Chapter 2

1. Chapter 2 Motor Development and Motor Learning for Children

2. Growth Patterns • Patterns are genetically determined • There is a predictable pattern that children experience • Years of slow, steady growth enable children to explore how their bodies function and move

3. Gender Similarities • Physical differences between boys and girls during early and later childhood are minimal • They have similar amounts of muscle and bone mass during preschool and early primary grades • The onset of preadolescence sees greater limb growth than trunk growth

4. Dynamical systems perspective • The basic premise is that motor development is non-linear and constantly changing • Development within an individual is uniquely influenced by factors within three subsystems of motor development • The task • The individual’s genetics • The environment for learning experiences

5. Developmental readiness • Movement educators must consider whether a designed movement task matches the abilities of each child • Developmentally appropriate activity meets each child’s abilities based on fitness and skill level, body size, age and readiness

6. Individual variability • Children not only differ among their peers, but they will also differ within themselves • Activities need to be modified to meet children at their level of readiness

7. Motor Learning Concepts • Planning for developmentally appropriate activity includes understanding features of motor skills • The size of musculature required • The beginning and end points of the movement • The stability of the environment in which the movement is performed

8. Size of musculature required • Gross motor skills require large muscles to perform such skills as running, jumping, throwing, or kicking • Fine motor skills require more precise movements, typically of the hand and fingers

9. Motor skill progression • In order for children to gain control of motor skills, two processes must occur • Differentiation: the progression of skills from gross to fine • Integration: the coordination of the muscle and sensory systems

10. Beginning and end point classification • A discrete skill has a definite beginning and end point • A punt of a football, an underhand serve of the volleyball • A serial skill is a sequence of discrete skills • Ten dribble touches of a soccer or basketball • A continuous skill has an endpoint that is arbitrarily determined • Walking or running

11. Stability of the environment • The context of the environment in which the performer does the skill or in which the object is acted upon by the performer categorizes the stability of the environment • Closed motor skill • Open motor skill

12. Stages of learning • Beginner: the learner is getting the idea of the movement and how to coordinate the body • Intermediate: the learner is beginning to refine the movement and make fewer errors • Advanced: the learner is automatic in performance of a skill and thinks little about the execution of the skill

13. Summary • Children are not mini-adults, and therefore, the movement educator must take into consideration developmental variability and individual readiness when planning movement experiences.

14. Chapter concept • The use of a variety of teaching styles and the use of appropriate practices will encourage participation in movement experiences.

15. Styles of teaching • Common styles for elementary children: • Command • Task • Reciprocal • Self-check • Inclusion • Exploratory (convergent and divergent)

16. Learning Styles • Ways that children process information presented to them • Listener • Thinker • Kinesthetic • Visual • Try to accommodate as many styles as possible in the lesson delivery

17. Appropriate Progressions • Whole skill vs. part skill • Massed vs. distributed practice • Individual vs. partner practice

18. Summary • It is important for all children to be involved in daily, successful movement experiences. • Movement activities should not be withheld from children as a means of discipline. • The use of a variety of teaching styles and appropriate practices helps children recognize the benefits of physical activity and encourages them to participate regularly