Augmented Feedback

*Huge Exhale* Sir Chadwick and I have been at minor odds lately. I know he's pushing me toward independence and my natural reaction when pushed away is to cut and run. Running away emotionally is usually a means for self-preservation. It's easier to pretend to not need someone and hobble around on crutches than to ask for help. God practically had to beat me down on one particular Sunday before I worked up the guts and surrendered my pride and approached Sir Chadwick. And now that God has begun to prepare my heart to possibly one day walk alone I think my natural reaction again is to cut and run. Waiting for God to answer all my questions is hard. I don't know when Sir Chadwick and I will have our last workout together. I feel like I don't know how to workout right now. I feel lost and almost naked. I'm out of my comfort zone. I need structure. I need stability. I need to know the next move before it happens. So, now that Sir Chadwick is stepping back I almost feel abandoned. Yet, I know I'm not.
This last Saturday we got to the gym and began our normal routine. When the stretching portion was almost finished he informs me that I will be leading the workout and that he was going to sit back and observe. My first reaction: Instant panic sets in because I wasn't "prepared" to lead my own workout. I hadn't researched which exercises I was going to tackle for each body group we were going to target. My second reaction: Feedback. I needed answers. I needed to know basic information like which exercises, how many sets, how many reps, how long between each rep. Third reaction: Irritation. When I began to bombard Sir Chadwick with questions he simply sat back, smiled and shrugged. On occasion he'd answer with "I don't know...can you?" or "what do you think?"
I understand that he's trying to make me more self reliant in the gym but when I asked him for direction and his responded that way I just want to put him in a headlock! We actually survived that workout. I was a bit frazzled and confused and felt totally unprepared but we made it. barely....
Later, he enlightens me by telling me that he's training me through a process called augmented feedback. He did explain the method to his latest madness and it was hard to swallow initially. But, after researching and reading the following article I think I have a better understanding. Here's a small blurb:

A Guidance Role for Augmented Feedback
Collectively, these findings have been interpreted by Schmidt as evidence in support of a guidance role (or augmented feedback. Although augmented feedback can be useful under the right circumstances, providing augmented feedback can be detrimental to learning under other conditions. In general, these conditions occur (a) when augmented feedback is necessary for learning to occur and (b) when augmented feedback is presented such that it guides the learner toward certain corrective actions. In these cases, the learner becomes too reliant upon the augmented feedback to correct movement errors. For example, the provision of instantaneous feedback during practice tends to detract the learner from interpreting intrinsic sources of feedback, such as vision and proprioception. Schmidt suggests that it is these sources of feedback that one must learn to interpret since they will always be available to the learner. Augmented feedback (such as the feedback received from a teacher) will not always be available (e.g., during a game). Indeed, the goal in most learning situations is for the learner to become independent of the teacher. Learning to rely upon the information provided by these people will ultimately be detrimental to achieving independence.

Ok, so I sorta understand what's happening. After reading this article it reminded me of what I learned and prayed this morning.

This is a portion from today's journal entry:
Mike is trying a new system called Augmented Feedback. I don't understand it, I'm confused, and I don't think he's relaying it in a way that helps me "get it". Father, but even in his fumbling (in our fumbling through this) I get a small glimpse of you. You don't always give us instant feedback. In fact, sometimes you're silent. Sometimes your silence goes on for much longer than I can stand. It isn't until the lesson is learned that I understand the purpose of your silence through my endless quest for answers. Help me to be still, be very still, and know that you are God. You answers come in your time - according to your plan. So, until that time I wait...