TEACHING

STRATEGIES
FOR
PHYSICAL
EDUCATION

Why Different Strategies

for Different Curriculum
Areas?
Strategies are primarily concerned with how
subject matter is presented. Learning teaching
strategies for different curriculum areas is a key
component to a developing teachers education.
Teaching strategies play a key role in educating
students, without strategies or a range of
strategies,

students

are

left

to

educate

themselves. A good definition of a strategy in a

physical

education sense can be taken from Dowell (1975)

where a teaching strategy is an overall design or
procedure a teacher uses to transmit subject matter
to students, it may include one or more techniques
and methods of teaching process.

Teaching strategies is a very broad topic, to teach

anything there has to be a strategy. Physical
education is a unique subject because of its
physical

component,

this

uniqueness

profound effect on teaching strategies used.

has

HOW STUDENTS LEARN

MOTOR SKILLS, AN
ESSENTIAL PART OF
PHYSICAL EDUCATION.

Motor skills are skills associated with actions

the body performs, for example writing is a
motor skill. Physical education focuses on
motor skills that are based around sports,
leisure

and

physical

education

curriculum

because all practical is based on fine and gross

motor skills.

1. THE MOTOR PROGRAM THEORY

This theory believes there is a stored
program for each activity, it is the role of the
teacher to manipulate the program to bring
results.

2. THE MOTOR SHEMAS THEORY

This

theory

believes

there

are

stored

program for skills but they are not specific

and the teacher has to build upon the initial
foundation to improve the skill.

3. THE DEVELOPMENT MODEL THEORY

This model or theory believes motor learning
and physical education are developmental
and sequential. It is the child that teaches
themselves motor skills it is the teachers role
to refine and improve skills at a faster rate.

4. THE DYNAMIC SYSTEMS MODEL

This model or theory believes motor learning
and physical education are developmental
and sequential. It is the child that teaches
themselves motor skills it is the teachers role
to refine and improve skills at a faster rate.

5. THE DYNAMIC SYSTEMS MODEL

This model incorporates the motor program
and motor shemas theories. The theory
believes movement patterns are inborn and
it is the role of the teacher to massage the
skills out of the child.

TEACHING STRATEGIES
ASSOCIATED WITH
PHYSICAL EDUCATION

THE LECTURE STRATEGY

This strategy is mainly used when teaching
the theory of physical education. The lecture
strategy is useful when introducing a new
unit of work, it can introduce the rules and
cover basic skill and techniques.

THE DISCUSSION STRATEGY

The discussion strategy should be used as an
immediate follow up to the lecture. Students
are given the chance to ask questions and
put forward their ideas related to the topic.
To do this the strategy is most useful in small
groups so each student gets a chance to
voice their opinions.

THE LECTURE-DEMONSTRATION
STRATEGY
Another strategy that is closely related to the
lecture strategy is the lecture-demonstration
strategy.

This

techniques

of

strategy
the

uses

lecture

all

the

strategy

and

incorporates a physical demonstration. The

demonstration can be taken by a teacher,
student

or

group

of

important issue with choosing

students.

The

students to take demonstrations is that they

are doing
the activity correctly and providing a good
example for other students to base their
learning on.

THE PRACTICE STRATEGY

A strategy that is commonly used in physical
education

is

the

practice

strategy.

This

strategy utilizes the useful tool of feedback

to improve development in students learning.
The practice strategy is where students get
to physically do the skill put to them in the
lecture or theory.

THE INQUIRY STRATEGY

This strategy gives students the chance to

become involved in the teaching of the
learning

process.

It

tries

to

promote

reflective thinking and self refinement.

THE PROGRESSIVE-PART
STRATEGY
The progressive-part strategy is a strategy that
is used with mainly younger students.

THE PART- WHOLE STRATEGY

This is similar to the progressive-part except
there isnt as major emphasis on each stage
and two or more stages can be combined to
one stage.

THE WHOLE- PART- WHOLE

STRATEGY
The whole-part-whole strategy is a strategy
that is greatly used by teachers of physical
education. As the name of the strategy implies,
students do a skill as a whole, they then learn
the basic in parts and then do skill as a whole
again.

PUTTING
STRATEGIES INTO
PRACTICE

THE PART-WHOLE STRATEGY

Part 1 the grip: teach students how to grip
the ball.
Part 2 the arm movement: the arm is

brought

behind the back so the hand is

behind the
forwards and is

head, the arm then moves

extended out in front of

the body.
Part 3 the release: the ball is released as the

arm

and wrist are fully extended.

 Part 4 weight transference: the weight is

shifted
front leg,

from the back leg to the

simultaneously with

the arm.
Part 5 leg movement: as the weight is
transferred to
leg, simultaneously

the back leg to the front

with the arm.

Part 6 doing the skill as a whole.

THE WHOLE- PART- WHOLE

STRATEGY
Organize an activity where students can
throw at a target. This is the only instruction
that should be given. The teacher observes
the students from this decides what part of
the skill they will begin their instruction.
The teacher then follows the part-whole
strategy. Depending on the classes previous
experience of

throwing and their ability the teacher will

instruct from a part that matches their ability
with one of the parts described in the part
whole strategy

above.

Once the students have attempted the

skill and

been through the skill in parts

they do the skill as

with

the

benefit

a whole again, this time

of

feedback

refinement in the part strategy.

and