6 Examining ‘The filter that spots trainability’
This section will help you check your early ideas in evaluating the way this innovation is described and any claims made.
Activity 5 Evaluating innovation 7
Timing: Allow about 15 minutes
Read The filter that spots trainability [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] again and identify:
- i.What is the claimed innovation?
- ii.Does anything help support its credibility?
- iii.Is there any key information missing that would help evaluate the innovation further?
Discussion
- i.The claimed ‘filter’ is a screening process that identifies adults who have a talent to thrive in a particular sport. It is claimed that measuring the ‘right stuff’ and ‘commitment’ is possible. Highly planned learning is required, including learning from mistakes. This statement may not be that surprising to you having done this course.
- ii.Research from the University of Bangor is cited to support credibility. If you look at the source of Figure 2 in Session 1, you will see that Rees et al.’s (2016) research (Rees is from the University of Bangor) has informed your study experience already.
- iii.It is not made clear how they identify athletes nor how they measure commitment other than putting athletes through tough developmental challenges, such as winter canoeing tasks, and seeing how they react (see Activity 5 in Session 1)!.
You may reach a conclusion that the claims made in this part of the WIRED article are partly supported by evidence, although the journalistic language is very sensational.
You have started to evaluate online material and ask questions about this claimed innovation but you will now explore innovation 14 in more detail.