Game Sense

1. GAME SENSE APPROACH
• What is the Game Sense approach?
• Why is it important for primary school
students?
• What are the strengths of the Game Sense
approach?
Miss Parker - Class 5P

2. As a teacher, student engagement, enjoyment and
success are at the core of my pedagogical decisions –
this is why I choose Game Sense!
• Game Sense is a different approach to physical
education, stemming from pedagogical
characteristics of teaching games for understanding
(TGfU).
• Game Sense modifies games to suit the individual
needs of students, the aim of the lesson and the
content.
• Games can address a range of student abilities,
highlight specific skills and strategies and maximise
participation and inclusion through modification.
(Pill & Hewitt, 2017, p. 10-16)
(Hopper, Butler, & Storey, 2009, p. 1-7)
What is the
Game
Sense
Approach?

3. Game Sense
exists in
three parts
→Knowing what to do in the
context of play (decision making)
PLUS
→Knowing how to do it (movement
knowledge)
EQUALS
→The ability to execute the what
and how (movement capability)
(Pill, 2013)

4. What is the
Game
Sense
Approach?
• Modifications can include - numbers of players
within a team, size and shape of the area used
(field, court, round, rectangular) or the number
of balls used.
• Game sense can be broken into 4 core
categories:
1. Invasion games (soccer, football, rugby)
2. Striking games (softball, kickball, cricket)
3. Net/wall/court games (tennis, volleyball,
squash)
4. Target games (golf, archery, bowling)
This makes learning fundamental movement
skills easily transferable across game categories.
(Light, 2013, p. 19)

5. Why is Game
Sense
important for
students in
5P?
Game Sense is SUPER important for all students!
Why? Because…
• It is learner centred – students guide their own
learning and thus take more from the lesson and can
reflect on their learning
• Students build collaborative skills to work towards a
mutual goal
• It builds on students social skills
• It builds student confidence in a safe, comfortable
environment
• It provides students with learning context and
problem solving skills
• Students work on independent decision making and
critical thinking skills
(Light, 2013, p. 48-58)

6. Rationale
There are multiple strengths to a Game Sense
Approach to PDHPE, including but not limited to:
• Indirect teaching – the teacher facilitates rather than
tells students what to do. They guide their own
learning!
• Game Sense targets the fundamental movement
skills relevant to each stage
• Allows teachers to assess students as they are
learning and find areas of strength or areas to
address
• Maximising student engagement through a multitude
of differentiation and modification opportunities
(Light, 2013, p. 48-58)

7. Syllabus
links
Does the Game Sense appropriately link to syllabus
outcomes? Absolutely!
Students in 5P will work towards the below outcomes to
support their growth in PDHPE:
• Creates and participates in physical activities to
promote healthy and active lifestyles PD3-8
• Selects and uses interpersonal skills to interact
respectfully with others to promote inclusion and build
connections PD3-10
• Selects, manipulates and modifies movement skills
and concepts to effectively create and perform
movement sequences PD3-11
However, the great thing about Game Sense is that it
meets the broader rationale of the PDHPE syllabus so
can easily be adapted to any stage!
(NESA, 2018, p. 17-19)

8. References
Hopper, T., Butler, J., & Storey, B. (Eds.). (2009). TGfU… simply good pedagogy: Understanding a complex
challenge. Ottawa, ON: PHE Canada.
Light, R. (2013). Game Sense : Pedagogy for Performance, Participation and Enjoyment. Milton Park,
Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
NSW Education Standards Authority. (2018). Personal Development, Health and Physical
Education K-10 Syllabus. Retrieved from: http://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/k-
10/learning-areas/pdhpe
Pill, S. (2013). Creative physical education: Integrating curriculum through innovative PE projects. Asia-
Pacific Journal of Health, Sport and Physical Education, 4. doi: 10.1080/18377122.2013.836772
Pill, S., & Hewitt, M. (2017). Tennis coaching: applying the Game Sense Approach. A journal for Physical
and Sport Educators, 30(2), 10-16. doi: 10.1080/08924562.2016.1273807