Use of guidance and feedback: Visual.

The idea

Visual guidance is information a performer takes in by watching: a demonstration, a video clip, a diagram, a chart or a coach's modelled movement. In AQA A-level Physical Education, 3.1.2.4, you learn that visual guidance is most effective when the demonstration is accurate, repeated, and matched to the learner's stage, because beginners can copy a clear picture more easily than they can act on a long spoken explanation. A coach teaching a novice to perform a badminton overhead clear might first show the movement slowly, then have the learner watch a video and copy it. Visual guidance is strong for shaping technique and for highlighting a single cue, such as the position of the non-racket arm. Its limits are that a demonstration can be misread, may be too fast to copy, and cannot by itself explain why a movement works.

What earns the marks

• Visual guidance is information gained by watching, for example a demonstration, video, diagram or chart.
• A coach can use it to highlight one cue, such as the position of the non-racket arm in a badminton overhead clear.
• Its limitations include the demonstration being misread, being too fast to copy, or failing to explain why a movement works.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Thinking visual guidance means any guidance a learner can see, including written instructions.

  Put it right: Visual guidance is information taken in by watching a demonstration, video, diagram or chart, not by reading text.

• Assuming a demonstration must always be performed at full speed.

  Put it right: A slow, repeated demonstration is often more effective for a beginner because it gives time to copy the movement.

• Believing visual guidance alone is enough to teach a complex skill.

  Put it right: It is usually combined with verbal guidance and feedback so the learner understands what to watch and why.

Exam tips

• Link the type of guidance to the learner's stage: visual guidance suits cognitive and associative learners who need a clear picture to copy.
• Use a named skill and a specific cue, such as watching the non-racket arm in a badminton overhead clear, rather than a vague example.
• When asked to evaluate, give one strength and one limitation of visual guidance, then state how a coach would combine it with another form of guidance.