STAGES OF LEARNING National 5 Physical Education STAGES

STAGES OF LEARNING National 5 Physical Education

STAGES OF LEARNING • There are three stages of learning a performer must perform at to be able to use a skill effectively • The three stages are: • Cognitive Stage • Associative Stage • Automatic Stage As the performer moves through these stages of learning they will be more competent at performing each skill

COGNITIVE STAGE • This is the first stage of learning • The skill will be new to you or it will be relatively new as you will not be competent at performing the skill. You will need to concentrate on each individual subroutine • At this stage you will be looking to break the skill down to its simplest form and you will receive lots of external feedback • You will most likely use shadow practices or simple repetition practices at this stage

ASSOCIATIVE STAGE • At this stage you will be becoming more confident at comfortable at performing the skill. You will be making fewer errors and becoming more consistent • At this stage you will be looking to perform the skill over and over again so that you can master the subroutines of the skill • You will be able to break the skill down into subroutines and correct any errors. You will still rely on external feedback but you will start to detect errors • You will use repetition and combination practices at this stage

AUTOMATIC STAGE • At this stage you will be able to perform a skill without giving it much thought • You will now focus less on the skill and you will be able to detect errors yourself. This will mean that you will have more time to focus on other aspects of your performance. • An example of this would be focusing less on the skills you are using in badminton but more on how effectively your opponent is dealing with those skills • You will most likely be using pressure practices and conditioned games at this stage

HOW STAGES OF LEARNING CAN AFFECT YOUR TRAINING PROGRAMME • Being able to determine your stage of learning will allow you to select appropriate practices. This will make it easier for you to make progress in your learning • It will also determine you are receiving appropriate feedback. If you are on the cognitive stage of learning, you will receive basic or simple feedback on how to perform the skill compared to the feedback you need to improve when you are in the automatic stage of learning

HOW STAGES OF LEARNING CAN AFFECT YOUR TRAINING PROGRAMME • If you do not consider the stage of learning you are at, you may end up designing practices that are too difficult. This in turn will limit the progress you make • If your development approaches do not match your stage of learning it may impact on your confidence or motivation levels • If you are on the automatic stage you may become bored and demotivated if you are still using shadow practices. If you plan a complicated pressure drill or use a difficult condition game when you are at the cognitive stage of learning it will most likely cause the practice/game break down. This may result in you becoming frustrated due to your lack of progress