American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance - AAHPERD

Issue: March 2009

Using Motor-Learning Theory to Design More Effective Instruction
Paul B. Rukavina & K. Randell Foxworth

Abstract: Choosing which teaching approach to use and when to use it is a complex decision, especially for preservice teachers learning to teach individuals with a variety of skill levels and abilities. One source of information that teachers can use to help select an approach is motor-learning theory. This article describes an early field experience in which beginning teachers experimented with two different teaching approaches: (1) task/environmental design and (2) direct instruction. The goal was to discover how each approach affected student learning. The preservice teachers taught the standing long jump with each approach separately, and then combined them in a final lesson. They realized that both approaches worked, though differently, and that the combination helped them to be more effective in their teaching. Examples of the organizational preparatory work and an outline of the lesson plan that guided their experimentation are included.

Article category: Teaching