Practice and Guidance

What Practice and Guidance covers

Practice and Guidance is examined in Component 2, Psychological and social principles of physical education. It covers whole, part, progressive part and whole-part-whole practice, massed, distributed, fixed and variable practice, visual, verbal, manual and mechanical guidance and technology in guidance.

The 4 subtopics

Each one has its own page.

• Whole, part, progressive part and whole-part-whole practiceWhole practice and highly organised skills, part practice, progressive part practice for a triple jumper, whole-part-whole practice for a tennis serve, a gymnastics floor routine, and matching method to the stage of learning.Open →
• Massed, distributed, fixed and variable practiceMassed, distributed, fixed and variable practice with their uses and evaluations, the novice gymnast, open skills, combining structures in one session, and preparing a tennis player for a tournament.Open →
• Visual, verbal, manual and mechanical guidanceVisual guidance and effective demonstrations, direct and indirect verbal guidance and prompting, manual guidance and forced responses, mechanical guidance and restriction, and guidance for autonomous performers and beginner swimmers.Open →
• Technology in guidanceSplit-screen and overlay software, animation and 3D modelling, measuring performance, monitoring and evaluating guidance, virtual reality, mechanical aids, wearable prompts, video demonstrations and matching technology to the stage of learning.Open →

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Take Practice and Guidance further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

• Massed practice vs Distributed practice

  Massed practice: repeated attempts with little or no rest between them. Distributed practice: attempts separated by rest intervals.

• Fixed practice vs Variable practice

  Fixed practice: repeating a movement in unchanging conditions. Variable practice: attempts made in changing conditions and situations.

• Part practice vs Whole practice

  Part practice: working on separate sub-routines one at a time. Whole practice: working on the complete movement without breaking it down.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What is whole practice?

   Model answer

   Whole practice teaches a skill in its entirety, without breaking it into parts. The learner gains a feel for the complete movement, including its timing and flow.

2. 2

   When is whole practice most suitable?

   Model answer

   Whole practice suits fast, ballistic skills whose parts are hard to separate, such as a golf swing or a cartwheel. Whole practice also suits simple skills.

3. 3

   What is meant by a highly organised skill?

   Model answer

   A highly organised skill has closely linked sub-routines that are difficult to separate. A dive or a golf swing is highly organised.

4. 4

   Evaluate whole practice.

   Model answer

   Whole practice keeps the flow and timing of the skill and builds a strong motor programme. Whole practice can overload beginners on complex skills and may be unsafe for dangerous ones.

5. 5

   Define part practice.

   Model answer

   Part practice breaks a skill into sub-routines, and each sub-routine is practised on its own. A swimmer might practise the leg kick alone while holding a float.

6. 6

   When is part practice most suitable?

   Model answer

   Part practice suits complex, low-organisation skills whose parts separate easily. Part practice also suits dangerous skills, beginners and learners with short attention spans.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

Practice and Guidance revision questions

What does Practice and Guidance cover in Edexcel A-Level Physical Education?

4 subtopics: whole, part, progressive part and whole-part-whole practice, massed, distributed, fixed and variable practice, visual, verbal, manual and mechanical guidance and technology in guidance. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.

How is Practice and Guidance organised?

By the Edexcel 9PE0 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.