This Hybrid course emphasizes the importance of applying the science of motor learning across the movement professions. Current literature will be reviewed over 5 hours of asynchronous lectures with a specific interest in cognitive limitations, focus of attention, instruction, and feedback. This content will establish a baseline of knowledge rooted in cognitive psychology culminating in the execution of movement as a combination of cognition, perception, and action. The 7 hours of in-person instruction will consist of personal and case-based application to equip the learner with the skills needed to garner immediate value when coaching exercises.

OUTLINE:

1. What is motor learning/skill acquisition?
2. Transfer of Motor Learning
3. Attention and Memory Limitations
4. Optimizing Communication for Motor Performance
5. Application of concepts in hands-on experience
6. Application of concepts in case-based scenarios

LESSON TITLES:

Stages of Motor Learning (60 minutes) [Included Online Course]

1. The learner will be able to differentiate betwixt the two main models of motor learning.
2. The learner will be able to differentiate between beginner, intermediate, and advanced stages of motor learning.
3. The learner will be able to understand the characteristics related to the stages of learning.

Transfer of Learning (30 minutes) [Included Online Course]

1. The learner will be able to differentiate between the different types of transfer.
2. The learner will understand how transfer of learning occurs.
3. The learner will understand when negative transfer occurs.

Attention as Limited Capacity (60 minutes) [Included Online Course]

1. The learner will understand that attention is a finite resource.
2. The learner will be introduced to different theoretical models of attention from cognitive psychology.
3. The learner will be given pragmatic examples of what happens when attention is divided.

Memory Components, Forgetting, and Strategies (60 minutes) [Included Online Course]

1. The learner will understand working memory and how it relates to patient instruction.
2. The learner will understand long term memory and how it relates to patient instruction.
3. The learner will understand the process of remembering and forgetting.
4. The learner will be able to recall strategies to improve retention and recall.

Optimizing Communication for Motor Performance (90 minutes) [Included Online Course]

1. The learner will both understand and be able to apply evidenced based instruction.
2. The learner will both understand and be able to apply evidenced based demonstration.
3. The learner will both understand and be able to apply evidenced based feedback.

Personal and case-based application of concepts (7 hours) [In-Person Lab]

1. The learner will perform and coach barbell bench, squat, and deadlift with an external focus of attention.
2. The learner will perform and coach standing long jump with an external focus of attention.
3. The learner will perform and coach side lying hip abduction with an external focus of attention.
4. The learner will perform and coach shoulder external rotation with an external focus of attention.
5. The learner will create treatment plans based on clinically relevant cases with an emphasis on coaching motor performance.

SPEAKER BIO:

Don Reagan, DPT, CSCS, USAW-1 is a board-certified clinical specialist in orthopaedic physical therapy who has over 20 years of cumulative experience. He currently holds a dual position at Carson-Newman University as a lector of motor behavior and as a sports physical therapist embedded within NCAA D2 athletics. He recently completed the APTA Fellowship in Higher Education Leadership in July 2021. He has previously taught in strength & conditioning, athletic training, and physical therapy academic programs. He practiced exclusively in the outpatient setting serving the entire lifespan in various geographic locations full time for a decade whilst contemporaneously serving 25 graduate students as their clinical instructor.