Reference

Rudd, J. R., Woods, C., Correia, V., Seifert, L., & Davids, K. (2021). An ecological dynamics conceptualisation of physical ‘education’: Where we have been and where we could go next. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 26(3), 293-306.

🚀 Article in 3 Sentences

1. The paper starts by introducing the theories of learning movement skills and their influence on pedagogical approaches in PE. In PE children are educated through movement. To teach effectively we have to have an appreciation for how movement emerges.
2. The cornerstones of an Ecological Dynamics approach to teaching PE leading out, planning for uncertainty and skill adaptation are discussed in detail
3. There are some brilliant examples of how this approach could be implemented through swimming, gymnastics and basketball. These are quite idealised but provide some good food for thought

🤝Impressions

I thought that this was a really interesting and highly thought provoking paper. While some of the concepts may sound like a very idealised way of teaching and may not suit every environment moving towards the ideas of ‘ex-ducere’ is important for teachers. If the goal of PE is to promote physical activity beyond the school gates the way we are teaching needs to promote this.

👨‍🏫Who should read this?

This paper should be read by all PE Teachers, teachers and coaches working with children.

🎾How Article will influence my coaching

• Long term aim of the subject is to promote physical activity beyond the school gates. To do this we need to provide young people with functional movement skills that enable them to explore opportunities for physical activity in their community.
• When planning teachers need consider in advance how the activities and ‘designed’ environments can encourage the exploration and emergence of skills.
• Competition is a catalyst for learning and should be carefully designed into the programme. However, Inclusion is paramount so this needs to be at an appropriate level for all students.

📃Takeaways for coaches

• In PE children are educated through movement. To teach effectively we have to have an appreciation for how movement emerges.
• From the ecological view the goal of education is to ‘lead out’. Individuals are lead out into the environment to discover information that “supports and enriches actions in a continuous and nonlinear, reciprocal process”
• There is no one ideal way of performing a skill but there are different performance solutions that will emerge based on the individuals developmental experience and skill level
• Affordances are always present and there to be perceived. It's whether the individual is attuned to them or has the action capabilities to act on them.
• Children learn to move and discover information. As they become more skilled they progressively refine the exploration so they detect richer and more reliable info to support action.