Question:
(When learning about CLA, one thing I am trying to grapple with is whether...) skills and technique are more important than game concepts at primary school level, or vice versa? Can we do CLA for lower primary FMS? What if the skills of the child is very weak?
Response:
They are all important. But defining clearly what constitute as a skill and technique is key.
If we examine the learning outcome statements from P1 to P3, it is very clear that there are a whole range skills that should be taught. At Primary 4, you'll see skills being combined in more dynamic context, which include mini game situations involving at least one other player (could be a rallying/passing partner, and/or a defender that is attempting to oppose you). At P5 onwards, the learning outcomes are very clear, they all revolve around the various game concepts from the 3 main game categories.
A popular question I get a lot at NIE is, "What if my students' skills are terrible? How then can I teach the required game concepts without the skills mastered? Do I revisit FMS all over again using a spiral approach?" My personal answer is... NO! Why bother? How sure are you that if you spend time to re-teach FMS, you'll have time to teach the required game concepts? Well, that's why we adopt CLA to simplify the game! When the game is playable and the essence of the game is kept, students will be motivated to learn the game!
The other question then is whether CLA can be used to teach all of the various learning outcomes in Games & Sports, including FMS? The short answer is... a definite YES! Instead of focusing on one "correct" solution, be comfortable accepting a range of individualised functional solutions, provided that the intended outcome(s) is/are achieved.
During the start of skills training, adding variability will encourage exploration of the perceptual-motor landscape so that the performer will educate their attention to the specifying information and the system will be able to self-assemble coordination solutions. But remember, the purpose of incorporating variability is to develop adaptability in being able to solve movement problems (or as Keith Davids called it “learning to learn to move”), NOT to develop adjustability of an already developed technique. Don't be so hard up to get the learners to do that ONE "correct" way of executing a given skill. Focus on the task design. Then, relax and see the magic happen. Give it a go!
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