I think this lab was one of the most applicable. I came into it unable to juggle and by the end I was able to do pretty well. This may have been, in part, because of past experience with baseball which involved handling a ball of similar size to the one used for the experiment. However, regardless of past experience I think that using the part practice method is a very effective method for learning a skill such as juggling.
This reason the part practice method is effective is because this skill can be broken up into different parts. In order to master the skill it requires one to reach the point of being automatic with each ball. Because it is a rapid moving skill that does not give the participant much time to think. Breaking the skill up into the three separate parts we did allows the participant to slowly progress from an easier skill, tossing one ball, to the harder and eventually the hardest, juggling three balls.
This is not to say the practicing all the balls at one time is not an effective method. For some this method may be a shorter method. It truly depends on the learner and their past experiences. It also depends on the skill being learned. But in my lab experience, the learning using the part method had much more improvement compared to the participant who tried to learn all at once.
Two other types of practice that would have been effective for this practice would be spatial coordination and complex temporal coordination. Temporal coordination would help the participant do two different motions with his hands. This is necessary when juggling because neither hand will be doing the same motion at the same time. Spatial coordination would help the participant form a pattern of moving both hands in the necessary motions.
There are many different ways to practice. I think that each individual has a specific type of practice that will provide optimum performance. It is important to figure out which is the most effective for you in order to optimize performance of skills and everyday tasks
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
PDFE #13
When receiving extrinsic feedback it is key for the instructor to insure his feedback is doing what it is supposed to. For this PDFE I observed a Berry College men’s soccer practice. During the time of which I observed the players were practicing defended shooting. I did notice motivation and reinforcement. I did not notice any information being giving or dependence upon this information. Which I feel is expect because it is a college team who should have learned the skill well and would not need too much of nor depend upon extrinsic feedback.
Motivation is what drives an athlete to play harder for someone or something. For this reason it’s an important facet to give in feedback. I saw this in the practice after many drills and the players would start to get tired. The coach would motivate the players to push further to get better at the skill they were practicing.
Reinforcement is also key in feedback. I saw examples of this when the players would successfully complete a task. Whether it be the attacker scoring a goal, the defender stopping the attacker, or the goalie stopping a shot, the coach would positively enforce the successful completion of the skill. I think this can tie into motivation as well. In positively reinforcing the successful completion of the skill, he can also motivate the players to become even better and play harder.
I did not see any representation of the information aspect of feedback. There was one occasion in which there was some information feedback. After the attacker struggled on consecutive attempts the coach brought him over and reminded him of his fundamentals, reminding him to better set his feet on the shot for better accuracy. I think one would see much more of this in situations with less skilled players. On a college team one would expect that the players have the skills well practiced.
The last aspect was not present at all in the practice I attended. This is dependence on the feedback. Because the participants were well skilled they knew what it took to successfully completely the skill and did not need to rely on anyone else to tell them if they were correctly doing it. However, an example of dependence would be someone learning the fundamentals of pitching a baseball. Many times it is hard to know if your full motion is balanced and correct because it is possible to throw a successful pitch without a fully perfected motion. One could become dependent on the feedback given.
Feedback is key to learning. However, if one becomes dependent it can severely halt ones learning experience. As a coach it is important to learn how to properly give feedback so that students learn how to intrinsically give feedback and learn how to properly perform a skill
Motivation is what drives an athlete to play harder for someone or something. For this reason it’s an important facet to give in feedback. I saw this in the practice after many drills and the players would start to get tired. The coach would motivate the players to push further to get better at the skill they were practicing.
Reinforcement is also key in feedback. I saw examples of this when the players would successfully complete a task. Whether it be the attacker scoring a goal, the defender stopping the attacker, or the goalie stopping a shot, the coach would positively enforce the successful completion of the skill. I think this can tie into motivation as well. In positively reinforcing the successful completion of the skill, he can also motivate the players to become even better and play harder.
I did not see any representation of the information aspect of feedback. There was one occasion in which there was some information feedback. After the attacker struggled on consecutive attempts the coach brought him over and reminded him of his fundamentals, reminding him to better set his feet on the shot for better accuracy. I think one would see much more of this in situations with less skilled players. On a college team one would expect that the players have the skills well practiced.
The last aspect was not present at all in the practice I attended. This is dependence on the feedback. Because the participants were well skilled they knew what it took to successfully completely the skill and did not need to rely on anyone else to tell them if they were correctly doing it. However, an example of dependence would be someone learning the fundamentals of pitching a baseball. Many times it is hard to know if your full motion is balanced and correct because it is possible to throw a successful pitch without a fully perfected motion. One could become dependent on the feedback given.
Feedback is key to learning. However, if one becomes dependent it can severely halt ones learning experience. As a coach it is important to learn how to properly give feedback so that students learn how to intrinsically give feedback and learn how to properly perform a skill
PDFE #12
The two types of extrinsic feedback are knowledge of results and knowledge of performance. Knowledge of results simply has to do with the final product. In other words know whether or not the participant missed the target. Knowledge of performance has to do with how much one may have missed the target or the quality of the procedure. Both of these are necessary in order for learning to occur.
In our lab I was participant who always received knowledge of results and of course my partner was the participant who had to request it. In our lab the results were opposite to what the book would suggest. I, the participant who always received KR, did better than my partner who always had to ask for it. I think that this is because neither of us had actually learned the skill. Many times she would be right on the mark, but because she didn’t ask for her result lead her to miss on the next attempt. She asked for results fifteen times and the only times she would be right on the mark would be after she asked for her results. Also, almost every time she asked for results she would do better. Like I mentioned before, in this procedure the participant who consistently received KR did better. This was exactly what I expected simply because neither of us had learned the skill. And because we were blind folded we could not receive intrinsic results. No feedback, leads to no learning.
The blind fold was definitely a big hindrance to learning. Many times my partner would be very consistent. Unfortunately she was consistently missing. There was an instance when she hit the same place on the paper three times in a row. But, they were all three of the mark.
Feedback is an essential part of learning a skill. It’s very important to receive extrinsic feedback so that the participant does not learn the skill correctly and it also helps one give them self correct intrinsic feedback.
In our lab I was participant who always received knowledge of results and of course my partner was the participant who had to request it. In our lab the results were opposite to what the book would suggest. I, the participant who always received KR, did better than my partner who always had to ask for it. I think that this is because neither of us had actually learned the skill. Many times she would be right on the mark, but because she didn’t ask for her result lead her to miss on the next attempt. She asked for results fifteen times and the only times she would be right on the mark would be after she asked for her results. Also, almost every time she asked for results she would do better. Like I mentioned before, in this procedure the participant who consistently received KR did better. This was exactly what I expected simply because neither of us had learned the skill. And because we were blind folded we could not receive intrinsic results. No feedback, leads to no learning.
The blind fold was definitely a big hindrance to learning. Many times my partner would be very consistent. Unfortunately she was consistently missing. There was an instance when she hit the same place on the paper three times in a row. But, they were all three of the mark.
Feedback is an essential part of learning a skill. It’s very important to receive extrinsic feedback so that the participant does not learn the skill correctly and it also helps one give them self correct intrinsic feedback.
Monday, November 8, 2010
PDFE #11
For this PDFE I observed a football practice on the mountain campus of Berry College. The participants in the practice were a middle school football team. I observed them practicing for about 45 minutes and recorded findings on the handout provided. Though I expected it to be pretty low, I did not think the total time spent in activity would be less than 50 percent. The activity level was 45 percent to be exact. Even though, while in activity it was rather vigorous I still felt it should be more than it was.
When I arrived at the practice I first observed the team doing numerous warm-up drills at a consistent rate. They were effective in exciting and stretching the muscles in all the participants. The warm-ups lasted for an appropriate amount of time. After warming up the players began tackling drills. These drills were appropriate for the situation however their downside was lack of activity. While a few players would go at a time, those who were not participating would stand on the side and watch. There were players doing a few other drills. However still, players were standing to the side of the participants and instructors. A suggestion I would have to improve these activities would be to get more players involved simultaneously in the drills. This went on for about 10 minutes and then the players took a water break.
After players took part in these position specific drills they began practicing game day plays as a group. These had much better overall group involvement. However there were players standing on the sidelines waiting to get the opportunity to play. Also, there was a good bit of down time in between plays for maintenance or play setup. This doesn’t seem like much until you add the time up afterward. It represented 18 percent of the practice I observed. In order to improve on players waiting around I would suggest that there be drills for the players who are on the sideline. As far as the players on the field there is not a whole lot I would see that one could do. Unfortunately, the nature of football in general is stop and go.
Overall I felt like the coach did a good job of keeping active as much as possible during the time I observed. Unfortunately with football, as are with many American sports, there is a good bit of downtime built into the sport. However, this does not mean that this has to be so for the practices. A coach should strive to keep all players active so that all of the players are ready for game day.
When I arrived at the practice I first observed the team doing numerous warm-up drills at a consistent rate. They were effective in exciting and stretching the muscles in all the participants. The warm-ups lasted for an appropriate amount of time. After warming up the players began tackling drills. These drills were appropriate for the situation however their downside was lack of activity. While a few players would go at a time, those who were not participating would stand on the side and watch. There were players doing a few other drills. However still, players were standing to the side of the participants and instructors. A suggestion I would have to improve these activities would be to get more players involved simultaneously in the drills. This went on for about 10 minutes and then the players took a water break.
After players took part in these position specific drills they began practicing game day plays as a group. These had much better overall group involvement. However there were players standing on the sidelines waiting to get the opportunity to play. Also, there was a good bit of down time in between plays for maintenance or play setup. This doesn’t seem like much until you add the time up afterward. It represented 18 percent of the practice I observed. In order to improve on players waiting around I would suggest that there be drills for the players who are on the sideline. As far as the players on the field there is not a whole lot I would see that one could do. Unfortunately, the nature of football in general is stop and go.
Overall I felt like the coach did a good job of keeping active as much as possible during the time I observed. Unfortunately with football, as are with many American sports, there is a good bit of downtime built into the sport. However, this does not mean that this has to be so for the practices. A coach should strive to keep all players active so that all of the players are ready for game day.
Friday, November 5, 2010
PDFE #10
When looking at constant and varied practice there are aspects that set the two noticeably apart. Constant practice consists of practicing one skill without changing conditions. This will make you look good at the skill in practice. However, in pressure or game situation one will not be nearly as prepared as someone who has experienced varied practice. Varied practice consists of practicing a skill in different situations so that the participant will be more game ready. This method will no look as good in practice however, more skill will transfer to actual competition settings.
For our lab, I was partaking in varied practice. My partner Ehson, took part in the constant practice. We would both do fifteen tries to get the sandbag in the hoop and then switch. While Ehson would stay at the five meter length I would rotate between the four, five, and six meter markings.
When looking at overall performance it would show that the varied practice was better in this situation. This is the case in most situations one will experience. In this situation results may have been skewed by the initial skill level of the participants. However, when observing personal improvement over the time spent in practice, I would say that the constant practice worked better for this particular game. This is because the practice situation was the exact same as the performance situation. So really, one could almost say that the participant who was standing at the five meter distance was taking part in varied practice because when in competition there were no other elements. Therefore, he was practicing every element of the game. I would say that because of these factors the results meet my expectations.
As mentioned before one of the factors that would have affected the results of the game would be ones skill. Because we only had about ten minutes of practice leading up to the competition the participant’s previous skills factored in more than the practice itself. Other factors would include the pressure of the competition. When in practice one is more relaxed and therefore has a higher chance of success. But when in competition one may feel the pressures more than when practicing. Because of this raised arousal level motor function may be impaired and performance negatively affected.
For our lab, I was partaking in varied practice. My partner Ehson, took part in the constant practice. We would both do fifteen tries to get the sandbag in the hoop and then switch. While Ehson would stay at the five meter length I would rotate between the four, five, and six meter markings.
When looking at overall performance it would show that the varied practice was better in this situation. This is the case in most situations one will experience. In this situation results may have been skewed by the initial skill level of the participants. However, when observing personal improvement over the time spent in practice, I would say that the constant practice worked better for this particular game. This is because the practice situation was the exact same as the performance situation. So really, one could almost say that the participant who was standing at the five meter distance was taking part in varied practice because when in competition there were no other elements. Therefore, he was practicing every element of the game. I would say that because of these factors the results meet my expectations.
As mentioned before one of the factors that would have affected the results of the game would be ones skill. Because we only had about ten minutes of practice leading up to the competition the participant’s previous skills factored in more than the practice itself. Other factors would include the pressure of the competition. When in practice one is more relaxed and therefore has a higher chance of success. But when in competition one may feel the pressures more than when practicing. Because of this raised arousal level motor function may be impaired and performance negatively affected.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
PDFE #9
My physical activity background is a little different than many because I was homeschooled. However, by no means do I feel like I missed out. In some ways I feel that maybe I got more physical activity than the average elementary child. My physical activity was separated into two parts. The first is formal P.E. class and the second is extracurricular P.E.
For my formal P.E. a group of us would meet every Monday at the local public park and we would generally play a sport or do some activity. We would play kickball, volleyball, softball, football, etc. sometimes we would have P.E. test in which would prepare and then be tested on basic physical abilities such as running the mile, pushups, pull-ups, sit-ups, etc. This group would consistently meet every week and there would generally be 15-20 kids. The teacher of the class would be a certified P.E. teacher who was also one of the moms.
The second part of my P.E. was my extracurricular activities. I would play baseball in the spring and fall and basketball in the winter. I would play in organized recreation leagues that would have at least one game and one practice a week. As I got older the schedule for these leagues would become more intense. Along with these organized activities I would always be outside with my friends playing some sport. I was the type of kid that my mom would have to drag inside when it got dark, otherwise I would just stay outside with my friends.
The fact that P.E. is more and more reduced is truly a tragedy. It is very important for children to be getting this activity no matter what the age. Not just because it is good for them but because it creates good habits for the future. If we are going to create a healthy nation we should start with keeping our children healthy.
For my formal P.E. a group of us would meet every Monday at the local public park and we would generally play a sport or do some activity. We would play kickball, volleyball, softball, football, etc. sometimes we would have P.E. test in which would prepare and then be tested on basic physical abilities such as running the mile, pushups, pull-ups, sit-ups, etc. This group would consistently meet every week and there would generally be 15-20 kids. The teacher of the class would be a certified P.E. teacher who was also one of the moms.
The second part of my P.E. was my extracurricular activities. I would play baseball in the spring and fall and basketball in the winter. I would play in organized recreation leagues that would have at least one game and one practice a week. As I got older the schedule for these leagues would become more intense. Along with these organized activities I would always be outside with my friends playing some sport. I was the type of kid that my mom would have to drag inside when it got dark, otherwise I would just stay outside with my friends.
The fact that P.E. is more and more reduced is truly a tragedy. It is very important for children to be getting this activity no matter what the age. Not just because it is good for them but because it creates good habits for the future. If we are going to create a healthy nation we should start with keeping our children healthy.
PDFE #8
The lab conducted was probably one of the most challenging because of the many steps required to complete the skill at hand. My partner for this activity struggled to figure the process out. Because he had no past experience with knots and was not able to understand the instructions very well. However, once he understood the process he slowly began to get better at the skill with each attempt.
For me it was a slightly different story. The only reason for I was more easily able to accomplish the task was that I have had past experiences with knots and had reached the autonominous stage with this know in particular. However, it had been so long that it took me many tries to remember how to do it. But once I had recalled the process I was able to tie the assigned know while holding a conversation with someone else.
I think that the ability to reach this automatic stage is really cool. It amazes me how, when practiced enough our brain can run the make our body do the action as if it were a background program in our minds that the participant doesn’t even consider while we are doing it. I think, in sports, it is this stage of mastery that sets professionals apart from amateurs. There is some skill that professional athletes can perform and we say “wow, he made that look so easy”. I think it has to do with the fact that they have mastered their skills to where they become completely automatic. Mastering a skill to the point of it being automatic takes time and perseverance but is definitely a worthwhile task.
For me it was a slightly different story. The only reason for I was more easily able to accomplish the task was that I have had past experiences with knots and had reached the autonominous stage with this know in particular. However, it had been so long that it took me many tries to remember how to do it. But once I had recalled the process I was able to tie the assigned know while holding a conversation with someone else.
I think that the ability to reach this automatic stage is really cool. It amazes me how, when practiced enough our brain can run the make our body do the action as if it were a background program in our minds that the participant doesn’t even consider while we are doing it. I think, in sports, it is this stage of mastery that sets professionals apart from amateurs. There is some skill that professional athletes can perform and we say “wow, he made that look so easy”. I think it has to do with the fact that they have mastered their skills to where they become completely automatic. Mastering a skill to the point of it being automatic takes time and perseverance but is definitely a worthwhile task.
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