opinionated! But he was open to discussion and debate and showed an extraordinary insight into athletics and games. His ideas were innovative and exciting! Our friendship has grown, strengthened and matured over the last 35 years and has extended to our children who, like Val and I, were deeply saddened to hear of Alan’s death.
During this visit to Adelaide, I realised that I had known him before when we were both PE teachers. His school, Dr Challoner’s, was always winning the postal competition for Jumps (The Kangaroo Club) and when my school decided to compete we could never win!! Alan was an inspirational teacher who turned Dr Challoner’s into a centre of excellence for a myriad of sports - an achievement that I doubt anyone else could match then or now. Alan worked hard to ensure that all his boys believed that they could succeed, do well and enjoy sport no matter what their ability; these boys achieved high standards and won many national championships. I have seen numerous testaments to the esteem that many of these boys held for him and the fact that they remained in contact with him for the rest of his life always meeting up with him when he was in the UK is proof of this. He was innovative, used his teaching experiences to inform his practice and from this evolved the Five Star Athletics Awards which has been used all over the world.
In 1982 Alan came to Loughborough Summer School Teaching Games for Understanding course. An important outcome of this visit was that we both realised the importance of writing down our ideas. If Alan really wanted to make a lasting impact then he needed to write down his ideas and make them more widely available. This resulted in Alan’s publication of two seminal texts on pole-vaulting which are recognised and applied world-wide in the coaching of this event. Alan also authored the innovation of Play Practice which is full of incredibly useful practical ideas and it represents a major contribution to teaching and coaching games and sport. The second edition (co-authored with Wendy Piltz) provides a clear framework to support teachers and coaches to improve their practice.
Alan loved to challenge people to translate their ideas into practical examples but all too often they couldn’t match his wealth of practical knowledge and expertise in a wide range of sports. He made them think, question and evaluate.
I will always miss the opportunity to challenge Alan and be challenged in equal measure by him; we had great passionate arguments because he wanted to make his ideas more accessible to a wide audience, get people thinking more critically and he used me as a sounding board so that he could get it right.
What is his legacy?
He often spoke of ‘reflective tinkering’ as a basis for building one’s practice and this is an important part of his legacy. His wide practical experiences and ‘reflective tinkering’ led him to develop the idea of Play Practice which brought new thinking to the way games & sports are presented for beginners to elite performers. His idea of a basic working technical model arose from his work in athletics but it has had major implications for how we think about its application in game-centred game approaches and the role of technical development. His often quoted statement “What is tactically desirable must be technically possible” is an important lesson to remember and to inform practice.
His understanding of principles of play is exemplified in the sheer wealth of practical examples that are an important feature of his books. He used the term “Games Sense” but not as title for a way of thinking about coaching games but more of a way of understanding the game and how this understanding could be translated into action in a game. I particularly like the idea of ‘shaping a game’ because it has a sense of intention, choice, relevance and deliberate action that is informed by really knowing how a game can be presented to learners. This is an aspiration that all of us must aim for and one that I will always associate with Alan.
Alan has made an outstanding contribution to the thinking and practice of the teaching of games but perhaps his most important legacy is the reminder that we must constantly reflect, question and challenge what we do and that nothing is written in stone.
Wendy Piltz: Co-author with Alan of Play Practice (vol. 2)
I would like to share some thoughts of Alan Launder particularly in his role as ‘teacher and mentor’. These words are taken from my speech at the ‘celebration of Alan’s life’ held in Adelaide on 2nd November at the SA Athletics stadium where Alan spent many years coaching. There were over 200 people at this event, all of them ‘lucky’ to have been influenced, inspired and transformed through interactions with Alan Launder.
I first met Alan in 1974 as a young student beginning my path to become a Physical Education teacher. I vividly remember the first sport pedagogy class, it was taken by Alan Launder who had just started working at Adelaide College after lecturing and coaching in Western Kentucky and teaching in England prior to that. When Alan came into the gym he had an immediate impact not only because he was wearing high rise brown stretch track pants with a leather belt, (we thought this must have been the US fashion) but because of his demands for effort, his questioning of ‘traditional’ practice which for many basketball players in the group was particularly challenging! You were expected to think, to have an opinion and to be able to justify it! This happened in all of the courses that Alan presented. At times, his challenge was provocative and the debate could be quite uncomfortable however, with time most realised Alan was totally committed to helping us grow professionally & personally, to learn, to achieve and to excel. He took his role seriously and he cared greatly about the type of teachers we would become. Alan had high expectations for each student to become the best possible educator they could, he knew well the powerful influence teachers & coaches could have on shaping the experiences and the lives of their students. He was adamant – that in our role as teachers, learning time should not be wasted and each child deserved quality, engaging and enjoyable experiences in Physical Education delivered by caring and competent professionals.
During our college years we were introduced to teaching through courses in methodology and through the ‘Lab School’ program where we experienced teaching first hand with a small group of children from local schools. Both of these experiences were creatively designed by Alan as a progression for learning to teach and they were ‘unique’ in teacher education. 40 years on the Lab school still remains the most significant learning experience in preparing HPE pre-service teachers to adapt and grow their capabilities. This experience is pivotal in accelerating student learning, building confidence as students move to their extended school placements.
As a lecturer – Alan used many ways to engage his students in order to get key messages across or to develop critical perspectives … I recall him playing Janis Ian’s song ‘at 17’ in class to critique practice and develop empathy through consideration of the line ‘for those whose names were never called whilst choosing sides at basketball’. He loved cartoons and recognised their educational value so Charlie Brown, Calvin and Hobbs, and his favourite Hagar were used to illustrate the importance of ‘creating success orientated environments’ for ‘designing authentic games and challenges’, for ‘having empathy & care’ and for keeping ‘joy and playfulness’ in learning.
Another significant innovation was Alan’s ‘P’s of Pedagogy’ providing a working framework for understanding and developing the complexities of teaching and coaching. Jenny Gore, one of Alan’s many graduates and now Professor in Education at the University of Newcastle commented to me in an email following Alan’s passing … ‘I still cite the P’s of Pedagogy, as a foundation for my thinking about quality teaching’.
Alan was always ahead of his time, he had a brilliant mind, and an amazing insight into the foundations of physical education, the analysis of ‘sport’ together with a deep appreciation of the learner’s needs. He understood the learning process, the significance of engagement, the benefits of progression, the importance of challenge, success and the significance of the teacher or coach in the process.
Alan was an ‘expert’ in his field – he had accumulated tens of thousands of experience hours in purposeful, grounded, ‘real world’ practice. Alan’s practice was always driven by and adjusted to the needs of his learners in an emergent process he liked to call ‘reflective tinkering’. Alan recognised this as the most authentic source of his learning and the true foundation for all of his innovations. It was no wonder that so many of his ideas resonated with students and continue to be relevant with educators in the field today. His ideas, insights and principles have been brought together in a coherent manner in the publications of Play Practice and the Pole Vaulting text as enduring innovations and challenges to practice.
Of all his achievements, the following represent just a very small sample:
Finally, the distinguished Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for services to junior sport.
Alan was a true giant with an exceptionally kind soul. We cherish his influence and his inspiration. He leaves us with the constant challenge of improving the opportunities provided for all participants to experience joyful participation and positive learning in games & sport.
Both of us will miss him in so many ways
I first met Alan in 1974 as a young student beginning my path to become a Physical Education teacher. I vividly remember the first sport pedagogy class, it was taken by Alan Launder who had just started working at Adelaide College after lecturing and coaching in Western Kentucky and teaching in England prior to that. When Alan came into the gym he had an immediate impact not only because he was wearing high rise brown stretch track pants with a leather belt, (we thought this must have been the US fashion) but because of his demands for effort, his questioning of ‘traditional’ practice which for many basketball players in the group was particularly challenging! You were expected to think, to have an opinion and to be able to justify it! This happened in all of the courses that Alan presented. At times, his challenge was provocative and the debate could be quite uncomfortable however, with time most realised Alan was totally committed to helping us grow professionally & personally, to learn, to achieve and to excel. He took his role seriously and he cared greatly about the type of teachers we would become. Alan had high expectations for each student to become the best possible educator they could, he knew well the powerful influence teachers & coaches could have on shaping the experiences and the lives of their students. He was adamant – that in our role as teachers, learning time should not be wasted and each child deserved quality, engaging and enjoyable experiences in Physical Education delivered by caring and competent professionals.
During our college years we were introduced to teaching through courses in methodology and through the ‘Lab School’ program where we experienced teaching first hand with a small group of children from local schools. Both of these experiences were creatively designed by Alan as a progression for learning to teach and they were ‘unique’ in teacher education. 40 years on the Lab school still remains the most significant learning experience in preparing HPE pre-service teachers to adapt and grow their capabilities. This experience is pivotal in accelerating student learning, building confidence as students move to their extended school placements.
As a lecturer – Alan used many ways to engage his students in order to get key messages across or to develop critical perspectives … I recall him playing Janis Ian’s song ‘at 17’ in class to critique practice and develop empathy through consideration of the line ‘for those whose names were never called whilst choosing sides at basketball’. He loved cartoons and recognised their educational value so Charlie Brown, Calvin and Hobbs, and his favourite Hagar were used to illustrate the importance of ‘creating success orientated environments’ for ‘designing authentic games and challenges’, for ‘having empathy & care’ and for keeping ‘joy and playfulness’ in learning.
Another significant innovation was Alan’s ‘P’s of Pedagogy’ providing a working framework for understanding and developing the complexities of teaching and coaching. Jenny Gore, one of Alan’s many graduates and now Professor in Education at the University of Newcastle commented to me in an email following Alan’s passing … ‘I still cite the P’s of Pedagogy, as a foundation for my thinking about quality teaching’.
Alan was always ahead of his time, he had a brilliant mind, and an amazing insight into the foundations of physical education, the analysis of ‘sport’ together with a deep appreciation of the learner’s needs. He understood the learning process, the significance of engagement, the benefits of progression, the importance of challenge, success and the significance of the teacher or coach in the process.
Alan was an ‘expert’ in his field – he had accumulated tens of thousands of experience hours in purposeful, grounded, ‘real world’ practice. Alan’s practice was always driven by and adjusted to the needs of his learners in an emergent process he liked to call ‘reflective tinkering’. Alan recognised this as the most authentic source of his learning and the true foundation for all of his innovations. It was no wonder that so many of his ideas resonated with students and continue to be relevant with educators in the field today. His ideas, insights and principles have been brought together in a coherent manner in the publications of Play Practice and the Pole Vaulting text as enduring innovations and challenges to practice.
Of all his achievements, the following represent just a very small sample:
- Coach to Australian Olympic Team for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics
- Head Coach of the Australian Junior Team to the World Champships in Canada 1988. Australian National Coach in Field Events.
- Australian Sports Commission – Eunice Gill award for Coach Education.
- Life Member Athletics Australia – he designed the Junior Development program.
Finally, the distinguished Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for services to junior sport.
Alan was a true giant with an exceptionally kind soul. We cherish his influence and his inspiration. He leaves us with the constant challenge of improving the opportunities provided for all participants to experience joyful participation and positive learning in games & sport.
Both of us will miss him in so many ways
