Teaching Styles in Physical Education and Mosstons Spectrum:
Jonathan Doherty, 2003, Centre for Physical Education, Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds, UK.
Available at:
This article provides information on teaching styles and focuses on one model in particular (Mosston, 1986) as an, “effective and creative way of teaching physical education today”. While a dance lesson may not run exactly like a PE lesson in terms of the skills used and taught there are many similarities with regards to the structure: ie, you would always begin with a warm up, there are set ‘moves’ and skills but there is also the freedom and creativity of finding your own way of doing things, there can be team sports/ group dances but also individual tasks set too.
I found this a very good source of information and there are many things that could be adapted enabling them to be used within a dance session to help cover different learning styles.
The article starts saying that most people will have been taught PE in school by a number of different teachers with different teaching styles “which in turn may of coloured your own thoughts about that particular sport or physical education activity” This highlights the importance of good teaching practice and links in with the importance Petty put on the role of teachers as your actions could have lasting effects on a participants ideas and feelings about the subject matter in hand. If you are taught in a suitable way to your learning styles then it would seem likely that you would have a much better understanding of the subject and a much more enjoyable experience.
The article names a number of writers in the field of teaching styles but would seem to lean in preference towards one in particular that they wish to focus on believing Mosston theory to have the “most detailed analysis”. I would have to review further literature to get a more rounded view of the knowledge already acquired in this area and to be sure that this writer is not biased towards Mosstons theory.
Mosstons ‘Spectrum of Teaching styles’ centres around the relationship between teacher and student and how much responsibility each party takes for what happens throughout the lesson. The spectrum ranges from one end where there would be a teacher led approach to the other end where the teacher acts a facilitator in learning.
Doherty see this as a way of ensuring teachers accommodate students diverse learning styles and while acknowledge that teachers may have their own “individual styles of instruction” he feels that “relying on personal preference is an unstable basis for effective teaching and that selection of a teaching style must be done on a more logical and scientific basis.”
From the Spectrum and example given in Physical Educstion I have adapted it to fit a dance lesson and I can see how useful it is to have a certain formula to follow. While this is a guide to help teachers it is by no means presented as a Set of Rules to follow, “It permits a huge degree of freedom”, and as I have demonstrated can be adapted to suit the various needs of individual teachers. Doherty says that this ways “teaching is both art and science”
Spectum Style Learning Intentions Dance lesson Example
1.Command Teacher makes all the decisions. | Physical: Motor skill acquisition | Perform a pirouette |
2. Practice Student carries out teacher prescribed task | Physical: Motor skill acquisition | In groups of four practice travelling steps across the room |
3. Reciprocal Students work in pairs; one performs other provides feedback | Social: working with others Cognitive: Observing, analysis | In twos use Mirroring to work out a sequence on the opposite side, watch each other and give feedback |
4. Self Check Students asses own performance against criteria | Social: helping others asses their own performance | Students learn a set floor sequence and assess each other against a written criteria e.g. Pointed toes, stretched arms, timing with the music, fluidity of movement and so on. |
5. Inclusion Teacher planned, student monitors own work | Social: Maximising involvement. Assisting others to succeed | Set up different ‘stations’ around the room and students visit each ‘station’ and practise whatever step is written there until time to move on. |
6. Guided Discovery Students solve teacher set movement problems with assistance | Cognitive: Discovery learning | Students try out the same sequence but on different levels (high, middle, low), making slight adaptions as they go if necessary |
7. Divergent Students solve problems without assistance | Cognitive: Independent thinking Social: Confidence, group work | In small groups create their own dance sequence |
8. Individual Teacher determines content, student plans program | Cognitive: Planning | Teach a dance sequence but gives options throughout e.g. Single or double pirouette/ just do arms if struggling to co-ordinate foot work as well. Students make own decisions as to what option they take, taking responsibility for their work. |
9.Learner Initiated Student plans own program, teacher is advisor | Cognitive: selection and application Social: personal responsibility | Discuss ideas for a stimulus for a dance, ask student to bring in their own stimulus ideas. |
10. Self-Teaching Student takes full responsibility for the learning process. | Cognitive: Understanding Social: Independence | Set task whereby students in groups create their own warm up or cool down sequence and designate roles for each other eg. Demonstrator, counting the music, giving corrections. Once practised they then conduct it with the rest of the class and the teacher acting as their students. |
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