Pike Valley Instructional Strategy Support System
Psycomotor Skill Learning

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Psychomotor skill learning is a skill that is physical in nature yet has a cognitive component. The learner must learn to perform new coordinated muscular movements and the procedure to sequence the action. Psychomotor skills have been categorized many different ways:

1. Discrete(have a beginning and end)/Continuous(performer-determined)

2. Closed(no environmental influence)/Open(environment causes adjustment)

3. Person/Object motion or at rest matrix

There are two components of teaching a psychomotor skill:

1. A demonstration and explanation leading to learning the procedural rule
2. Practice that leads to temporal patterning

Consider the different types of practice:

1. Massed(intensive, extended)/Spaced(short distributed over time)

2. Whole/Part(parts are chunked)

3. Progressive part(part 1, part 1 & 2, part 1,2,& 3)

4. Backwards chaining (practice from last to first)

Base practice decisions on: age, skill level, and prior experience of learner, and simplicity or complexity of the skill

Sample Lesson:
5th Grade

Sioux Rain Dance

Goal: 5th grade students will artfully perform the Sioux Rain Dance for the 1st grade students during their Native American Unit.

Psychomotor Skill Learning Lesson

Remember the three phases of psychomotor skill learning:
as described by Fitz, Posner, and Singer:

1. Cognitive - verbal information and procedure components

2. Associative - cognitive knowledge coordinates with the muscular movement

3. Autonomous - novice to expert
I. Introduction

Task Analysis of Rain Dance
1. Circle hop
2. Weaving
3. Backwards step
4. Transition step between performance steps

A. Deploy Attention

Librarian shows a film of the Sioux Rain Dance to the 5th grade students.

B. Establish Instructional Purpose

Librarian tells the students they will be performing this dance for the 1st graders who are studying Native American Culture

C. Arouse Interest and Motivation

Relate to students that the last time this dance was performed, our community received 15 inches of rain! (True)
And that the 1st graders will remember this forever.

D. Preview the Lesson

Librarian quickly demonstrates the basic rain dance to be learned and tells the students this is the performance routine. She relates that the students will learn one step at a time including the transition step, and then put the steps together to form the performance routine. First they will learn the circle hop, second the weaving pattern, third the backwards step, and fourth the transition step. She tells them she will demonstrate each step and then they will have time to practice the step. When all steps are learned, they will practice the whole dance before putting the routine to music. And lastly, the dance will be put to music and the audio cues will be learned when transitions take place.


II. Body

A. Recall Relevant Prior Knowledge

Librarian has students make a circle and walk around keeping the circle's shape

Then the students form a line and each hops on one foot to a designated point and back on the other foot

Students perform a simple side step around the circle

Students step backwards around the circle

B. Process Information

Librarian begins with the circle hop. She demonstrates the step the students will do while they are in a circle, carefully moving around the circle. She relates that the step is nothing more than a hop on one foot three times and then a hop on the other foot three times.

Next lesson will be the weaving procedure

Next lesson will be the backwards step

Next lesson will be the transition step

Next lesson will put all three steps and transitions together.

Last lesson will be performing the dance to music

C. Focus Attention

Librarian has one student(the one who can't hop) be in charge of the drum. He hits the drum three times to signal a change in performance.

D. Employ Learning Strategies

Librarian helps students remember the order of performance by this jingle: transition--hop-transition-weave-transition-backwards-transition-end

E. Practice

The students will use part/spaced practice for 4 lessons and then will use whole/spaced practice for 2 lessons. They will practice each step by themselves away from other students then return to the group for practice in the circle.

F. Feedback

Librarian will video tape the final performance dance and show to the students before they perform for the 1st grade. Observations about good skills and those needing more practice will be discussed.

III. Conclusion

A. Summarize and Review

Students practice one more time before they perform for the first grade.

B. Transfer of Knowledge

Students will perform the dance for the Spring Music program

C. Remotivate and Close

Students will watch their performance video from the music program and have a small celebration for a job well done



IV. Assessment

Assessment can be over the cognitive or motor(or both) portions of the psychomotor skill:

1. Rating scale
2. Degrees of acceptability
3. Observation

A. Evaluate Feedback and Remediate

Librarian will evaluate by observation those students who are performing according to their capabilities and those who still need more practice and remediation.