http://www.ausport.gov.

au/sportscoachmag/coaching_processes/teaching_game s_for_understanding

Teaching games for understanding

Author: Shane Pill, Flinders University School of Education and President, SA Branch, Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation Issue: Volume 29 Number 2 Sports have traditionally been taught using the skill and drill or progressive part method. Sports are broken down into their component skills and these are then taught. This technical approach, developed after World War 2, taught the skills isolated from the game and then the skills and the game are put back together. This method assumes there is only one right way to perform a skill, but we know from observation of elite sportspeople that frequently they dont kick the ball or swing the racquet like the ideal model. Successful sport athletes often do not have perfect stylized technique, frequently having individual technique differences and successful unorthodoxies. The other problem with this technical approach is that the thinking and problem solving aspects required for successful game performance are not central to the initial learning as the technical requirements are isolated from the game in skill drills. This traditional technical approach begins with the question, How is this skill performed? and then focuses on teaching the skills of the game before putting the skills into practice. It conditions participants to attention technique during activity and not the joy of being active. It emphasizes correction of movement patterns rather than enhancement and, for many beginners, the most important thing they learn is that they cannot perform the complex skills necessary to be successful. The reality is that the majority of children wish to play and have fun, and so coaching with excessive emphasis on the technical requirements of the game tends to lessen motivation and enjoyment.

An alternative approach: learning through enquiry - guided discovery

The Game Sense approach is one method which develops the broader meanings of sport and physical activity as it focuses on developing thinking through problem solving using physical activity. The Game Sense approach is a variation of Bunker and Thorpes Teaching Games for Understanding model. The Game Sense approach became prominent in Australia following a visit by Rod Thorpe to Australia in 1996. The focus of the Game Sense approach being to place the participant in situations where decision making and problem solving are central to successful performance. The central strategy for teaching/coaching using the Game Sense approach is the use of questioning to stimulate thinking about the game instead of using more direct teaching/coaching approaches. Games are stopped at regular intervals and participants challenged to reflect on their participation in order to mature the play. The Teaching Games for Understanding approach to the teaching of sport/physical activity is a holistic model because it focuses attention on the individual and not with the sub set of activity specific skills for the activity in focus. Learning the skills of the game are placed in the broader context of the game itself. The nature of the game is taught first, and the skills are added at a pace manageable by the participants. By doing this, the thinking and problem solving aspects of the game are taught in tandem with the skills. The result is a participant who is skilled in the broader sense of understanding the game rather than simply being skilful at the game.

The Teaching Games for Understanding approach is a method that can be used with all ages, from beginners to elite. By manipulating time, risk and space elements of performance with questions to make participants think through the various aspects of performance, a rich understanding of the game is developed. Instead of How is this skill performed? Teaching Games for Understanding begins with a different style of question: Why are we doing this? and How can we do it better? The Teaching Games for Understanding approach is a holistic model where learning the skills of the game are placed in the broader context of the game itself. By manipulating time, risk and space elements of performance, combined with the use of key questions, participants think through various aspects of performance. A rich understanding of the game and the person as a player within the game is developed. Teaching Games for Understanding shifts thinking away from an assumption that once the skills have been taught a person can play the game. It turns traditional coaching for beginners upside down as it begins with the game, and not the skills of the game.

Teaching Games for Understanding in action

Below is an example of how to introduce a sport to beginners by reducing the technical requirements of the game through the use of the Teaching Games for Understanding inquiry approach.

Session 1: volleyball modified game - rules

Underarm throw over the net to begin Catch the ball above the head. Pass with a two handed overhead throw to a team member. Third pass must go over the net. Loss of point if the ball hits the ground on your side of the court, ball goes over before third pass, third pass goes into net the net and lands on your side of the court or the ball lands out of court. Rotation and volleyball scoring applies

Examples of key guestions guiding the inquiry approach

What is the purpose of the game? What are the advantages to your team from using all three passes allowed? What do you have to do with your body in order to catch the ball above your head?

Possible game progression: new rule

Third pass must be from one of the front court players or, add bonus points if the attack (third pass) is from the front court and it wins the rally.

After the game has progressed, further examples of key questions guiding the enquiry approach could include:

From where on the court is it most difficult to return the ball? Where is the best place to serve the ball? Where is the best place to target the third pass over the net?

Possible game progressions

Do not allow players to move their feet once they catch the ball Reduce the time allowed to hold the ball before a pass is made Allow the third pass to be a self set spike After the first catch, all passes must be a self set After the first catch and self set, the next two passes must be sets or a self set spike Eliminate the self set for the spike, the spike must occur from a set Introduce the forearm pass; bonus points if the serve reception is a forearm pass Introduce the serve; bonus points for a deep serve to the back court Introduce the block; bonus points for winning a rally from a block

The successful implementation of the Teaching Games for Understanding model revolves around the use of key questions to guide the conceptual, strategic and tactical requirements of the game, combined with game modifications that allow players to learn the game without having to excessively attention technique. When sport specific skill acquisition occurs, players understand the significance of the skills within the game because they understand the game first. This is the key to the Teaching Games for Understanding inquiry approach. When teaching skills, the contextual nature of the skill is not lost in a series of drills from a textbook because the game has first been introduced in a modified, skill and age appropriate way. The skill learning is occurring through guided discovery in a fun way. When individuals need skill attention to enhance performance or correct a technique likely to lead to injury, the coach can remove players from the game being played and attention the individual without the whole group needing to stop. An openness to experimenting with ideas and a flexible approach towards planning so that guided discovery through inquiry can occur are needed for the Teaching Games for Understanding approach. Use small sided games to maximise participation and to construct the environment for the game understanding that you wish to develop. Most importantly, move your thinking from the skills of the game to thinking about the nature of the game and the understanding of the game to be developed through a game-question-reflect-practise if appropriate-game cycle (as opposed to the traditional: practise -instruct-practiseculminating game cycle] The Teaching Games for Understanding approach will challenge the way you think about coaching sport. It will challenge you to match content with context, to coach with meaning through reflective practice, and to coach players to think, analyse and problem solve. It will lead you away from a didactic and direct technical skill and drill approach to instruction with a guided discovery and enquiry approach.

Resources
The Australian Sports Commission has a number of resources available that can assist coaches in applying a Game Sense approach to their coaching. These include: - Playing for Life Resource Kit, including DVD RRP $109 - Additional copies of Playing for Life DVD RRP $10 Both are available from ASC Publishing at www.ausport.gov.au/about/publications/catalogue A small selection of the Playing for Life Activity Cards are available to download for free at www.ausport.gov.au/participating/coaches/tools/Activity_Cards

References
Den Duyn, N 1997 'Game Sense, Its time to play', Sports Coach, 19(4), pp9-11 Den Duyn, N 1997 Game Sense - Developing Thinking Players Workbook, Australian Sports Commission, Canberra.

Den Duyn, N 1996 'Why it makes sense to play games', Sports Coach, 19(3), pp6-9 Griffin, L. Mitchell, S. & Oslin, J 1997 Teaching Sport Concepts and Skills: A tactical games approach. Human Kinetics, Illinois. Thomas, K 1997 We love games, but when do we teach technique? Sports Coach, 20(2), pp4-5

http://tgfu.wetpaint.com/

Teaching Games for Understanding

Hello everyone! Thank you for checking out this wiki. To all the U of M Education students: Welcome! This wiki will begin its journey with you! A group of university students enrolled in a PETE program. Together, you will research the TGfU approach, gain deeper understanding of its application in PE and create and develop your own game and lesson plans. This wiki is designed to be collaborative and input from the community is always encouraged. For those people of the community who are not involved in the TGfU assignment, you are encouraged to collaborate with the students. If you have a comment to an article written by a student, you may post a thread on the page in the form of a question, suggestion or even some words of encouragement. Collaboration is the key to this wiki but I would advise not to edit the students' pages without consulting with them first in order to provide them with the learning experience that a wiki creates. If you are a teacher yourself and would like to get your students involved, see below for more info and please contact me. This wiki can only grow if people add to it so I encourage everyone to participate! Thank you, Helena

If you would like to ask me a question, I may be online! Chat with me in the Meebo

Chat room! Unique Opportunity! In order to begin our active dialogue around teaching games, I am looking for teacher educators or High school PE teachers to begin a collaborative TGfU assignment on this wiki with their students/teacher candidates. I am looking for students who can contribute to this wiki as part of a university or school based course. I want to create an outline for each of the four categories. This outline will consist of headings where the students will than create content belonging to each heading. For example: History of TGfU. With a collaborative professor, such a project has been implemented last Spring and my thesis study showed that teacher candidates can deepen their understanding through participating in such a project. I realize most of you are on holidays yet some may be thinking ahead about the Fall and the type of assignments to give the students. Please consider working on this one with me. What are some benefits to participating? - Students deepening their understanding of the TGfU approach to teaching games. - International collaborative initiative to encourage this active dialogue around TGfU. - Using a new technological instructional tool. - Extending the learning experience (students can participate whenever and wherever they are). - Using technology to enhance the various learning styles our students possess. - Continious professional development opportunity. - Creating a TGfU website focused on collaboration to build community. Interested? Email me at helenabaert@hotmail.com and get your students involved!

http://tgfu.wetpaint.com/page/Teaching+TGfU Teaching Implications

Teaching games for understanding allows students to learn imperative skills that can be transferred to several games, rather than just one (Butler, Hopper & Mandigo, 2007). To teach using theTeaching Games for Understandingmodel, some teaching points are in place to allow teachers to make successful games for their students. Some examples of teaching points are:

1. To provide rules for the students that will ultimately affect attributes of the game such as the number of players for the game or the type of equipment (Ellis, 1986). 2. A set of rules that the teacher presents in which the student chooses from, such as type of ball used or scoring rules (Ellis, 1986). 3. Conditions that the teacher puts in place as well as student involvement on how the conditions are met such as the area of play or what happens if the ball hits the net (Ellis, 1986). 4. Finally, presenting suggestions that can be in the form of a question such as how can you position your body to intercept the ball or look for open spaces (Ellis, 1986). Clearly, it is crucial that physical educators realize the importance of teaching games for understanding and how to properly implement the strategy. This allows for increased participation and makes physical education and tactical games more enjoyable for all students. When students are taught how to understand the structure of games and movement skills, tactical understanding and skill execution can be learned, transferred and perfected (Butler et al., 2007). Educators/coaches must have a deep understanding of games both within and across categories (target, invasion, striking/fielding and net/court) (Forrest, Webb & Pearson, 2006).Student's that have been taught both the basic and advanced aspects of sport through use of a positive media , should be more likely to value an active life style. Hopefully these teaching and learning models can help generate more interest from students and athletes to participate by having them learn through games, as opposed to simply learning about games (Butler et. al., 2003, p.1). I could not put this any other way: "Adoption of this model will give pre-service and practicing physical education teachers a process that allows them to firstly develop an elementary and then an advanced understanding of the elements of games within and across categories and secondly allows them to develop appropriate modified games and guiding questions to provide opportunities for critical thought in games in their lessons" (Forrest et. al., 2006, p. 8).

Pedagogical Principles
Butler, Hopper and Mandigo (2007) describe that the teaching games for understanding model is a learnerbased approach where the goal of the physical educator is to create physically literate students. Butler et al., (2007) highlight four pedagogical principles that are used when teaching this model: Sampling - This provides the students with situations to realize that skills, rules and tactical solutions can be transferred between different games. For example rolling a bowling ball and doing an underhand serve in volleyball are similar skills. Students will be able to make connections like this. Game Representation - This is where the educator creates developmentally appropriate game-like situations to demonstrate how to use a certain skill in a game. Exaggeration - This principle focuses on one particular point in a game and based on this a game is created so that the students can learn about this scenario. For example, altering the dimensions of the court in net/wall games exaggerates the importance of strategic implement placement. Tactical Complexity - This point demonstrates that there should be developmental progression of tactical solutions. "A physically literate person moves with poise, economy and confidence in a wide variety of physically challenging situations, is perceptive in reading all aspects of the physical environment, anticipates movement needs of possibilities and responds appropriately with intelligence and imagination" (Whitehead, 2001)

Misinterpretation
I believe that there is a misinterpretation in the assumption that students "like" TGfU more then the old model. Being in my practicum over the first semester, I have learned that many students still prefer the old model over the TGfU model. Just food for thought...(Koleric, R.). I am in agreeance with (Koleric, R) that there is a misinterpretation that students "like" TGfU more than the old model, however, I do believe in the overall goal of TGfU, which is aiming for increased student participation and increased understanding of games. There must be a balance between what the students like and what will benefit them most outside the classroom. If the majority of students had their way there would be months of Basketball and Floor Hockey, etc. (Johnson, H).

References
Butler, J., Hopper, T., & Mandigo, J. (2007). What is Teaching Games for Understanding? A Canadian Perspective. Physical &Health Education Journal. 7(2), 14-21. Ellis, Margaret. Rethinking Games Teaching. England: Nene Litho, 1986. 61-65. Forrest,G., Webb,P., and Pearson,P., (2006) Teaching Games for Understanding; A Model for Pre-service Teachers. Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Sport and Dance Journal. 1-4. Butler, J., Griffin, L., Lombardo, B. & Nastasi, R. (Ed.). (2003). Teaching Games for Understanding in Physical Education and Sport. Reston (VA): NASPE.