IGCSE PE: Unit 3 Skill Acquisition

Skill

A learned and practiced ability that brings about the desired result with maximum certainty and efficiency and often with minimum outlay of time or energy or both.

Characteristics of Skilled Performance

Accurate Aesthetically Pleasing Consistent Coordinated Fluent Goal-Directed

Characteristics of Skilled Performance - Accurate

Achieving precise, reliable movements.

Factors Affecting Skill Level

Age and Maturation (Maturity) Motivation Arousal Facilities Environment Teaching & Coaching Culture

Examples of 'Abilities'

Balance Flexibility Speed Strength

Basic skills

Basic skills are simple skills which are easy to perform. They are skills that do not require a high level of coordination or excessive practise to perform well and become expert (autonomous). Basic skills are made up of basic movement actions and are often the sporting skills we learn first and are found in a number of sports. e.g. Simple running, jumping, catching and throwing.

Closed skills

Closed skills are not affected by the environment or the performers within it. The performer performs the skill the same way every time, because the environment in which it is performed stays the same. These are skills the performer has more control over. Closed skills are repetitive. The same action can be repeated again and again. Closed skills are often seen in individual and indoor sports/events or in sports where there is not a lot of interaction between competitors. e.g. Discus throw, Long/high jump, sprint start, backflip.

Stages of Learning

Cognitive Stage Associative Stage Autonomous Stage

Complex Skills

Complex skills are more difficult skills which are harder to perform, require a higher level of coordination, concentration and much more practise to become expert (autonomous). Complex skills are often the sporting skills that are highly specialised to specific sports. e.g. Tennis serve, backflip, rotating discus throw.

Characteristics of Skilled Performance - Coordinated

Different parts of the body move together with efficiency and control.

Most appropriate and useful type of feedback and guidance for associative stage of learning

Extrinsic Feedback - A developing learner still needs information from an experienced person. Knowledge of Results & Knowledge of performance - Performer needs to know the result of their performance, but also more detailed info on the quality of their performance. Verbal Guidance - More experienced performers have more understanding of the skill and so can understand verbal instructions easier. Combined with verbal guidance to reinforce understanding.

Most appropriate and useful type of feedback and guidance for cognitive stage of learning

Extrinsic Feedback- a beginner needs information from an experienced person. Knowledge of Results - So as to not overcomplicate and overload performer- and their limited channel capacity. Visual Guidance - Helps a beginner learner improve understanding of what the skill should 'look like'. Mechanical & Manual Guidance - Useful to help adjust limbs and body parts to exact positions and with safety.

Fine Skills

Fine skills are skills which involve precise movements that require a high level of accuracy. Fine skills often involve small movements which require small muscle groups, such as muscles in the hands and fingers. e.g. Hand gesture in dance, darts throw.

Characteristics of Skilled Performance - Goal Directed

Focusing performance on a specific target/goal and being determined to achieve that target/goal.

Gross Skills

Gross Skills involve big movements that require a lot of force or power. Gross skills often involve large powerful movements which require large muscle groups, such as muscles in the arms and legs. e.g. High jump, tennis serve, backflip, rugby tackle.

Visual Guidance

Guidance that can be seen/showing the skill or part of the skill (a demonstration, video, drawing)

Factors affecting skill level - Age and Maturity

How old someone is in years and developmentally. A person becomes more skilful with age. Starting to learn skills when younger provides more time to become expert.

Extrinsic Feedback

Information a performer receives about their performance that comes from an external/outside source. For example, information about the result of the performance or why or how they performed it could come from a teacher, coach, spectators or parents.

Intrinsic Feedback

Information a performer receives about their performance that comes from within (internal). The person can see, feel or hear the result of the performance or why/how they performed. The information comes from the eyes, ears, muscles, skin and joints.

Feedback (in information processing model)

Information is received about the output of the decision (whether good/poor). This knowledge can be stored and used fr future decisions. This can come from extrinsic or intrinsic sources.

Feedback - Knowledge of Performance

Information on how well a performer performed or the quality of performance. This might be information on the quality of movement or technique. Or this can be why the result of a performance occurred.

Feedback - Knowledge of Results

Information on the result or the outcome of the performance of the skill. E.g. knowing if the skill was successful or not. E.g. you know you scored a goal, you know the score, your time, distance or place in a race.

Input

Information that is received, taken in through senses or feedback given (stored in short-term-memory) Example: A football player with the ball sees a team mate move into a good space further down the pitch.

Stages of basic information processing model

Input Decision making Output Feedback

Most appropriate and useful type of feedback and guidance for autonomous stage of learning

Intrinsic - Experienced performer can judge for themselves how performance went. Knowledge of performance - They understand the skill fully and can cope with receiving detailed feedback about the quality of their performance. Verbal Guidance - Experienced performers have more understanding of the skill and so can understand verbal instructions easier.

Different types of feedback

Intrinsic Feedback Extrinsic Feedback Knowledge of Results Knowledge of Performance

Characteristics of Skilled Performance - Aesthetically Pleasing

It looks good! —To the eye of the spectator, judge or coach.

Factors affecting skill level - Arousal

Level of mental excitement and alertness. More likely to develop skill if alert and excited But, some skills (e.g. fine skills with small movements) are learnt better with low levels of arousal.

Open skills

Open skills are affected by the environment or the performers within it. The performer needs to make constant adjustments to the skill, or perform the skill slightly differently each time because the environment in which it is performed changes. These are skills that a performer does not have complete control over. Open skills are are often seen in team games and outdoor sports/events or in sports where there is a lot of interaction between competitors. e.g. basketball catch, pass in netball, rugby tackle, cricket batting.

Characteristics of Skilled Performance - Consistent

Performing to a high level every time with quality and control.

Manual Guidance

Physically move, alter or support the body/performer.

Examples of 'skill'

Shooting in basketball Pirouette in ballet Catching in basketball Dig in volleyball Soccer kick Badminton serve Punch in boxing

Factors Affecting skill level - Culture

The background you come from. Culture may impact on sports and skills a person is introduced to and motivated to learn. e.g. sprinting is popular in Jamaican culture.

Output

The decision is acted upon. The brain sends information to the muscles. The muscles then move and perform the skill/action.

Factors affecting skill level - Motivation

The desire or driving force that makes you do something. If a person has no desire to learn a skill then they will not practice and therefore develop the skill.

Cognitive stage of learning

The first stage of learning a motor skill used by a novice. The 'preparation' stage. Performers are starting to learn a new skill and need to consciously think about what is involved. Performers make many errors mistakes and have extremely variable performances.

Information Processing Model (when learning and performing skills)

The four-stage process that a performer goes through to make a decision and act upon it when learning and performing a skill/s

Factors Affecting skill level - Environment

The geographical area that a person lives in or has access to. This impacts on sport choices/accessibility, which impacts on skills learnt/developed. E.g. live in a ski resort - more likely to develop good skiing skills.

Limited Channel Capacity/Single Channel Hypothesis

The idea that our brains can only process a certain amount of information at once; too much information results in overload. A cognitive learner will have a greater limited channel capacity than an autonomous learner, who can process more information at one time.

Feedback

The information a performer receives about their performance. This can be during of after the activity.

Decision making

The information is analysed by the performer, so they can choose the most appropriate response. Stored in short term memory first, if rehearsed can be stored in long term memory, so same decision can be repeated.

Characteristics of Skilled Performance - Fluent

The movements in the skill link well together and they are performed quickly and smoothly without hesitation.

Factors Affecting skill level - Teaching & Coaching

The person/people who instruct you how to perform. The better the quality of instruction, teaching and coaching the better a person will develop skills. Good teaching/coaching for skill development involves advice on correct technique, feedback and guidance.

Factors affecting skill level - Facilities

The places/areas that we have access to practice our sports skills in/on. The types of facilities available impact on sports available, which impacts skills learnt/developed. E.g. no access to swimming pool - poor swimming skills.

Ability

The qualities and characteristics a person is born with, that allow a person to learn or acquire skills. These are stable and enduring characteristics which also have a strong genetic influence.

Associative stage of learning

The second stage of learning a motor skill, when performers have mastered the fundamentals and can concentrate on skill refinement. The 'practice' stage. Performers continue repeating and practising the skills and techniques so they improve. The number of mistakes decrease as skill improves.

Autonomous stage of learning

The third stage of learning a motor skill, used by an expert, when the skill has become automatic for the performer. The 'automatic' stage. Performers can perform the skill naturally without conscious control. This is often where performers will show the characteristics of skilled performance.

Verbal Guidance

Use of speech to describe the desired movement/skill/part of skill/ Telling, in the form of words.

Mechanical Guidance

Using mechanical aids/devices/equipment to assist or support a performer, for example using a float in swimming or a harness in trampolining.

Types of Guidance

Visual Verbal Manual Mechanical