Game Sense Approach

1. The Games Sense approach is essentially a student- centred
approach, with teachers having little instructional involvement.
Teachers who control all actions are disadvantaging students as
they are not allowing them to develop their own skills and strategies.
The Game Sense approach typically involves a series of small-sided,
modified games that start off simply and evolve to complex games.
This approach does not only involve the students in the sport
physically, it allows them to develop strategies and movements
during the game. Students will be involved in decision-making,
tactics, problem-solving and skill development. With students
learning though engagement, these skills are gradually developed
and they are eventually expected to have quality understanding
about the skills and movements applied in the game by the end of
the unit. Research suggests, the Game Sense approach has the
potential for realising valuable intellectual learning through
movement when appropriate pedagogy is adopted (Light &
Fawns, 2003).

2. During the Game Sense approach, the teacher is the facilitator
who only gives general instructions about the game and
questions the student’s decision making. Throughout this
approach, technique does not need to be developed before
playing the game.(Blomquist et al., 2001). This gives students the
opportunity to question and think to themselves about the more
in-depth skills involved in the game. The Game Sense approach
allows the students to make decisions as they ask themselves
questions such as, “Where is the open space?”. Students are
constantly risk taking throughout this approach, as they are
developing the ability to read the game and make decisions
based on what they see and what others do. Students may take
risks such as “Should I throw or hold the ball?”. This leads to them
evaluating whether their decision was correct or would they
have done things differently and why. Problem solving is also
developed when using the Game Sense approach as students
are constantly figuring the best ways to approach the game, for
example, “How and where can I slide to evade my opponent?”

3.  Thoughts about time and space
properties – “Can I score now?”
 Perception – “Where am I in relation to
others?”
 Tactics and strategies - "Will I fake a
throw?"

4. Using the Game Sense approach to teach
PDHPE gives students the opportunity to explore
and discover games by themselves. I believe,
students should not just get involved in the sport,
they need to think about their strategies and
movements during the game. They need to read
the play, assess it and make a decision on their
move. Using this approach over a long period of
time, ensures that students develop skills that
prevent them from breaking under pressure,
resulting in consistently make the right decisions.

5. The Game Sense approach is also great as it
allows the teacher to create modified games
based on individual needs. The teachers role is
to question, raise awareness and offer
guidance or advice. This puts the emphasis on
the student and these are life long skills that
students may use in all areas of their life, not
just PE. The teacher facilitates activities based
around the concepts of space, attack and
defence instead of sequencing skills. They
structure the game in order to ensure that all
students participate and develop a variety of
skills.

6. Light, R. (2004). Coaches' experiences of Game Sense: opportunities and
challenges. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 9:2, pp.115-131.
Blomquist, M. Luhtanen, P. & Laakso, L. (2001) Comparisons of two types of
instructions in badminton, European journal if Physical Education, 6, 139-156.
Pill, S. (2014). An appreciative inquiry exploring game sense teaching in physical
education. Sport, Education and Society, [online] pp.1-19.