Fitts and Posner's Phases of Learning

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Fitts and Posner's Phases of Learning

"Performance may be thought of as a temporary occurrence … fluctuating

from time to time because of many potentially operating variables. We

usually use performance to represent the amount of learning that has

occurred, for the process of learning must be inferred on the basis of

observations of change in performance."¹[1]

These are Fitts and Posner's phases of learning:

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Cognitive: This is the initial stage of learning and therefore is

essential if the learner is to progress to the next stages with any

success. For example, a golf player at a cognitive stage will look at

how a type of shot is executed and try to copy it. They are likely to

hit the ball in the wrong direction, or not at all. Another example is

when a netball player learning a chest pass, they are likely to miss

where they are aiming and it is likely to feel a little awkward, as it

is something they haven't done before. A final example is in a game of

volleyball, where a learner is trying to set the ball, it is likely to

hit the palms of their hands, rather than the fingers, and therefore

not get enough height on it, and so the ball is likely not go over the

net. The learner gathers information from range of sources, of which

at this stage, the most efficient is usually a demonstration, which

allows them to see the key requirements and to work through the

performance mentally. To learn the skill, it must be demonstrated

correctly, otherwise the requirements will not be clear, and therefore

the main guidance necessary at this stage is visual. During this

stage, the ...

... middle of paper ...

...n where they're going. The more

complex the skill is, the longer it will take to learn the

requirements of it.

I conclude that these stages are essential for the development of any

sport so that the leaner may be given enough information for

motivation purposes, but not too much for overload and discouragement.

Bibliography

Advanced PE for Edexel (2000) by Frank Galligan, Colin Maskery, Jon

Spence, David Howe, Tim Barry, Andy Ruston, and Dee Crawford.

Physical Education and the study of sport, fourth edition (2000) by

Bob Davis, Ros Bull, Jan Roscoe and Dennis Roscoe.

Acquiring Skill in Sport (1992) by Bob Sharp.

Advanced Studies in Physical Education and Sport (1996) Edited by Paul

Beashel and John Taylor.

[1] B. Knapp p325 Physical Education and the study of sport, fourth

edition (2000).

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