Effective Strategies for Language Instruction in Physical Education from the Perspective of Tacit Knowledge

Abstract

In physical education, teachers often have difficulties in transmitting tacit knowledge contained in sports skill to students through language instruction. This article draws the following conclusions through literature analysis, logical reasoning, and practical experience summary: 1) Sports skill is practical, and it belongs to knowing how; 2) Sports skill is also tacit, and embodiment is the root of its tacit nature. The explicitness of sports skill is limited, and there are many ways of physical action and perception that are difficult for us to express accurately in language. 3) When the teacher's language instruction points to the body perception experience and specific way of doing, it can be more effectively transmit tacit knowledge, help students improve their physical actions and thereby creatively acquire sports skills. 4) Effective strategies for language instruction in physical education include: verb or adverb plus body parts, directions or spatial locations, action verb, metaphors and analogies, changes in intonation or specific stress, repeated words, onomatopoeia.