STAGES OF SKILL LEARNING &
FACTORS AFFECTING SKILL
LEARNING
Week 2
Key Content
• Stages of learning
– Cognitive (understanding)
– Associative (practice)
– Autonomous (automatic)
• Factors affecting skill learning
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Physical maturation
Physiological characteristics
Psychological characteristics
Stage of learning
Feedback
Experience / Memory
Amount and type of practice
Perceptual and motor ability
Stages of Skill Learning
• Terminology: skill learning = skill
acquisition
• As we progress from a beginner to a
skilled performer we must pass through
different stages of learning
– Cognitive (understanding)
– Associative (practice)
– Autonomous (automatic)
Cognitive Stage
• Also known as the _____________ or ‘what to
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•
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do’ stage
Skill is completely _____ to learner
Need to understand what the whole skill is, what
needs to be done, and how to do it
Trial and ______
Large number of errors
Improvement is usually ________
Cognitive Stage & Coaching
• Read page 12 and make some notes on
how the coach or teacher can help a
learner at this stage
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Associative Stage
• Also known as the _________ stage
• Still make errors, but they are usually
smaller and ______ frequent
• Refining skill, not learning new
movements
• Can use own feedback to make changes
• Gradual improvement
Associative Stage & Coaching
• Read page 12 and make some notes on
how the coach or teacher can help a
learner at this stage
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Autonomous Stage
• Also known as the ____________ stage
• A skilled performance is produced automatically
• Don’t need to ________ about the steps
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involved in producing the movement
Can analyse cues from the environment
Can detect and correct his/her own _______
Focus on tactics and strategies
Once in this stage, usually remain
Autonomous Stage & Coaching
• Read page 13 and make some notes on
how the coach or teacher can help a
learner at this stage
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Stages of Learning Summary
• Draw up the following summary table and
complete using your notes, text and
knowledge
Questions
1. Compare your skills in two sports (one where
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3.
4.
you are a beginner and one where you feel
your skills are more advanced). Which stage of
learning do you think you are in for each
sport?
Describe the characteristics of your skills in
each sport
How much practice and what type of
instruction have you had in each sport?
How has this affected your level of skill in each
sport?
Stages of Learning - Visual
• See p.22 Nelson
Factors Affecting Skill Learning
• Acquiring skills is a different experience for each
individual
– We know we all learn differently
• Factors affecting skill learning
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Physical maturation
Physiological characteristics
Psychological characteristics
Stage of learning
Feedback
Experience / Memory
Amount and type of practice
Perceptual and motor ability
Physical Maturation
• Starting from when we are born our
bodies develop
• This allows us to become more physically
_________ of performing skills
– Eg: Crawl, walk, run
– Eg: 10 yr old learning shot put vs. 16 yr old
Physiological Characteristics
• Body composition
• An increase in fitness = an ________ in
the ability to perform = an ________ in
the ability to learn
– Eg: Greater endurance allows us to train and
practise for longer, which helps to make
practice and skill learning more effective
– Eg: Being able to complete a full 1hr netball
training session vs. being only capable of
completing a 20min session
Psychological Characteristics
• What subjects do you
learn best in?
– Why?
• Motivation
• Attention
– Younger children have a
shorter attention span
than older children
– This has an implication
on __________
• Attitude
• Personality
Stage of Learning
• Whether you are in the cognitive,
associative or autonomous stage will
impact on skill acquisition
– Will someone in the cognitive stage or
autonomous stage of throwing be able to
learn how to throw with their opposite arm?
– Why?
Feedback
• Providing information about the
performance (feedback) is crucial for:
– Learning and improvement to take place
• Should provide information on:
– Judgement errors
– Technical errors
– Possible solutions
– Positive aspects
Feedback
• Two types of feedback:
– Knowledge of Results: Information about the
outcome of the ____________
• Eg: The ball went through the goal posts
– Knowledge of Performance: Information about
the characteristics of the ___________
• Eg: You didn’t bend your knees enough, therefore
the volley went into the net
Experience / Memory
• Being able to recall past experiences and
techniques is important in learning new
and more complex skills
• This way you don’t have to completely
learn new motor programs
– Eg: Being able to hit a serve in tennis can be
transferred across to an overhead in
badminton
– Modifications are obviously required
Amount and Type of Practice
• Physical and mental practice is vital in skill
•
learning
Practice provides an improved understanding of
the skill, as well as improving performance
“A minimum of ten years of practice is required to reach an elite level
of performance” K. Anders Ericsson, 1996
• Agree / Disagree?
Perceptual & Motor Ability
• Your body constructs a program based on information
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from your senses
The ability to interpret or perceive the sensory
information is a key to learning and performing a skill
successfully
Anticipation is a form of recognising movement patterns
of team mates and opponents
– Does Justin Koschitkze have good perceptual ability?
• Having a good general motor ability will allow you to
acquire skills more easily
– Think of that person who is a ‘natural’