Developmental Concepts

The answer to every concepts review question and every QuizShow question is no, not necessarily, or maybe.

If you missed any of the questions, or are confused about the answers, then be sure to read the explanations below. The questions came from the NASPE publication Looking at Physical Education from a Developmental Perspective: A Guide to Teaching. This is a booklet published by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education. It lays out the mind set that dominates physical education today, "developmentally appropriate physical education." The booklet is old and a promised revision is overdue. The booklet can be purchased online from AAHPERD Publications at this link.

It is essential that you take the developmental perspective seriously. It is the prevailing attitude of the Physical Education Praxis Exams. To do well you must take a "developmental perspective" into the test with you! For example you must understand The Six Elements of Developmental Change.

The Six Elements of Developmental Change

Development is

individual (question 6)
multifactorial (question 5)
sequential (question 4)
cumulative (question 3)
qualitative (question 1)
directional
progresses toward a goal – improvement or adaptation
example - an injury may require a player adapt his baseball swing to a quicker more compact swing

Related Concepts

A "developmentally delayed" or "developmentally lagging" motor performance is not wrong (question 2)
The "adult model" or "error correction model" (question 2)
The "proficiency barrier" (question 3)
Developmental readiness (several questions)
Development is age-related, not age dependent
1. Development follows a general pattern (age-related)
2. Each individual has own unique development (not age dependent)
  1. Developmental age in typical 3rd grade classroom varies by 3 years
  2. Average age is 9 but maturity may range from 6 to 12 years
3. Need to teach each child appropriately

Concepts Review:

Answer the questions below.

A second grade class is given a running test at the beginning of the school year and again at the end of the year. Most of the children are running faster at the end of the year. Are the children more fit at the end of the year? Are they more skilled runners at the end of the year?

The children could be running faster because they have longer legs and/or more mature running patterns. Developmental change is not just quantitative (size, height, weight), it is also qualitative. As children mature they move more efficiently. Their nervous systems have matured, so movements are more refined. The improvement in the running test may be a result of development rather than an improvement in fitness. Simply put, they run better and that helps them score better on fitness tests even if they are not necessarily more physically fit or more "skilled" runners.

An eight-year old boy throws a ball for distance keeping his trunk motionless. Is his throwing motion wrong? Should this eight-year-old's physical education teacher or coach show him how to throw correctly?

This child is throwing with an immature pattern. "The throwing pattern is more characteristic of a 3- or 4-year-old. For an 8-year old, this action would be considered developmentally lagging, but it is not wrong." The physical educator with a developmental perspective is mindful that motor performance of children should not be evaluated using the "adult model" or "error correction model." From the developmental perspective, the boy's teacher or coach should help him develop a mature motor pattern rather than correct an erroneous one. (Quote from Looking at Physical Education from a Developmental Perspective: A Guide to Teaching)

Will an 18 year-old college student who has an immature throwing pattern learn to hit a full motion top-spin tennis serve in an 8-week class?

	Motor skills are cumulative in nature. You build on the past when developing new skills. Later skills are built upon the mastery of previous skills. You cannot become a proficient performer if you fail to develop fundamental skills. The tennis serve is a specialized version of the overhand striking and overhand fundamental motor skills. If not proficient in those skills, you cannot become proficient in tennis serve.
	This obstacle to skill development is called the "proficiency barrier"
	For this college student to serve well, he/she will have to develop a more mature throwing pattern before the serve can be mastered. This student has run into the "proficiency barrier". This student will not progress until he/she overcomes the limitations imposed by his/her lack of skill.

A soccer unit planned for 6th graders is used for 8th graders with very little adjustment. Is this a developmentally appropriate practice?

Development is sequential. Development follows a general pattern with individuals developing at individual rates/speeds. We should build our programs and activities around those sequential changes and build on past experiences from year to year. Students in the 8th grade should be more skillful than 6th graders. Therefore, the teacher should plan separate units of instruction sequentially appropriate for the skill levels of the students.

Will 4th grade students who can perform soccer dribble, kick, and pass skills during drills" be able to able to play a game successfully?

Motor development is dependent on many factors. Do the fourth graders know the rules well enough to play? Are they skillful enough to use their skills in competition( over learned?) Are they socially ready for competition? Many factors weigh in on their readiness for game play. "Children may display relatively advanced physical skills, however, when placed in a game these skills fall apart, or regress dramatically." (Quote from Looking at Physical Education from a Developmental Perspective: A Guide to Teaching)

Some 7th graders in your classes are very good at playing full-court basketball games. Other students are not. To keep the well-skilled students challenged, should you have everyone play a full-court game during part of the class period?

Some are ready for full court games and some aren’t. The students who are ready to play full-court basketball may be more developmentally mature than those not ready to play full-court. "Those not ready for the full game may be less interested in practicing and refining their skills. Because change is individual, and based on many factors, all children will not be ready for the same challenges simultaneously."

It’s inappropriate to expect all students to progress at the same rate. It is inappropriate to expect all students to do the same thing (i.e., the same exercises, the same number of exercises, the same distance). Make an effort to individualize workloads and learning activities. For example instead of having everyone do 20 curl-ups ask them to do as many as they can in 30 seconds. The fitter students will do more repetitions than less fit students, but they should all be asked to do their best whether it is 5 or 25. As you can see, time is a great way to individualize workloads.

Will a young child learn to swim more easily than an adult?

See question 9. A child that is very afraid of the water may find learning to swim much more difficult than an eager, cooperative adult.

Is it easier to teach an elementary child new skills than it is a teenager?

See question 9. Although a child is often eager to learn, if the child isn’t developmentally ready he/she will not master the new skill.

Do older adults learn motor skills more slowly than children or younger adults ?

The rate and ease with which a person learns a skill is determined by many factors. It is commonly thought that young children learn fundamental motor skills much easier than older adults. Nevertheless, despite some evidence that youngsters in general may learn motor skills a bit easier that adults, there are many factors that determine a person's readiness to learn. In each of the last three cases it is important to consider that each person is an individual and you should avoid such generalizations about rate and ease of learning.

Developmental rates are unique to the individual. Mr. Jones, a seasoned citizen of 70, may learn to ride a scooter faster than his 10 year-old nephew. It depends on the individuals involved.

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