Action Research Project on the Lesson - Complete Golf This page contains many pictures and a multitude of information...It may take a few minutes to load. Please be patient.
This study has been conducted in order to begin the process of analyzing
the use of technology, and specifically an Internet-based lesson,
in the physical education forum. There are many arguments on the
value of physical education in our school system. As a member of
the physical education field, I personally find considerable value in the
idea that you only have one body and you must take care of that body.
Physical education provides the body with health enhancing work such as
running, weight lifting, and and stress relief through activities and recreation.
However, there have been, are, and will continue to be people who find
physical education to be more torturous than beneficial. The daily
dressing, running around, physical education teachers barking at students
when the teachers themselves cannot perform the tasks required of the students.
Many people do not see physical education as a subject area at all, "it's
just recess," is a comment often heard from the mouths of those who still
have yet to see the value in physical education. As a professional
educator it is one's duty to try to find ways to reach every student.
One way that may bring more interest to the subject area, and gain physical
education teachers more respect from their peers, may be to show competency
in the use of instructional technology. "Progressive physical educators
embrace technology for a plethora of reasons." (JOPERD, 2001, p. 12)
Many find that technology allows for the instructor to gain accurate feedback
as to the fitness of students through the use of heart rate monitors.
Others find that having students create multimedia presentations on the
health enhancing aspects of an active lifestyle are productive to facilitate
student learning and internalization. Still others find that , "a
website that promotes a physical education program to students, parents,
administrators, and colleagues also serves as a well-intentioned and informed
validation of the teacher's philosophy and praxis." (JOPERD, p. 13)
The final idea is the one that this project intends to examine and address.
The fact that physical education is constantly under scrutiny for its apparent lack of academic necessity is something that physical educators are constantly trying to change. All physical educators believe, in some way, that physical education has value to all students in the public school system. If physical educators did not feel that way, then they would be involved in some other line of work. In the Physical Education Framework for the State of California, the vision is described as:
The new framework calls for an effective physical education program that
Using these ideas as a guide, there are
two phrases that this project attempts to address in an effective manner:
contributing "to children's academic learning", and developing "knowledge
and skills" to help youths become well rounded physical education students.
This action research project addresses these three areas through the use
of a "web-based learning environment (WBLE)" (Mioduser, Nachmias,
Lahav,& Oren, 2001, 1). The WBLE is a lesson on golf that
is designed to increase student learning through the use of guided Internet
searching for pertinent information about the rules of the game of golf
and interesting facts on the game's history. The lesson also contains
instruction on the motor skills of the golf swing that involves pictures,
animated pictures, descriptions, and the option to view on-line video about
the golf swing. Through these practices, this action research project
will attempt to show that this web-based learning environment does in fact
add to a child's "academic learning" and increase the student's "knowledge
and skills."
Description This lesson was developed to give students information about the game of golf in order to facilitate better learning of the general knowledge of the game and of the motor skills involved. It is the belief of the creator of this lesson, that by using the Internet and computer technology to introduce the subject to the students there may be increased interest in learning about the game of golf. Furthermore, it is thought that allowing students to see pictures of, and read about, the motor skills they will be partaking in, the students will grasp the motor skills more quickly and effectively. The lesson was implemented over a 2 1/2 week period in the spring of 2001. Students went to the computer lab the first day and took a pre-test to find their initial knowledge level on the game of golf. Following the pre-test, students used the Complete Golf lesson to search the Internet for pertinent information about golf. On the second day of the unit students went to the lab to read and receive instruction on the golf swing. This was followed by taking the students to the field to begin motor skill practice. The following days were spent practicing the golf swing and playing frisbee golf to facilitate learning of the rules and scoring. For cardiovascular activity, students were also involved in games of Ultimate Frisbee during the unit. In the final days of the unit students spent one more 1/2 day in the lab to review information on the Internet about the rules and etiquette of the game. Students finished the unit by taking the written test to evaluate student growth and learning. Area of Focus The purpose of this study is to try and determine if using the Internet for introductory instructions in a physical education unit will increase student learning of skills and rules of the activity. Variables Student interest in the activity, students' ability to navigate the Internet, students' ability to transfer knowledge that is read into knowledge that is usable as a motor skill. Research Questions - Can using an Internet-based lesson to introduce a motor skill help students to learn the motor skill more effectively?
- Can using an Internet-based lesson to find information about rules of
an activity allow students to learn the rules
- Can an Internet-based lesson allow for more overall learning in physical education? Action Research Group
The group that will be participating in this action research project are
sophomores at Union Mine High School in
Timeline
Early March - Revise and Finalize Complete Golf Lesson
Resources Complete Golf Lesson, Computers, P.E. equipment (listed on lesson site), Internet Access, Digital Camera Data Collection
Pre/Post Test (written)
Concepts and Learning In order to understand if the use of an Internet-based lesson can help students understand concepts and improve learning in physical education, one should first look into the strategies that help to promote learning and the understanding of concepts. A concept is defined as "a general idea, usually expressed by a word, which represents a class or group of things or actions having certain characteristics in common" (Martorella, 1972, p.3). If this is assumed to be true, one can say that the concepts in physical education are many. Students need to learn about the rules of the activity, the interpretation of each rule, the strategy of the activity, the motor skills involved with the activity, and they need to understand how to improve on all of these concepts as they progress in the activity if the students wish to be successful. Students also need to learn about the importance of maintaining healthy fitness levels.
A physically educated person is one who has mastered the necessary movement
skills to participate
One way in which instructors can help students to internalize concepts more readily is to provide the students with a variety of different examples of concepts using a variety of tools. According to Martorella, "the defining attributes of a concept appear to be learned more efficiently when a variety of different and varied illustrations are provided" ( 1972, p. 39). One advantage to the use of an Internet-based lesson is the flexibility the Internet affords the lesson designer. The Internet allows for the use of words, pictures, animated pictures, sounds, and video to be used to address concepts that the lesson is trying to get across to the learner. Using an Internet-based lesson then should lend itself to teaching concepts if the lesson is designed with thought. The logic follows that " if one's objective is to teach concepts...developing fact connections, examining values, teaching motor skills, or even teaching generalizations, the curricular materials he uses should be so structured as to maximize a student's likelihood of learning the concept" (Martorella, 1972, p. 264). When focusing on how learning takes place, it is important to define what learning is. One definition states that "learning is a relatively permanent change in behavior potential which occurs as a result of practice" (Mikulas, 1974, p. 4). With this stated, there is a high volume of learning that must take place for students to be successful in the physical education curriculum. Students must learn rules, motor skills, and strategy at the most basic levels to be able to approach success in class. "The skill and content areas are the basis of physical education" (O'Malley, 1994, p. 7). It is impossible, however, to directly observe learning. In order to evaluate the type of learning that is taking place we must evaluate the performance of each individual. "Remembering that we cannot measure learning, but only performance, the question is what measures of performance should we use" (Mikulas, p. 11). According to the California Physical Education Framework, physical educators should be evaluating three areas to assess learning, movement skills and movement knowledge, self-image and personal development, and social development (O'Malley, p. 6).
Many educators have found that the use of physical activity actually helps
to facilitate the learning process. "Gradually educators have come
to realize that intelligence permeates all human activity and that it is
inseparably interrelated with emotions, social interaction, and physical
activity" (Werner and Burton, 1979, p. 1). With these thoughts in
mind it seems that using an Internet-based lesson to introduce concepts
to students, followed by the students performing the activities, is a combination
that can only help promote the learning of concepts in physical education.
Motor Learning Motor learning involves learning how to move the body efficiently in space.
Motor learning is usually defined as learning in which bodily movements
play a major part; it is a term
In short, motor learning involves controlling the body in order to produce a desired result, such as throwing a football. In order to achieve motor learning one must acquire motor skills. Motor skills can usually be divided into two major categories, gross motor skills and fine motor skills. "Gross motor skills are those that involve large muscle groups and move the body through space" (Oxendine, 1984, p. 18). These skills would include running, jumping, and tumbling; all important skills in physical education. "Fine motor skills are those involving small muscle groups or movement with a very limited range" (Oxendine, p. 18). These skills would include follow through on a basketball shot, squeezing the trigger of a rifle, or putting a golf ball (Oxendine, p. 19). Fine motor skills are also quite important in physical education and particularly in the game of golf where gross motor skill movements with the legs and torso must be combined continuously with fine motor skill movements like the snap of the wrist at the bottom of the golf swing and the proper grip on the club. Teaching motor skills can be difficult because the person performing the skill often cannot see themselves performing the skill. This makes it hard for the subject to judge feedback and make adjustments in the skill pattern.
For example, when you first learned to type or play the piano, you undoubtedly
felt that if you could
When developing instructions
for a motor learning pattern, it helps to have "detailed instructions for
each step, along with checkpoints and illustrations" (Oxendine, 1984, p.
302) much like a set of instructions for assembling a bike. These
ideas again seem to point to the idea that a thoughtful lesson on the Internet
using the full capabilities of the medium will lend itself to students
learning concepts and motor skills.
Internet Instruction Internet-based instruction is a continuously growing vehicle for instruction that educators are using to allow students in their classes to learn more effectively. The development of "web-based learning environments (WBLEs)" are becoming increasingly more popular (Mioduser, Nachmias, Lahav,& Oren, 2001, 1). "These WBLEs reflect educators' attempts to wrap together knowledge in specific content areas and...technological features, in pursuit of learning goals" (Mioduser et al., 8) The Internet allows for teachers to present information in many ways including text, pictures, sounds and video. The ability to combine all of these types of learning tools into one space is advantageous for educators.
When well designed and well structured, Web pages can guide learners through
a variety of experiences
An Internet-Based Lesson on Golf When developing a lesson for the Internet one must stay focused on the goal of facilitating learning. In physical education this means helping students to understand concepts about rules, strategies, and body movements. When trying to find a viable medium to support a lesson on golf that involves all of the concepts above, the use of the Internet seems apparent. On the Internet, information is presented and assignments are structured in a way that can cater to different sensory, social, and thinking styles of students (Grasha and Yangarber-Hicks, 2000, p. 6). While structuring a lesson to promote knowledge of the rules and history of the game of golf and the motor skill instruction, it becomes increasingly important to have the ability to put various resources at the fingertips of the students. The Internet facilitates this endeavor.
When developing a lesson that requires looking for information, it is important
to remember that, according to Dodge, successful web-based instructional
assignments have an introduction, an interesting task, and information
resources (JOPERD, 1998, p. 13). "Any good Web-based learning has
to be based on sound learning principles...The use of the Web and its many
resources does not necessarily equate to an effective learning environment"
(Jolliffe et al., 2001, p. 3).
Summary
In order for an Internet-based lesson to be effective for any learner,
it must be based on sound teaching principles. In order for learners
to effectively grasp concepts, the concepts should be available in different
contexts and formats. Motor learning is a complex task that is best
facilitated with detailed instructions and pictorial representations.
The Internet allows for a combination of many types of information to put
access to all necessary information for learning at the fingertips of students.
A well thought out lesson on the Internet can facilitate a valuable learning
experience for students.
Lesson Philosophy The golf lesson that has been developed includes all of these things. The lesson also includes moving pictures which, "are of real value in giving the learner the general idea of the action pattern." (Lawther, 1968, p. 101) The lesson provides pertinent information to the task at hand and gives necessary examples to make the lesson learning based. This section of the action research report gives examples of results achieved through testing of the study participants. There are three evidentiary charts and photos that correspond with a rubric developed on golf swing mechanics. These examples lend support to the feeling that using the Internet to introduce a lesson in physical education does help students to retain concepts about the rules and etiquette of the game, as well as, the motor components of the swing. If you would like to view the full
spreadsheet on the test results for the Complete
Golf Lesson, you can view them here.
Pre-Test Chart:
This chart shows the number of correct and incorrect responses to each
of the 25 questions on the pre-test of the Complete Golf lesson.
This test was taken prior to any instruction on the Internet or otherwise.
It was the first activity in the lesson. There is a link to the test on
the Complete Golf site, or you can look at it now...Test.
Post-Test Chart:
This chart shows the number of correct and incorrect responses on each
of the 25 questions on the post-test of the Complete Golf lesson.
This is the same test that was taken for the pre-test. This test
was taken approximately 2 1/2 weeks after the pre-test.
Comparison Chart:
This chart shows the average percent of correct answers on the pre-test
as compared to the post-test. The pre-test average percent of correct
answers was 69%, while the post-test average percent of correct answers
was 85%.
Swing Rubric: This rubric is linked to the Complete Golf lesson and is available for students and teachers to view there as well.
Swing Rubric with Student Pictorial Examples: This rubric shows the level of skills developed, through pictures of subjects participating in golf swing practice. Compare the pictures with the descriptions above. Click on each picture to see an enlarged version.
Pre-Test
The data revealed information that seems to support the contention that
using an Internet-based lesson to introduce an activity in physical education
can help to increase student knowledge and motor skill performance.
In looking at the pre-test, which was the first activity of the unit, the
results were what one would expect, around "C" knowledge. The overall
percentage of correct responses to the 25 questions on the pre-test was
69%. In looking at specific questions, the students seemed to have
difficulty with the questions about keeping score, questions 9 and 12.
They also seemed to struggle with the motor skill question, 5, about what
part of the body should be pointing at the target when the swing is completed,
the hips. The last question that seemed to give students real difficulty
on the pre-test was an etiquette question about who shoots first on a shot.
The person who is farthest from the hole should shoot first and
some students were not aware of that. The questions that students
seemed to perform well on were 1, 4, 8, 10, 11, 19, 23, 24, and 25.
All of these questions had results where 20 or more of the 24 students
participating gave correct responses to those questions. These results
show students had some good knowledge about the game before starting the
lesson.
Post-Test
When looking at the results of the post-test, taken approximately 2 1/2
weeks after the pre-test, the results from the students were much improved.
The average percent of correct answers rose from 69% on the pre-test to
85% on the post-test, a significant improvement. Another interesting
note on the post-test was that question 9, about scoring, had the lowest
percentage of correct answers at 50%. On the pre-test question 5,
on motor skills, had the lowest percentage of correct answers at 17%.
These results show that the overall knowledge of the students increased
a good amount. If one was to look at specific questions, student
results increased on questions 9 and 12 about scoring. Seven more
students answered question 9 correctly and one more student answered question
12 correctly. On question 5 about the hips being pointed at the target
the results increased dramatically, from 4 students answering the question
correctly on the pre-test to 19 answering the question correctly on the
post-test. Lastly, on question 3 about who shoots first on a shot,
the number of students answering the question correctly increased from
8 on the pre-test to 18 on the post-test. This is another big jump
in knowledge. Finally, the questions the students performed extremely
well on during the post-test were: 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16,
17, 19, 23, 24, and 25. On each of these questions 20 or more students
responded correctly. On the pre-test there were 9 questions that
20 or more students responded to correctly and on the post-test there were
17. Once again, these results show a significant increase in the
amount of knowledge retained.
Skill Evaluation The skill evaluation shows similar results to those on the pre and post tests. Some students were able to take the information given to them on the Complete Golf lesson and use it to facilitate their growth in the motor skills associated with the golf swing; others were not. All student were able to achieve the basic standard in the rubric, the level one on each skill. However, there were many students, both male and female, who were able to excel according to the evaluation rubric and perform in the three and four scoring range of that rubric. When looking at the "Swing - Contact" section of the pictorial rubric, this section shows how skilled the students became. The subject in box 4 shows great mechanics according to the evaluation laid out in the rubric. His head is down, his arms are straight at contact allowing for maximum snap at the bottom of the swing, his rear knee is beginning to move forward and establish weight transfer, and he makes excellent contact with the ball. When looking at the subject in box 3 of this same section, many of the same attributes can be applied to his swing. His head is down, his arms, we assume, are straight, his knee is coming forward and he makes great contact with the ball. The one visible difference between the 3 and the 4 swing are that the 3 swing has too narrow a base and his arms are quite tight to his body. However, the main mechanics of the swing are apparent. Even when we look at box 2 in the "Swing - Contact" section her swing is good as well. Here head is down, her weight transfer is taking place and she makes good contact with the ball. These are excellent examples of students attaining motor skills.
Also, when looking at the "Follow Through" section of the rubric, the students
in boxes 3 and 4 do excellent jobs of attaining the motor skill goals.
In box 4 the gentleman has his head up, back flat, hips are pointed at
the target and his weight is over his front foot. In box 3, the young
lady has her weight over her front foot, her back is nearly flat, she has
her hips pointed toward the target, and her eyes are looking toward the
target. Again, these subjects show very good motor skill attainment.
Further investigations of the scoring rubric and the pictorial rubric show
student growth and achievement throughout all four sections of the motor
skill.
Conclusions When looking at the written testing information it seems that using the Internet to guide students in finding information on the rules and etiquette of the game allowed them to increase their knowledge of the general information necessary to play the game. Students performed better on the test the second time through after using the complete golf web site for 2-3 days during the unit to review information and issues related to the game of golf. With the motor skill portion of the lesson, students also showed the ability to internalize the information given to them on the Complete Golf lesson. After using the pictures and descriptions given to the students on the web site, they were able to take the instruction from the computer screen and apply it to their performance in the field. Allowing students to see and read about the desired outcome, seems to have helped facilitate the learning of the motor skill. The original research questions were: - Can using an Internet-based lesson to introduce a motor skill help students to learn the motor skill more effectively?
- Can using an Internet-based lesson to find information about rules of
an activity allow students to learn the rules
- Can an Internet-based lesson allow for more overall learning in physical education? In looking at the questions the data seems to show that the answer to question #1 is a yes. Using the Internet-based lesson to introduce the motor skills, seems to have helped students to understand the movements more completely and thus perform the skills more effectively. In looking at the pictures of the motor skills, even the students who were performing at the lower levels of the rubric showed a basic understanding of the major components of the swing. It seems that the use of moving pictures, words, and demonstration allowed the students to understand the skill more completely. Question #2 also seems to have been answered by the data with a "yes". When comparing the results between the pre and post tests the student knowledge increased on each question. By using the Internet to research rules and information, and by using an Internet-based lesson to provide information, it seems students were able to grasp the concepts more readily and retain necessary information as it relates to the game of golf. The fact that the students on the post-test shows me that the lesson allowed students to learn information on the game of golf more effectively. If we consider the answers to questions #1 and #2 to be "yes", it seems likely that the answer to question #3 would also be "yes". If an Internet-based lesson can help students to learn motor skills more effectively, and can help students retain more pertinent information about an activity it follows that the students' overall learning in physical education has increased. If students have increased their learning in the two major areas of physical education then their overall learning has increased.
This action research project has allowed me to learn extensively about
myself as a teacher and what I can do to help facilitate student learning
through the use of technology in physical education. After analyzing
the data, the following steps appear necessary to make this experience
complete for students:
The following artifacts were used in this action research project: There is so much to look back on, not only with this project but throughout our time in the iMET program. In reference to this portion of the portfolio, my action research project, I know that it has changed the way that I look at using technology in physical education. I have learned a tremendous amount about how to use an Internet-based lesson to effectively instruct students to gain more knowledge and to introduce complex motor skills. I found that my idea of using technology to introduce a lesson has been effective for my physical education 2A class regardless of what was previously researched on this topic. I also know that using the Internet to introduce my lesson inspired students who normally are fairly uninvolved in P.E. to take a second look at what was being taught and actually strive to achieve the goals set before them. This lesson has opened my eyes to the possibilities of using the Internet and technology in physical education on a more regular basis. This lesson has encouraged me to do more with the Internet in my units and it has encouraged me to work harder to prepare for my units in physical education. I often think of myself as a great teacher, but just by preparing this lesson with some time and thought, I really feel that my students got more out of the unit than if I had just given them the traditional instructions. It means a significant amount to me as an instructor and professional to see my students improve their learning throughout the course of a unit.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this lesson and the time I spent with my class
broadening myself as a teacher. Although it has been a long and treacherous
road, the rewards have been worth it. As they say, nothing worth
having comes easy. This project and degree have not come easy and
that is why I feel so satisfied at this point. I hope you have enjoyed
the information presented.
Enhancing school physical education with technology. ( 1998, May). Journal of School Health. 68 (5). 219.
Should k-12 physical educators make more use of technology in their classes?
(2001, February). Journal of Physical
Cuban, L. (1997, May 21). High-Tech schools and low-tech teaching, Education
Week on the Web. Retrieved:
Dodge, B. (2000). Active Learning on the web. Retrieved: February
22, 2001 from
Grasha, A. F., and Yangarber-Hicks, N. (2000, Winter). Integrating teaching styles and learning styles with instructional technology. College Teaching. 48 (1). 2. Jolliffe, A., Ritter, J., and Stevens, D. (2001). The Online Learning Handbook. Stylus Publishing Inc., Virginia. Knop, N., LaMaster, K., and Williams, E. (1998, Nov-Dec).Technology implementation: Let's do it! Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance. 69 (9). 12. Lawther, J. (1968). The Learning of Physical Skills. Prentice-Hall Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Magill, R. (1993). Motor Learning Concepts and Applications. Brown and Benchmark, Dubuque, Iowa. Martorella, P. (1972). Concept Learning. International Textbook Company, Scranton, Pennsylvania. McLean, D. (1996). Use of computer-based technology in health, physical education, recreation, and dance. ERIC Document. ED390874. 4.
Mergendoller, J.R. (2000). Technology and learning: A critical assessment.
Retrieved: January 18, 2000 from
Mikulas, W. L. (1974). Concepts in Learning. W.B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Mioduser, D., Nachmias, R., Lahav, O., & Oren, A. (2000). Web-based
learning environments: Current pedagogical
O' Malley, E. (1994). Physical Education Framework. California Department of Education, Sacramento, California. Oxendine, J. (1984). Psychology of Motor Learning. Prentice-Hall Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Werner, P., and Burton, E. (1979). Learning Through Movement. C.V. Mosby Company, St. Louis, Missouri. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
