PDFE #13

Observation

Briefly describe the activity you observed: I observed the Berry College Equestrian Team’s practice/lessons. I watched 4 members of the team receive a western lesson from their coach, Margaret Knight.

List the feedback examples you observed:
- Coach telling a rider she did something well
- Coach telling a rider what to fix
- Watching examples of other girls riding
- The horses reaction to cues

Categorization

For each of the types of feedback listed, describe two of your observations that are examples of
the type indicated. If you did not observe an example of one of the following categories, indicate
that and create a realistic example yourself.

Intrinsic (e.g., shooter sees the ball go through the hoop after making a shot):
1. Rider sees/feels the horse canter off on the correct lead when giving a cue
2. Rider can feel if they are off balance
Extrinsic (e.g., coach says, “Good job,” after instruction regarding free-throw technique):
1. Coach says “good” after instructing the rider to correct position
2. Rider completes a pattern and is told “nicely done” by the coach
KR (e.g., athlete uses her wristwatch to record her times during sprinting drills):
1. Rider gets the horse to collect itself and move into a canter from a standstill
2. Rider completes the pattern 3 times with no errors
KP:
1. Coach told a rider that their leg is too far forward
2. Coach told a rider that they are holding their back too arched
Descriptive:
1. Coach explains what went wrong during the pattern
2. Coach explains why the horse is picking up the wrong lead
Prescriptive:
1. Coach explains that rider’s position is off and gives the “old man” exercise for her to do
2. Coach sees that a rider has too active hands so she gives her cups of water to ride around with

For each of the following functions of extrinsic feedback, provide one example from your
observations and discuss how it served the function.

Motivation: The coach told the riders that if they could execute the pattern perfectly 2 times in a row then their lesson were over. This motivated each individual to perfect their own pattern. Riding is a team sport but not in the aspect that you rely on teammates to complete you goals. The coach allowed each girl to motivate herself to want to do well enough to be finished.

Reinforcement: Coach Knight does not give compliments out unless they are earned. When her riders complete a pattern and get an acknowledgement of “good job” they know that they have in fact done a terrific job as Coach Knight does not comment on a good ride but rather a great ride. This reinforces her riders to strive for better than average and ride to the best of their abilities each time they ride. By not commenting on every ride, Coach Knight is reinforcing perfection from her riders, which makes them strive for that complement and get better.

Information: The girls rely on their coach for visual feedback. They know from her record that she has an incredible eye for seeing imperfections when riding. The riders trust her because they have all reaped the benefits of her keen eye. When Coach Knight tells a girl about her position, she listens. The riders cannot see themselves so they have to completely rely on Coach Knight for feedback on what they look like.

Dependence: The riders are pretty dependent on Coach Knight during their lesson. In the pattern they are able to see if they execute a maneuver correctly but in the world of collegiate equitation it isn’t all about the maneuver but about how you look doing it. Since the riders can’t see themselves they rely heavily on Coach Knight to tell them what they look like.

PDFE # 11

For PDFE #11 I observed a Cub Scout activity.  The kids in this troop range in age from 6 to 10.  There were twelve kids in all that were participating in flag football.  The den leader began instructing the kids on the game after they had been in a meeting for around 30 minutes, during this time the kids were sitting as still as they possibly could have.  The goal is to have the kids be active for 45 minutes during the meetings, introducing them to new activities and a physically active lifestyle.

From the time that the meeting ended and the game began approximately 5:00 was spent in management, getting equipment out, marking boundaries and finding the football.  Teams were assigned as well during this time, which was part instruction and management.  The kids took another 1:15 to quiet down enough in order for Patrice (den leader) to give them instructions about the game.  This segment took approximately 2:45, and at some points during the game instructions had to be reiterated a total of 4:45 at different segments.  Once this occurred the kids took their places on the field and that took up a total of 1:45 for them to begin playing.  The kids then began playing flag football.  They played for a total of 15:45 with intermittent breaks for rule clarifications.  The kids got a water break for about 2:30 but only about 5 kids actually got water or a drink, then they played for 8:30 more.   Every kid was activity involved in the game and running the entire time chasing down the ball. At the end of the game about 4:15 was spent in management rounding up the boundary markers and the equipment.  After this the kids were released to their parents.  

Approximately 54% of the time was spent in actual activity.  Management took up 24% of the time and instruction took up 17% of the time.  Waiting took up the remaining time, which was relatively low given the time frame and amount of activity. Too much time was spent on management which might have been because the kids had previously been sitting inactive and were difficult to manage but once they started to be active it was easier to control them.  If I were to change something it would be the before and after the game.  If everything was already set up then the kids wouldn’t have to spend time with that aspect adding a few more minutes onto their play time.

PDFE # 14

In class we performed a lab that featured segmented practice.  I practiced juggling using a segmented practice routine and Jenny practiced using whole part practice.  Part practice is when you break down a skill into individualized sections where one skill is practiced and then a second aspect of the skill is added and so on until the skill is practiced as a whole.  The accepted theory is that part practice allows a person to become more skillful at each part of the skill and therefore be more skillful as a whole.  Whole practice is just simply the act of practicing the entire skill, juggling in our case. 

Jenny and I were partners for this lab.  I practiced using segmented practice and Jenny using whole part practice. I began by tossing one tennis ball up in the air and catching it with my other hand. I repeated this 40 times while Jenny recorded the quality of my ball tossing skills. After a one-minute break I added a second ball and practiced throwing it at the exact time the first ball reached its peak. After another 40 trials I had all but mastered tossing two balls back and forth. I took another break and started again with 3 balls. The first 40 trials with the 3 balls were just practicing the timing of tossing them in the air so I didn’t have to catch the balls, just toss them.  The next set of trials was practicing the entire skill set of juggling.  During Jenny’s practice she was only allowed to juggle and not break down the components to practice. 

Comparing the amount of improvement based on our starting skill sets, segmented practice was more effective for me.  Jenny could juggle somewhat beforehand where as I had zero skill with juggling.  At the end of the trials I was able to juggle for a few rotations, a three to four hundred percent improvement for me.  Jenny saw little improvement overall, as she started with almost the same skill level as she finished with. This correlates with the textbook and expected results.  Outside factors could have affected the lab, like the fact that we were practicing in a hallway with many people around for distraction.  Jenny also needed more space to move around when she was juggling as she ran into the wall several times.

PDFE #12

In class we did a lab experience on the effect of feedback on performance.  There were two different types of extrinsic feedbacks we looked at, KR and KP.  Feedback is important in skill development.  Knowledge of results (KR) is a type of feedback where the person performing a task is provided with feedback of their results, how they performed. Knowledge of performance (KP) is a type of feedback where the person evaluation the task provides performance feedback after every test, or skill, and provides details about their general performance. 

Emma and I were partners for this lab.  The lab consisted of moving a pencil from one line to another while blindfolded and the distance away from the second line was recorded.  Emma received constant feedback after every performance.  I only received feedback when I requested it, which was 10 times throughout the 30 trials.  We each performed the task in three sets of ten, with a minute between sets and only a few seconds between each trial.  On average and throughout the retention test, I had the lowest distance away from the second line.  This concurred with the textbook’s finding that receiving feedback only when asked resulted in a better mastering of a skill.  I was able to focus on my hand motion and allow it to tell me if I performed correctly while Emma relied on my telling her how far and short she was of the mark each time.      

Something that could have influenced the results is preexisting motor skill.  I could have a higher rate of muscle memory than Emma, or just have been better at finding a rhythm.  It is also possible that hand size and position might have favor the task for me and not Emma.  Another thing could be the ability to focus in a noisy room.  All of these factors could have affected the test results.  

PDFE #10

We did an in-class lab on November 1^st to learn about varied and constant practice.  We did this by pairing up into groups of two and tossed beans bags into a hula hoop.  Constant practice is a form of practicing a single task that allows the individual to repeatedly rehearse one variation of a task. This is like hitting irons on a driving range over and over the same club, same swing, and same shot. Varied practice allows the player to practice different versions of the same action. In a golf situation this would be like practicing the circle drill on the putting green.  This is done by placing balls at equal distance around the hole and putting each put in sequence around the hole. Varied practice transfers over to performances much better than constant practice. Jenny and I took turns tossing a bean bag at a hula-hoop with a circle inside. I changed the distance from which I threw the bean bag each time, in a repeating sequence of 4 meters, 5 meters, 6 meters, 4 meters, etc. Jenny  threw the bean bag from 5 meters each time. We each threw the bean bag 15 times, took a 5 minute break, and repeated the sequence 3 times.  After we each went we took a five minute break and then performed a retention test in which we threw the bean bag only 5 times, each time from 5 meters. The theory was that Jenny would score better since she did constant practice from 5 meters. The results didn't match the readings from the textbook. The results could have been affected by a number of outside variables.  I was tossing with my right shoulder which is recovering from an injury which most likely skewed the results. Other things that may have affected the results could have been natural ability of the two people, distraction from the amount of people in a small area, and fatigue in the arm. The experiment was performed to demonstrate the difference in the two types of practice.  When applying to a sport scenario varied practice is better because that is how you perform during the sport.  Constant practice is great for developing muscle memory, but varied practice is better for practicing scenarios in sport.   This lab was a great way to hands on learn about varied and constant practice.

PDFE #9

My early childhood education P.E. was a good experience.  I had p.e. 3 days a week and the class was taught by a P.E. teacher.  The focus of the class was skill building and we often had competitions during the class on certain skill sets.  Coach Finn held classes outside under a pavilion and in the fields because we did not have a gym.  Living in south Florida the temperature was usually good for outdoor activity but do to the amount of rain that we normally got, we often had to have class in the cafeteria.  When I was in 5^th grade our school was remodeled so we had to go to school in a temporary building.  Here we had a field and a court, but on rainy days we held P.E. in a portable building. Twenty five kids playing dodge ball in a small room was definitely an experience.  Some of the activities that I remember doing included dribbling a basketball and soccer ball, tennis ball and racquet manipulation, high jump, races, and jumping rope and we also played team sports like kickball, dodge ball and softball.  I loved P.E. because I was good at all of the skills and usually finished at the top of the class for each skill set.  I like playing games so I loved team sports.  I didn’t like that everyone else wasn’t as enthusiastic as I was and didn’t but everything into the game.  When I got into middle school I had the option to take P.E. or music.  I decided to go into band, so I never got to do P.E. in middle school.  In high school we had to take 1 year of P.E. before we graduated.  I really enjoyed team sports but 3 of 5 days we didn’t play an organized sport but could choose between walking the track or playing a sport with a small group of 4 or 5 friends.  As long as we were actively moving, we were good to go.  We had class every day for an hour and 4 classes of 25 were on the field at once, each with their own P.E. teacher. I really enjoyed P.E. because I am competitive, but just like in elementary school I disliked when some people wouldn’t actively play the game.  It comes down to the fact that I really hate to lose.  

I don’t think that the current Georgia requirements for P.E. are good enough. I don’t think there is enough time for kids to stay active enough to be healthy.  They should have PE every day as part of an active lifestyle.  I also think that the kids should focus on learning skills, not standing around every day with team sports.  The fact that no PE is required in middle school is ridiculous.  This time in developing a healthy lifestyle is crucial and the school system is ignoring it.  I think that PE is an important part of a child’s development that is grossly overlooked.

PDFE #8

How did your performance progress in terms of the stages of learning described in

chapter 7?

            I performed the lab with Emma recording my learning stages.  While learning to tie the bowline knot, I went through the stages of learning.  I was in the verbal-cognitive stage for the first 7 trials, getting the idea about what I was doing and really paying attention to each step of the process of learning the mechanics of tying the knot.  I exhibited many of the behavioral traits of self-talk to guide me and heavy reliance on instructions.  I progressed to the motor stage for the nest 20 or so trials.  I was able to perform the task of making the knot much more efficiently and focused on consistently performing each movement.  I knew when I messed up without anyone having to tell me or correct me. I reached the autonomous stage around trial 30 where my movements where automatic and I was able to take in my surroundings and talk to people while tying the knot with great success. I was able to make the knot time after time with little or no thought about the process.

           

Did your experience match what would be expected based on the information presented in the textbook?

            Yes it did.  In the case of learning a knot the stage went rather quickly as opposed to learning something that requires more muscles and skill like shooting a free throw.

As you progressed, what where the biggest challenges you faced and how did you go about meeting them?

            My biggest challenge was constantly making the loop big enough. I could make the knot every time but I had trouble at the beginning getting the loop size correct.  I figured out where to start the knot on the string to get the loop the right size and after that I was successful in doing the knot each time. 

What happened to your performance (in terms of the stages of learning) when you tried to tie the knot upside down?

 When I attempted to tie the knot upside down, it was like I was back in the verbal-cognitive stage but I moved through the stages much more quickly than I had when I was first learning to tie the knot.