Learning Curve Evaluation

Linear learning curve

My performance using my second implement shows that my performance has increased in proportion to the amount of practice.

The apparatus that I chose was the tennis balls. The learning curve which shows the curve of my performance is the linear learning curve. Many factors and practice methods have contributed to my overall performance including my age, genetics and the environment. Age is something that can both enhance and limit someone’s overall performance, but in my case it has enhanced my performance.

Genetics also impacts on skill development and the ability to perform.I am not limited with weight, height or disabilities, which comes from my genetics.

The environment or atmosphere is another factor the impacts on skill development. There was a large amount of space, giving everyone the opportunity to spread out and concentrate on what they were doing without being distracted. 

As I progressed, improvements were noticeable and my confidence increased, making me motivated to strive to do better and better each session. Personality is another characteristic of the learner. People with personality traits such as confidence, motivation and reliability are likely to learn motor skills quickly and be able to fulfill their potential. 

During my development of the skill, I went through a few stages. When I first started juggling I was at the cognitive stage which is also called the understanding stage. At this stage I formed a clear idea of what was required to perform the skill. The next stage was the associative stage and I got to this by about my third session of juggling. During this stage I refined the skill through constant practice methods. I was able to juggle for longer and I knew what to do in order to avoid frequent mistakes. Finally I was at the autonomous stage. I was able to perform the skill without much thought. I didn't have to concentrate as much on what I was doing and I could still perform the skill well without dropping the balls. 

In conclusion I believe my overall progression of juggling was completed very successfully. With continuous practice and constant motivation I was able to finish at the autonomous stage. I am now able to juggle consistently and confidently with tennis balls. 

Fourth Entry (26/3/15)

Scoring system: for every ball thrown in the air i receive two points. 

This is my fourth juggling lesson and you can see a very big improvement from my last one.

The type of practice would be whole practice seen as i practiced in a whole and i am at the advanced stage.

I would say now i am at the autonomous stage as this skill comes natural now and i don't have to think about how to perform it.

Throughout this lesson i have received a total of 24 points as i threw the ball in the air 12 times which is outstanding compared to my last one.

The learning environment influenced my performance because all my friends were around me and i couldn't concentrate and also i kept getting off track by playing basketball.

Pre Planning Lesson

Resourses used:

to learn and practice my skill i used this website http://learnhowtojuggle.info/ which gave a 3 step list of instructions on how to juggle. Step one being one ball with two hands, step two being two balls with two hand and step three being three balls with two hands. The main way i learn't how to juggle was from my sister as she knew how to juggle and seeing someone actually juggle in real life and the steps and techniques they used helps tremendous amount.

Characteristics of the Learner

Ability	I am able to perform a skill easily.      If I practice at the skill I will learn it really quickly.      I have a good reflex and I am intelligent.
Personality	I am determine if I don’t know something to learn it but I like to learn it on my own so I feel like I have accomplished something by myself.     I am patient but don’t like being given advice (depends who the person giving the advice is).     But I am quick to develop a skill.
Prior Experience	I have no prior experience.       I have done sports which include hand and eye coordination though including netball and tennis.
Confidence	I have self-belief when I am performing a skill.      My confidence does rise when I can perform a skill automatically.      If I fail I stop performing the skill and lose confidence.
Heredity	I have a monomorphic body which is more muscle that is larger than ectomorph ones.       I have strength.       I am tall.       I can visualize a movement and make it materialize.

Skill Continuum

Third Entry (17/3/15)

Scoring system: for every ball thrown in the air i receive two points. 

This is my third attempt at juggling and you can see that i am still at the same level as my last entry. The type of practice being used here is again massed practice due to only having a short amount of time to practice and being determine to learn the skill.

I am currently at the associative stage seen as i don't know how to perform the skill well but have an understanding of how to do it. 

In total i received 6 points as i threw the ball in the air 3 times which is not too good.

The learning environment influenced my performance as it was sprinkling and water was getting in my eye and also there were a lot of toys on the ground that i kept looking at to see if i was going to step on them.

Second Entry (10/3/15)

Scoring system: for every ball thrown in the air i receive two points. 

This was my second attempt at juggling and you can see a significant improvement. The thing that i was most not good at would have been throwing the second ball that was in the hand with two balls, i found this very difficult. At the beginning of this session i started by using plastic balls because i thought it would be easy but it was later seen that tennis balls were much more easier as they are heavy and don't bounce off of each other.

The type of practice being used is massed practice due to only having a short amount of time to practice and being determine to learn the skill.

I would say that now i am at the associative stage as i am getting better and can do a total of around 3 cycles without dropping them. My sister also showed me how to juggle seen as she knows and before she showed me i was trying to start with two balls in my left hand but then i saw her start with two balls in her right and and then i tried that way and it became very easy.

Throughout this video i received a total of 8 points as i threw a ball in the air 4 times and for every time i receive 2 point therefore receiving 8 points in total.

The learning environment influenced my performance because having my dog around me i was not able to concentrate as i kept worrying i was going to step on her. Also the ground was uneven therefore i was a bit tilted.

First Entry (3/3/15)

Scoring system: for every ball thrown in the air i receive two points.

This entry is a bit late but video was taken on 3rd of March 2015. This was my first time trying to juggle with two balls although not using the juggling technique i tossed 2 balls between my hands, back and forth keeping my eye on the ball the whole time, because while juggling if you loose concentration it will fall apart. Using two balls helps with the motion of juggling but easier because two balls, two hands which makes for an easy attempt.

The type of practice used is distributed practice seen as i was taking breaks between practices to either talk to friends, rest or listen to what advice the teacher was giving.

For this technique i used bean bag balls and juggled them on the ground. Later i was told by Ms Hanson that sitting on the ground was not an effective position and that standing up would help more because it gives you more space to move around to catch the balls. I took this into consideration and later stood up to practice.

At this moment in time i was at the cognitive stage seen as i was a beginner and knew nothing about juggling. In this video i received a total of 16 points as i threw a total of 8 balls in the air.

The factors influencing my performance would have been the fact that i was a beginner and had no prior experience which made it more difficult. I also didn't perform well when people were around me/ watching me, i would get distracted easily and nervous if the teacher was watching. Another factor would be me sitting down because i could move around well to catch the balls.