Convergent Discovery Teaching Style

Physical education is an essential part of a student's overall education, and teachers must employ various teaching styles to help students learn and develop motor skills, cognitive abilities, and social skills. One teaching style that has gained popularity in recent years is the Convergent Discovery Teaching Style from Mosston and Ashworth.

Mosston and Ashworth designed 11 different teaching styles, with the Convergent Discovery Teaching Style being one of them. This style focuses on converging the ideas of the students towards a predetermined goal or outcome. In this teaching style, the teacher sets up the activity or problem, and the students work together to find the solution.

The goal of the Convergent Discovery Teaching Style is to encourage students to think critically and come up with a solution that works best for the situation. This style emphasizes the importance of the teacher's role in guiding the students towards the outcome rather than just providing them with the solution.

Examples of the Convergent Discovery Teaching Style in Physical Education:

1. Basketball: ask students to develop a strategy for getting past an opponent in basketball using a 2-3 zone defense.
2. Fitness Challenges: Pupils could explore the effect of posture and speed of movement on Heart Rate by perforing a range of activities for 60s each (sitting, jogging, sprinting, skipping rope, push ups etc.) and then immediately recording pulse rate.
3. Problem-Solving: Teachers can set up problems that require students to think critically and come up with a solution. For example, 'Radioactive Isotopes' (see team building pack) where students have to work in teams to transfer an object only using skipping ropes, without letting the object fall or drop. The students must work together to come up with a solution, and the teacher can guide them towards the best outcome.

Throughout the process, the teacher would encourage students to think critically about their approach, consider the principles and concepts they have learned in class, and work towards finding the one correct solution to the challenge.

In conclusion, the Convergent Discovery Teaching Style from Mosston and Ashworth can be a valuable tool for physical education teachers. By emphasizing critical thinking and problem-solving skills, this teaching style can help students develop their motor skills, cognitive abilities, and social skills. Teachers can use games, fitness challenges, and problem-solving activities to engage students and guide them towards a predetermined goal or outcome.