The learning of motor competencies through different teaching styles. Analysis of the behavior of the Physical Education teacher in secondary school.

Purpose: The teaching of motor competence requires knowledge of how to propose motor tasks and organize the didactic setting, to promote different way of learning, adapted motor tasks, and to develop psychological factors related to physical activity. Three questions arise: what skills, knowledge, and attitudes to teach; how to teach and promote different way of learning; what skills have been taught and learned. The present study aims to: a) share a repertoire of teacher behaviors specific for each teaching style; b) identify the relationships between the descriptors of teacher behavior and motor learning; c) design different teaching-learning situations. Methods: The study, based on action-research method, involved 47 physical education teachers (M = 20, age: 43.46 ± 6,45; F = 27, age: 45.47 ± 8.90), with 3-7 years of service. The Teachers shared a repertoire of behavioral descriptors for each teaching style, both reproduction and production ones. The assumption is that the learning of motor competencies depends on the motor task, the way with which teacher request and propose it, and the relationships between the students in the teaching setting. Results: A repertoire of 48 descriptors of teacher behaviour, 25 for reproduction styles and 23 for production styles was structured. Each descriptor presents a didactic scenario to deduce the modalities of communication between the teacher and the students and the degree of decision-making in the proposal of motor tasks and motor responses, respectively. The questions of the training course were: how to propose a motor task to promote different ways of learning? How to request differentiated motor tasks and promote the variability of the practice? Which questions are related to the teaching styles of production and generate divergent and transferable motor answers? The definition of a repertoire of behaviors could orient the teacher’s reflection on the didactic choices made. Conclusions: The choice of teaching styles is fundamental to promote different ways of learning and personalized teaching interventions. The use of different teaching styles can enhance and facilitate the connection of the contents with the student’s learning methods. Several factors influence the motor learning and a repertoire of descri ptors is necessary to share the how to propose a motor task and the teacher student-students interaction. Furthermore, it is important to increase teachers’ perception of the teaching styles used and to reflect on teaching choices.