NLP in Gymnastics 

Introduction

Imagine a primary school gymnastics lesson where students aren't just following technique-dominated prescriptive instructions in gymnastics lessons. Instead, they're actively shaping their own learning experience through questions and exploratory tasks. This is the world of inquiry-based learning and non-linear pedagogy, where facilitative questions help students to explore and find their own movement solutions to achieve the learning outcomes. In this article, we'll explore how these innovative methods are transforming the way students learn to provide a refreshing alternative to the teaching and learning of gymnastics.  Who knows, you might already be incorporating elements of this dynamic approach without realizing it! 

Non Linear Pedagogy (NLP)

Non-linear pedagogy (NLP) is an approach that places learners at the center of their educational journey, encouraging them to be active participants in the learning process. Each student is unique, and their learning path may not follow a linear trajectory. It values exploration, problem-solving, and critical thinking. In this approach, students are not mere recipients of knowledge; they become architects of their own learning, making choices, adapting to challenges, and discovering their own pathways. 

Let’s look at some examples on how our school has applied the NLP principles to help our students learn in mounting, dismounting and vaulting in Primary 5. Very often, students were unable to land on feet with control after rebounding on the springboard due to run up speed and forward momentum. To address this, teachers would use teaching cues such as ‘land with feet shoulder width apart’, ‘bent knees’, ‘chest and head upright’, ‘land without taking any steps forward’.  However, we found one of the NLP principles “Attentional Focus” to be very effective in helping our students solve this problem in landing.  By using cues in the form of an analogy i.e., ‘land like a helicopter, not like an airplane’, we saw students being able to imagine themselves landing like a helicopter due to the contextual knowledge.  With a simple analogy, we conveyed the concept that students should convert their forward momentum into a vertical motion to avoid landing with multiple steps. This is an example of informational constraints focusing on movement effect without explicit instructions from the teachers.

In the teaching of mounting, dismounting, and vaulting, one might have drilled students to practice running from 10m and rebound off the springboard repeatedly for perfect controlled landing before introducing shapes in the air or other variations.  Chow et al. (2015) has indicated that placing excessive importance on the precise form of a movement can result in a prevalence of repetitive, mechanically reproduced actions during the learning process, often leading to overly conscious and rigid control of movements.  A shift in focus is necessary to encourage learners to engage in problem-solving and generate inventive and functional movement solutions during exploratory practice. Therefore, the introduction of practice variability encourages learners to try different ways of moving and adjust their actions to match the changing information they encounter during actual performances.

As opposed to the drill and practice, we added task extensions by providing variations of the same task in the lesson to promote functional variability. For example, after practicing static rebounds on the springboard, we introduced rebounding over a low or medium height apparatus to increase the height of the jump without explicit instruction. Other task variations included creating all kinds of shapes - not just gymnastic shapes in the air, and land facing a different direction. In doing so, students’ confidence and creative thinking were evident as they had the choices and autonomy to create their own movement solutions and be challenged appropriately while meeting the objectives.

The opportunities for students to be engaged in creative thinking and explorations could be enhanced by our questioning techniques. Instead of direct instructions such as “jump higher”, we can lead students on a journey of self-discovery with well-thought-out questions. For example, in the same lesson, we asked the students, “What do we need in order to make a shape in the air and still land in a controlled manner?” Students’ replies would be time or height. And this would lead us to the next question, “How do we get more time/height?” Students would catch on and understand that they need to jump higher to get more time and height in the air to make the desired shapes and still land in a controlled manner. Other questions to extend their thinking could include, “How do we jump higher off the springboard?” By encouraging students to experiment through inquiry fosters critical thinking and motivates them to explore various aspects and, in our cases, the velocity of their run-up, the force imparted to the springboard, and the points of contact on the springboard, among numerous other variables. Driven largely by their quest to achieve greater height to craft more complex shapes while airborne, the students would be motivated to experiment and find a solution. 

Conclusion

Do any of these concepts sound familiar? Perhaps you're already applying NLP without even realizing it. As we've explored these NLP principles in the context of primary school gymnastics, you might recognize some elements in your teaching practices. 

As a form of inquiry-based learning, NLP in our gymnastics lessons have empowered learners by actively involving them in their educational journey, promoting adaptability, creativity, and valuable problem-solving skills. 

By applying the principles, students’ focus on the outcomes and interactions with the environment and task generated adaptable and diverse functional movement solutions. In addition, guiding students with open-ended questions fostered critical thinking and independence. It's a pedagogy that not only transforms how we approach gymnastics but also shapes the future of education itself. So, whether you are starting or already on this journey, inquiry-based learning offers an exciting path for teachers and students to explore together. 

Article Contributed by: 

Lim Wei Peng Jeremy, PE Teacher, Punggol View Primary School. He is identified as a PE Knowledgeable Others (PEKO). 

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